If you look over to the right… No, not there, to the right of the screen, you will see the list of Books and things, and then some other handy stuff and then, further down… No don’t scroll now or you won’t be able to read what I am about to tell you… Oh heaven’s to Betsie! In a moment, have a look down to the right of the screen and you will see a list of events that are taking place on Symi this summer. This is what you might call an alternative Symi Festival, as the official one is not running. I am not sure how official this one is but it’s keeping the arts alive and well and living on Symi with classical and modern music, books and poetry. Everything is free, so if you are here on one of these dates, you can go and have a look and a listen.
So, back to Rhodes, where I was on Wednesday and where todays’ photos are from. I didn’t take many during the middle of the day as that was work time. Having two in depth discussions with two different insurance companies within a four hour time frame was a bit exhausting. I was glad I’d booked to return at 7pm on the Scooby as I didn’t finish until 2.15 and Diagoras leaves at 3pm on a Wednesday.
The first office was near the Lydia hotel and the man picked me up from the boat. The second was out more towards the hospital and I walked there using a very rough map I’d downloaded. It was an interesting walk through the back streets of the new town and I arrived in plenty of time, drenched with sweat and looking rather like a drowned rat. After that meeting the lady I saw was kind enough to drive me back to town. ‘Not because I want your custom,’ she said. ‘This is simply Greek hospitality.’
A lunch at Napoleon was called for (out of the Plaza turn left and over the road on the corner) as they do a wonderful tomato soup, slightly spicy, and a nice spag boll – makes a change. It also came with a free ouzo – more Greek hospitality. And then, a wander to H&M to get a new shirt as the wet one I was wearing was, well, wet. The five litres of water I drank that day were going in and coming out kind of at the same time. So, I found a very nice new shirt for €15.00 (interesting to see the prices were in Euros and in Roubles) though there was a bit of scrummage through the Russian visitors to get to the racks.
A nip to the convenient conveniences in the old fish market beneath the ‘bandstand’ which is not a bandstand, new décor, looked after, only 50c a throw, or for whatever you do in there and a good top-half wash at one of the sinks. Putting on the new shirt afterwards felt good, and so, refreshed, I went to see Maria at the Symi café. Heading towards the harbour later, I could see the Panagia Skiadeni (which is not really called the Scooby) had just come in so there were some Symi leavers to wave at as they passed. The boardwalk has been completed now, all the way around to Akandia and Commercial harbours, so it’s now a safe and rather pleasant walk. But it does take some time.
And so, back on the boat and a good read of a history book about the Princes in the Tower and safely deposited back on Symi for a walk up the steps and a quick stuffed pepper before a nightcap and bed. And so far (Thursday morning) only one of the insurance salesmen has called me to see why I’ve not made up my mind yet. Hmm, if that carries on they won’t be getting my business out of sheer pique.
