Yialos
I’ve been picking up a vibe that lots of regular visitors and new ones from the UK are coming to Symi in September, and that’s good news. Who knows what the situation will be with boat timetables, flights and overnight hotels in Rhodes where necessary, but assuming everything is running as smoothly as it can be, some people are asking what to expect when they get here. Well, on Monday, we went to Yialos for a socially distanced lunch with the bother-in-law (sic) who is here for two days, and I had a taste of how things are working down in the harbour.
I met the bothers at the Allegrito Bar where the chair arms were sanitised before I sat, and the table too, and where the staff were masked. The health inspectors are on the island, but staff have been wearing masks for some time now. On which note, you will be expected to wear one when on the bus/public transport. Not everyone is doing this, and some are even ignoring the tied-off seats and sitting in them when Lakis and Thanasis have cordoned them off for your own safety, so don’t be as stupid as those people. Many tourists are not wearing masks there either, and there’s a €150 spot fine if you’re caught endangering others this way, so watch out. Anyway, back to lunch…
We went to eat at the Trawler (Trata) because the bothers wanted a certain kind of fried fish, and there, the tables have been thinned out, and our menus arrived with a bottle of sanitiser so we could do our hands before and after using them. Again, masks (not while you’re eating), and as expected, wonderful fried fish, but sadly, no homemade taramasalata as it doesn’t keep for long, and customer numbers are down. That’s something else to expect; limited menus because of the risk of wastage. But what are still the same, are the friendly service, the good prices and good food. After lunch, it was back up the hill to distance at the bar while Neil was at work, before home and an early night. The bother-in-law had been into Nissiros and thus, caught the 2.00 a.m. ferry out of there arriving on Symi at 5.15, so was in need of sleep, and that was the end of that day.
