For me, it’s the end of a varied and pleasant week, not that I really ‘do’ weekends anymore. We’ve had visitors coming to the island, the boats are starting to appear more frequently, and many businesses in the harbour are up and running already. The weather has been warm, though the air was a little more chilly yesterday, the sea has been calm, and the flowers have been blooming. There are now poppies in the meadow in front of the house. I say ‘meadow’, it’s actually a piece of wasteland that looks after itself. It’s currently covered in long grass and various wildflowers, all of which will be gone as soon as someone grazes their sheep or mule on it, which usually happens in the runup to Easter.
Not the wasteland
I’ve managed to get out and about for a few walks, but not as many as I would like, and we’ve been social, meeting friends to play cards, or just to sit and chat. My piano pupil passed his grade two music theory exam yesterday gaining just over 82%, which, in this case, meant only getting one question wrong, so I was very happy with that. As part of the ongoing music tuition, we’re starting to look at songwriting, so yesterday also saw me playing the role of English teacher and giving a crash course on poetry and lyrics. I realised, a while ago, that I still have my Albatross Book of Verse from when I was at school, oops, maybe I should have given it back, but it came in very handy. After the music session, we set to our model building, and his Yamaha is nearly completed, while I have embarked on my book-nook. Talk about fiddly!
Neil’s been heading back to the gym, cautiously since his recent attack of vertigo, and he’s also been gardening, not that we have a garden. We have a courtyard, like most, but you don’t really go courtyarding… or maybe you do. The weeding is done, some replanting has taken place and the whole yard has recently been decorated.
Plans for the weekend? Neil and Harry are making us all a roast dinner on Saturday – the older godson has now finished his chef’s training, so we thought it was about time the younger one had some life lessons in the kitchen. I intend to plough on with chapter six of the new book, take another couple of walks, and practice some of my new sonatas (I’ve found a Schubert one I might be able to cope with).
So, that was that and this is this, and off we go into another week’s end. Have a good one.
I’ve noticed there’s been an interest in the greenery of late. Many visitors arrive here in the summer or later in the year when the island has been sitting under the sun for several months. By then, the green has given way to the heat of summer, and everything looks a bit barren. Unless you come in the spring, that’s how you remember the island, so today, in response to a few enquiries via our Facebook page, I thought I’d throw up some pictures taken over the last couple of weeks, both by myself and by Neil. Not everywhere on the island is as green and fertile as this, but spring plants are up and about everywhere. Some places, like the valley and down at Marathunda, are lusher because that’s the way the land lies, while elsewhere, the hills are greenish with herbs and shrubs. So, while I plough on with chapter six of the next story, enjoy some plant life which you may not see by the time you get here in June, or whenever.
I can’t remember when it started, but I think it was between Christmas and New Year. I was wasting a morning browsing Facebook when I took a look at a ‘reel’ not knowing exactly what they were. Turns out, they are short videos, and they can be fun. They can also be stupid, nasty, pointless, daft, you name it. It’s part of today’s culture of showing off nonsense while making money, I guess, like all these other programmes and platforms that are fine for other people but don’t bother me. Like them, I guess it’s a case of each to his own and all that.
(Meanwhile, in the valley…)
You can find all kinds of oddments on these things, and my morning viewing (which I’ve got down to the time it takes to drink a mug of tea) includes some things I’d not asked for because you don’t ask, they just appear, and usually they are things that have nothing to do with what I like, view or buy. Example: I regularly see a group of young men in India (I think), who pose as statues while covered in mud. That’s actually quite poignant at times and artistic. There’s a whole barrage of silly cats, dangerous drivers, and people losing their mobile phones, and I notice a current trend for young men to waggle their equipment through their shorts and joggers. Whether what they are sporting is real or not is up for debate, as is whether I want to see that with my morning PG Tips, but one can always scroll on by to the tours around exotic locations, beautiful cities, and AI-generated ridiculousness.
So, having entertained myself with his kind of thing for long enough, I thought I would start adding reels to the Symi Dream Facebook page, and yesterday I uploaded my first short video to the ‘reels’ section. You will be pleased to know it’s not me covered in mud (we’ve had no rain since early March), it’s not me falling off a skateboard, doing gymnastics, being attacked by a cat/dog/snake/random seagull, and nor is there any waggling. It’s simply a view from the balcony early in the morning accompanied by natural sounds. I’ll add more over time, meanwhile, you can view it by clicking over to: the reels section of the Symi Dream Facebook page.
It looks like the tourist season has well and truly started, or at least, there are visitors here enjoying their Easter break. Things may quieten down after Western Easter, but for now, we have warm weather, calm seas, day-trip boats and visitors staying on the island. It seems too close to winter, as though winter shouldn’t have finished yet (and maybe it hasn’t, and the cold winds will return), but it’s good to see, and good for those who have businesses.
The King Saron has been calling in, and the Sebeco is up and running again, offering daily trips to and from Rhodes. Tavernas and shops, bars and cafés are opening in the harbour, and the next thing you know, people will be swimming in the sea. Mind you, the beach tavernas don’t usually open until later in the season when the taxi boats start running. I heard, but I’m not 100% sure about this, that they apply for six-month licences, rather than annual ones, so they make their six-month season from, say, May to October. Mind you, May is only a month away, yet it only seems like last week we were in Athens celebrating New Year.
Still, life in this house continues as normal. Yesterday, I worked on chapter five of my next book, did some publicity admin for the others, had a look around for some new freelance writing or editing work, and the godson came for his piano lesson in the afternoon. After that, he worked on his Yamaha kit while I began on a Book Nook puzzle. They’re not really puzzles, not once you work out how the instructions work and that only takes a second. They are model kits and very detailed they are too. It took me two hours to build the front of a bookcase.
Not my one, but this kind of thing.
Today, under another clear and calm sky, I have an online meeting with my pension people, chapter five to finish, the new Mozart piece to bring up to scratch, and I’d like to go for a ramble, but I’m not sure yet whether my online meeting is at 11.00 my time or there’s, which would be Dublin, though it could be Madrid depending on who is phoning, so I might be needed at 11.00, 12.00 or even 13.00.
Whatever, it’s a lovely day.
Thanks to the increasing number of people using Facebook groups such as Friends of Symi, I’ve noticed more and more enquiries about what to do on Symi when on a visit, so, I thought I’d put up some of my ideas. These came to me while I was on a walk on Saturday morning when the temperature was 24 degrees, it was sunny, and I was wearing shorts before the end of March. Eek.
As and when I a) remember, and b) have the time, I will add these thoughts to a new page which I’ll link in the top menu. The page is called Things to Do. Anyone who’s looking for ideas of what to do when on a trip to Symi, can browse and see what I suggest.
Before we start, I must stress that I am not a travel agent, my information may not be up to date, and not every idea will suit every person. Still, it might give you some ideas of what to do depending on how much time you have, and I’ll do each post according to the length of time visitors have. First, I’ll give my thoughts on a short day trip, then a longer one, then an overnight, and so on. Today, we’ll start with…
Symi in Three Hours
Actually, it might be a tad longer, but I’m thinking of those who come from Rhodes on an organised day trip calling at Panormitis either on the way here or on the way back. Some of these trips give you Yialos (aka, Symi Town, or the harbour) for three hours or thereabouts. If you are with a pack and obliged to follow the guide to various shops and have all that business going on, you will have even less time on your own in the wild.
If, however, you want longer and you are more independent, you can make your own way over for the day. In that case, it’s possible to spend up to eight hours here in one day, or even longer if you come from Kos on an early morning Blue Star, but that’s another story for another day. I’m thinking of a day trip from Rhodes, mainly, and you can come on certain days with the Dodekanisos Seaways boats which are more expensive but faster than others, and have an arrival-here time around 9.00 and leaving-here time around 17.00.
Anyway, for now, you’ve arrived on a Sebeco boat or King Saron or other, and you have a few hours to do things on your own, so what do you do? You probably end up staying in Yialos, although it’s more than possible to take a taxi or bus up to the village, have a browse, walk down and still have time for lunch before shooting off. I’ll cover that excursion in another post when you have more time on the island. For now, I’m assuming three hours in Yialos.
Don’t go Swimming. That’s my first piece of advice. Not because the water’s bad or anything, far from it, but why spend all that money to come over to the most beautiful island in the Aegean and do what you can do within yards of your hotel on Rhodes? Anyway, the last I heard, both town beaches were closed, though one is open as a free-for-all, but without facilities, though that may change this year (2024). So, forget the beaches, and enjoy the town. Here are some things to do:
Walk around the harbour and the boatyard.
There are plenty of cafés and tavernas at which to sit and drink, eat, and people-watch.
Wander the few back streets.
Take the children to the new fancy play area.
Ride the little train along the coast and back (I think the journey is less than one hour).
Check to see if the private museum beside the basketball court behind St John’s church is open – you’ll have to ask for directions but it’s worth it.
Do the touristy things with sponge shops and craft shops, the local food shops where they sell Symi products like honey and salt. I can’t name them all as I’d forget some, but it’s not a huge place, so you won’t miss them.
Harani (the boatyard)
You can also start an assault on the famous Kali Strata, the steps that run up to the village, but keep an eye on time and heat.
Sitting with a drink and watching the boats and visitors is one of my favourite pastimes, and it’s something to do once you’ve had a walk around. So is lunch, and in the height of summer with up to nine day boats a day of one sort or another, you might want to book a place as soon as you arrive and come back to it later.
Shopping is another excellent way to pass the time and help the local economy.
If you want an adventure, you could take the bus for a round trip to Horio (the village), Pedi, back to Horio and back to Yialos. It will cost you €2.00, and the bus leaves on the hour. You may not have time to get off, but at least you will see some more of the island and get a great view from the road on the way up and down. Tip: sit on the righthand side of the bus for the best view.
Harbour view from the bus
With only a few hours, during which you may want to sit down for lunch, it’s not possible to get the best of the island, so try and come for longer if you can. Also, if you do check in to one of the Symi groups on Facebook and ask for ideas, you will receive loads, possibly to the point of bamboozlement, so be prepared.
Look out for future posts of this nature all of which will end up on the Thing to Do page which is now live in the top menu.
I’ll be back tomorrow with another post about something or other, and in the meantime, I will leave you with a couple of images from Saturday morning.
