Back to Symi and Greek living with a bit of a bump. It was rent day yesterday and that reminded me to take a look at the electricity bill situation again. Pretty boring stuff, but this might be of interest to folk wondering what it’s like to live in Greece, so bear with me…
I might have mentioned that we had a problem with the water pump and electricity bill recently. The pump was sorted and that’s all now fixed and paid for. But while that was going on we also sorted out the correct electricity bill for the house. We’d been paying our landlord’s house bill and someone had apparently been paying ours. Thing is, the estimated bill is worked out on last year’s consumption – or something – and as the house was not really occupied last year the bill is set at only a few more units over what it was when we moved in…
So, what’s happened now is that we’ve found the right bill for our house and it’s actually in credit. But it shouldn’t be. That aside, what’s now the case is that the reading on the bill is 3,000 units lower than it should be and the guy didn’t turn up on the stated day to read the meter for real. So, yesterday I sent off an email to the electricity company to let them know the reading (you can ring them up, but me and phones don’t get on) and to ask them if they can figure out what the next bill is likely to be, just to lessen the blow. I am expecting it to be around €1,000 but that’s a guess based on how much we used to pay per month (on average) at the old house and doesn’t take into account how much you used, when, the rate rises, taxes that have been added on and so on.
So, we’re expecting to have a bit of an electric shock followed by a pretty lean Christmas this year and to have a pretty lean trip to Europe next month – tickets and trains all paid for so may as well go and just hope it’s cheap to eat there. I haven’t heard back from the electricity company as yet, but I have had a message to say my mail, in Greek and English, has been delivered and sent to the right department. Either way, we should get an electricity bill in a week or so, though it’s not going to be the right amount.
So, that’s that story semi-told; there may well be an update in the future if you can stand the wait. Meanwhile, the season is slowing right down and has almost come to a halt. The taxi boat is still going out, I’ve only seen the one from my window, and the day trip boats are coming in, though not as packed and not as frequently. A taxi driver in Rhodes told me that a lot of Rhodes hotels were staying open and there were at least another 60,000 guests expected there in the next couple of months. I wondered if that was due to the cruises, but apparently not. It seems Rhodes is aiming to extend its season, and why not? There are plenty of things to see and do apart from lying on a beach: Castles, ruins, old towns, museums, aquarium, art galleries, restaurants and walks. A bit like here on Symi.
So, Neil probably only has a few more days at the bar to work, Zoi’s Taverna has closed, others will close soon though Georgio’s stays open, as do the bars and shops up here, and some places in Yialos have also started to close. The weather is cooling down but clinging hold of the sun, so will be great for walks when I get back into my routine next Monday – or possibly Tuesday as we’ve been invited out for dinner on Sunday and that usually means a slow start to the next day. I’ll leave you with all that and the photos and see you next week.
