Philoxenia
Philoxenia in British English (ˌfɪləˈziːnɪə) noun: an act of hospitableness and welcome. The ancient tradition of hospitality, or ‘philoxenia’.
[Collins dictionary. (No relation.)]
I’m sure I’m not alone in saying I can remember the days when there used to be a queue for Georgio’s taverna, and people sat on the steps behind the two bars because all the tables were taken. Obviously, it’s not been like that this year, and it wouldn’t be at this time of year anyway. We’ve had (mainly) wonderful weather for October, I was back in shorts at the weekend, and there’s no sense of the season coming to an end. Mind you, there wasn’t much of a sense of it starting either, but the island’s making do with what custom it has. A few of us, have been going to the George & Maria taverna over the past few months, and one local resident in particular has taken several groups of friends there.
On Friday, Noufris, who has the taverna, invited a group of us to dine because he wanted to say thank you, which was unnecessary, and said there would be music which he would pay for, which was kind. Not only was it a lovely meal, it was also a lovely gesture, made even more touching when we arrived and he told us to have whatever we wanted because it was on him.
The music was provided by the incredibly talented Eleni on the doumbek (or darbuka, a goblet-shaped drum), Pavlos on guitar and Gabriel on wine jugs, glasses and an ashtray. All three sang for the other customers and us, a selection of Greek folk and other songs. I think Neil has put a video on the Symi Dream Facebook page, and my photos aren’t fantastic, but my memory of the evening is.
I just wanted to point up the generosity and kindness islanders show to us immigrants and visitors, kindness which extended to being bought a nightcap at Rainbow afterwards, as if Noufris and his team hadn’t done enough already. Of course, Neil being Neil, dressed for the occasion and his steampunk goggles were something of a smash hit. Here are some photos.
