Month: April 2024

No Rain on the Horizon

The last time Symi had any significant rain was on 5 March. I am writing this on 14 April and there is still no rain on the horizon. The spring vegetation is already dying back and the ground cracking in many places. Temperatures have been abnormally warm. Great for the Turkish tourists who came over to celebrate Eid and the end of Ramadan but not so great for a region that has experienced the warmest driest winter since records began. There have already been significant wildfires in parts of Greece and farmers in Crete and Southern Rhodes have cut back on their planting of summer crops due to concerns about the lack of water for irrigation.

There are very few tourists actually staying on the island at the moment and the main seasonal hotels will only be opening around the Greek Easter long weekend, at the beginning of May. Rhodes, however, has been busy since the end of March so Yialos has already seen steady day-time trade in the form of tour groups and day-trippers, arriving on the King Saron and the Sebeco. This has given some of the restaurants and cafes in the harbour the impetus to open up, at least for midday trade. The tourist shops likewise. The recent Eid holiday combined with the new express visa system for Turkish tourists wishing to visit selected border islands for 7 days brought some trade but nothing like the prosperous Eid holidays before the pandemic, when the holiday fell during the tourist months of August and July and the Turkish lira was still relatively strong. In those days the megayachts filled the harbour and Pedi and there were big smiles on the faces of many businessmen in Yialos.

Turkish yachts in Yialos on Thursday last week.
The beach at Apostoli’s in Pedi is still a cheerful lineup of wooden caiques.
Not much happening on the jetty in Pedi at the moment as the taxi boats are out of the water, having their bottoms painted.
The beach at Katsaras is still mostly piles of sand and gravel. The staff have started painting the chairs and tables for the taverna and refurbishing the wooden sunbeds. The tamarisk trees have had their annual decapitation. As you can see, the forecourt of the Pedi Beach Hotel on the right, is still devoid of outside furniture as the hotel doesn’t open until 4 May.
The rockface opposite the Asymi Residences hotel in Pedi is a hanging garden of hardy indigenous plants. It might not look like much but there is a feral cat family living in that crevice in the centre of the lower photograph. I only found out because I saw a large ginger cat disappear in there one afternoon. There must be quite a large space in there as the white tip of his tail disappeared completely into the void.
Brave poppies in a carpark in Pedi. The little pocket in which they are growing has probably retained more moisture as it is protected by the concrete.

Spring Postcards from Symi

Some informal photos taken on Symi in late March and early April 2024.

Wild poppies in a garden in Pedi.
Wild cyclamens growing out of the rockface behind the bus stop in Yialos.
Fishing boats lined up on the beach at Apostoli’s in Pedi. The blue cloth is to protect the hull against the sun. These boats are all wooden and the sun dries out the planking, opening up the seams. In a month or so they will all be in the water and there will be sunbeds along here.
The view from the other side. Every day their respective owners come down to sand, grind, spackle, paint and patch. The boats are hauled out and launched using greased ‘ways’ and the only change since Homeric times is that a small bucket shovel and chain winch have replaced man power and brute force.
As you can see, the wreck of La Dolce Vita is still there. Greece has been blanketed in dust from Africa for over a week now and visibility is poor.
The sailing season has not really started yet. As the month progresses we will probably see more yachts arrive that have been over-wintering in Turkey.
With temperatures nudging 30 degrees centigrade everyone is looking for a patch of shade.
Including the donkeys in the Pedi valley.
Guardian of the six-packs.