Well, yesterday started out well (pun). Actually, it was Monday night when it started. We had had visitors come to see Jack, the Alarm Cat, and then took us out to dinner which was very lovely and thank you again! Then, when we returned home all the lights were out and the power was off. I did the usual things, checking kettles and connections, and finally tracked the problem down to the water pump in the well…

Which meant no water on Tuesday morning. Luckily we had some in a big bottle outside and Habib at the supermarket had delivered us four cases the day before. But still, no water is a tad inconvenient at any time but especially so when we have a house guest arriving on Thursday. Anyway, I popped over the road and found our landlord and, with lots of arm waving and universal sign language plus some Greek spoken in a funny accent (me) and some Symiaka spoken in a funny accent (Andreas), I was able to explain that the pump had broken. I’d already taken advice from a man who knows about such things and who had warned me that this was not going to be cheap.

Our pump is (was) great. It’s down in the sterna, so you never hear it. It’s attached to the world above ground by a rope and its cable so when you need to change it you simply haul it up. Then, I am told, you just undo some joint thing and attach the new pump and lower away. I have no idea and I didn’t intend to find out. So, Andreas went off to phone an electrician (Frances’ husband, Vasilis, who wired the house when it was renovated). A little while later there’s the sound of Vasilis’ truck outside and some greetings from Andreas, who has a loud voice, is always happy and gesticulates like a tic-tac tic-tacker. A little while after that the doorbell goes and we’re off into the magical world of water pumps.

Vasilis quite calmly checked the fuse box, took the front off, stuck his screwdriver into the wires with alarming abandon, pulled them about without killing himself (he knows what to do, he was well trained… by Andreas who was head of the island’s technical college or something) and after a while confirmed that it was the pump and we needed a new one. He then acted as an interpreter for us and between us all we agreed that we and Andreas would go halves on a new pump as they are not cheap. A new one had to be ordered from Rhodes and, as write this now (on Tuesday) that’s been done and we’re hoping it will be here and installed on Wednesday at the cost of at least €400. Yikes. I know, but it gets better…

While Vasilis was here was also looked at the electricity meter. We’ve been here since February and our bill has been really low. I was kind of complaining to the landlord that we were not paying enough. I know, but you don’t want to end up with a large bill if/when you discover you’ve been paying the wrong bill. And guess what? We’ve been paying the wrong bill. We have been paying for Andreas’ house opposite (who clearly lives by candlelight as we’ve only paid something like €100 in eight months) and, with a little detective work on all sides, we discovered that someone else has been paying ours. Thing is, the wrong meters have been put to the wrong bills and our real one, estimated, is €16.00 in credit. Except it is not as we’ve used nearly 3,000 units more than the estimated amount. So, guess who is going to be getting a large bill next time round? I’ve no idea how much it will be, it depends on various things – how much you’ve used and at what time – but that’s going to be something to look forward to right before Christmas and right after our European trip. Hey ho! But, I am glad we have it all sorted now and am very grateful for all of Vasilis’ help.

Now then, as I write this, Neil has just photographed some more refugees who have been rescued and brought ashore by the port police. And that reminds me that on Friday evening at Pedi (Apostolis taverna) there is a gathering and party to which everyone is invited; drinks etc. for €10.00 which is a donation towards Solidarity Symi.

And that also reminds me to let you know that I am off to Rhodes for Wednesday and back on Thursday, leaving Neil in charge of mother (or vice versa) and so there will be no blog for two days. How will you manage? Well, I always suggest you check out Adriana’s Symi blog if you don’t already. I’ll be back soon when hopefully I will be able to wash.

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On Sunday we hired a car and Lyndon kindly drove us around. So, what do you do when you have a car for a day, on Symi? We started off with a coffee at The Olive Tree, a convenient meeting place…

The next port of call was the monastery/church of Panaghia Mirtidhiotissa, which is above Ksisos. We rang the bell and the caretaker lady who lives there let us in and opened the chapel for us. We had a look round and then headed off again, this time to the monastery at Roukouniotis.

This is now restored and very nicely too and visitors are welcome to look around, for free. Again the caretakers will open the chapels for you and answer any questions you have. There is an older 14^th century church below the more ‘modern’ 17^th century one, as well as the old ovens, refectory, and other rooms to look at.

After that, we wandered up to the windmill nearby to look at the old threshing circles and take some photos, see if we could spot any birds and then we drove to the top of the road at Toli Bay, or above Toli Bay. From here you can see St Emilianos and across to Turkey and Kos, and on a clearer day to other islands as well. There are, below you somewhere, some ‘classic period ruins’ and, when we were there, there was also a man out hunting on the hill high above and to our right. It’s still hunting season here at the moment.

And then, onwards and this time to Marouthounda for lunch. This involved driving right across the island of course and so there are plenty of views and other places to stop to admire the scenery, you pass the monument to the resistance fighters killed in the last war, and then zig zag down the hill 13 times until you reach the turn off for the beach and taverna, farm and accommodation. Lunch was very nice, the goats are kept at bay on the other side of the fence, and there were not too many hornets about (always a bit of a bind at this time of year).

After lunch we went home, had a rest and then met up again in the evening for a drive to Panormitis, arriving there at dusk. There was a group of ladies from Athens and some men staying, who were in the tavernas singing Greek folk songs and having a high old time. That added atmosphere to our glass of wine as we waited for darkness to really take hold and then…

Then we drove back up to hill and stopped at a viewpoint to star-gaze. We did try taking photos of the stars, but really need to work on the technique, the photo here is one Neil took and it’s the best of the bunch. Mine looked good on the camera, but when you blow them up there’s nothing there. Also, on this photo, you can’t see the Milky Way which stretches from one side of the sky to the other. And after that, home via a last drink.

So, plenty to see and do on Symi in one day with a car. Even without one there’s lots to see and do and the weather at this time of year is good for walkers, though it’s set to get a bit dodgy next week as October starts to become troublesome. It really does feel like we’re heading for winter again and so soon already! A timetable for volunteers to help at Solidarity Symi is being drawn up, we have booked our holiday flights, and I’ve organised two of the three train journeys we need to book for it. All we need to do now is find the money to pay for the hotels. I’d best be off to search down the back of the sofa.

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Abud is an Arabic name derived from the verb ‘To worship.’ We met Abud at the port police station on Saturday morning with 13 other refugees who had spent the night on the rocky shores somewhere on the east coast of Symi. They had waited there 10 hours overnight, after making the crossing from Turkey. We didn’t take photos of the group as we didn’t want to worry anyone. (Today’s photos are a mix of recent pics.)

Abud told us that he was aiming to get moving, he wanted to get cleared through the paperwork as quickly as possible and get to Athens so he could start the overland journey to Germany where his people were. There were a few children in the group waiting patiently for the port police to do their paperwork. We brought them some donated colouring books and pens which lit up their faces and, we hope, relieved their boredom. We were also able to give out some basic medication for people with tooth and stomach ache, some fruit, biscuits, water and advice. Once finished at the port authority, the group would go to the police station and could then come and use Solidarity Symi to find clothes and washing facilities while waiting for their boat.

This brought up something which I thought I would mention. Abud is a big guy, he looked like your classic body builder and he’s not the first big, muscled man we’ve seen come through. His backpack was lost in the crossing, when they had to go into the sea for the last part of the journey ashore. He lost all his clothes. We told him there would be clothes at the aid station but whether there would be anything to fit a bodybuilder is another matter. So, if you have mates at the gym who might have some old, XXL clothes they don’t need, maybe ask to send them over and mark them up ‘for XXL’ or ‘for bodybuilders’ or something. Men like Abud, who only had one pair of wet jeans and a wet vets to wear all the way to Germany, will be very grateful.

While we were doing our very meagre bit on Saturday, we also took in donations from visitors – thank you for that, and you know who you are. Over €200 in one morning, very generous and very useful. We sorted clothes, mother got involved as well, as did other long-term residents and visitors, and the place is now well organised and properly arranged. So, when the 14 visitors we saw at the port police do come over, they will find not only medical aid for the cuts sustained when scrambling ashore on Symi’s razor-rocks, but new clothes, washing facilities, toys for the children, a little food and shelter and a warm welcome.

You can help via: Solidarity Symi, PO Box 32, Symi, 85600, Greece

Now back to Sunday (as it’s Sunday morning as I write this). The soldiers have just done their flag raising ceremony at the war memorial (see above) down in Yialos and I am getting this ready early as I have a day out in a car ahead of me. We’re going bird watching with Lyndon who has this amazing knack of finding unusual birds and wildlife out there in the hills and getting good photos of it. I only seem to catch a dodgy sparrow or a rather ubiquitous raven. Saturday night in the courtyard, a hawk flew over us, very low and close and it was grey/blue underneath. We think it might have been a peregrine or a kestrel. Who knows what we shall see today?

This week is going to be a busy one, the dance card is already filling up. We have friends coming for drinks on Monday evening and then a dinner, on Tuesday I am heading to Rhodes and going shopping on Wednesday, then meeting my nephew at the airport who is coming for his first visit, back here on Thursday, a singing session in the afternoon, Mythos in the evening (must book it) and then on Friday we’re aiming for a small party in Pedi and then hopefully an hour or two at The Secret Garden in Horio – if we can get in; it’s so popular on a Friday night now that you need to get in early. And before we know it, it will be the weekend again and our Saturday volunteer session, which is where we came in, so I’m now heading out. Have a good week.

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To Steno (Το Στένο) means a strait, a pass or narrow, and To Steno, the kafeneion in the side lane in Yialos, fits that bill perfectly, though it could also be called an art gallery. Every table and wall is painted by hand by the owner’s daughter and/or her mother in law, and shows a Symi scene or other Greek view, oranges, a ship etc. You have your drinks off a piece of art, basically.

You also have an interesting, yet simple menu. You can take an ouzo and have some mezethes (small plates of various dishes) or, if there are two or three of you, you can have a meze plate for €20.00 for six dishes. There is also a €50.00 option for six people – if you are a party of four or five you will have to do your own calculations. The food is homemade and some of it comes from the family farm up towards Tolis on the north west of the island, where they have six pigs, sheep, goats and grow potatoes, among other things. So, it’s all fresh and made with love and care. We had, in our €20.00 plate, gigantes, aubergine, beetroot and garlic sauce, yoghurt, bread, fava and chicken drumsticks.

While we were there, early in the evening, we were treated to some bouzouki music and guitar, again provided by the family, and this music can go on well into the night, with impromptu dancing included as well. If you want the traditional Greek ‘thing’ this this is it. It’s taken us a while to getting around to going there but we’ll be back. It’s in the lane between the harbour front at ‘comfy chairs’ and the church square. You have three lanes heading from sea to backstreet in Yialos, one with Symi Tours in it, one with Taxas supermarket at the end, and the one in the middle, this one. You’ll find it.

Here’s a thing about the bouzouki (according to an online dictionary): “The bouzouki (also buzuki) (Greek: μπουζούκι pronounced [buˈzuci]; plural: μπουζούκια) is a Greek musical instrument that was brought to Greece in the 1900s by Greek immigrants from Asia Minor, and quickly became the central instrument to the rebetika genre and its music branches. A mainstay of modern Greek music, the front of the body is flat and is usually heavily inlaid with mother-of-pearl. The instrument is played with a plectrum and has a sharp metallic sound, reminiscent of a mandolin but pitched lower. There are two main types of bouzouki. The trichordo (three-course) has three pairs of strings (known as courses), and the tetrachordo (four-course) has four pairs of strings.”

My Collins Encyclopaedia of Music adds that, ‘The bouzouki enjoyed a great revival in the 1960s when several Greek composers, notably Mikis Theodorakis, exploited the sound of the instrument and made it known internationally.’ So, if you were thinking it was an ancient Greek instrument, think again, it’s a relatively modern one and yet one that is now so typically Greek. There you are, the things you learn when you stop off for a small plate. And if you wanted to hear some Theodorakis and have some authentic Greek music in your home, here’s an idea for a CD. (Click pic to link)

The Very Best of…

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Here’s something that’s going on, on Symi, on Monday evening. If you are here you can get in on the party but be quick as there are only 80 tickets. Leave Yialos by boat at 8pm, head around to Agia Marina beach, enjoy dinner and drinks there, and get your boat back at 23.00, all included in the price and you will be donating towards Solidarity Symi which is raising money for projects that support the community in Symi. Here’s the poster.

And here are some photos of a party and people out and about last Sunday evening. I’ve not much else to tell you today so I’ll leave you with these photos.

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