Today you have a slideshow to enjoy. Random photos taken in recent days to give you a flavour of what Symi is like in late June and early July.
June stayed stormy to the last gasp. Thundershowers and lightning displays more commonly associated with April lingered on past the solstice and some parts of Greece, including nearby Rhodes, experienced flash floods and heavy downpours.
Since 1 July the thermometer has moved relentlessly upwards and the last couple of days have been firmly over 40 degrees centigrade. Strong hot dry winds have precipitated leaf fall as the trees have gone into shock. I wonder how that patch of cabbages I photographed near the football field earlier this week is fairing in the rising temperatures. My own endeavours in the cabbage department were never very successful as they need a long steady growing period and they were invariably discovered by the caterpillars or bolted long before they hearted up.
The extreme temperatures are causing havoc with electronic devices. Laptops, tablets and smartphones are not happy in temperatures at the high end of the operating scale and either shut down completely or behave erratically. As good an excuse as any to leave the devices at home and enjoy the holiday!
There are more yachts coming through, including some big expensive ones. We may not see many live-aboard cruising boats these days but Symi is still on the oligarch trail. The anchorage in Pedi is fairly quiet and there is lots of space in the harbour too. The days when one could count 40 or more yachts swinging at anchor in Pedi seem to be a distant memory. The days when our ship’s cat, Steerforth, could actually go visiting on other boats as they swung close enough for him to jump across.
World Cup Fever is evident even on sun-baked sleepy Symi. Huge TV screens have appeared in bars, cafes and restaurants and the streets become very quiet during match times. Wimbledon does not have the same crowd appeal. Tennis fans have to make alternative arrangements involving wifi and devices.
Have a good weekend and I will try to blog more frequently in the future.
Adriana
Adriana Shum 