I thought I’d put up some photos of boats today. No reason except we rely on boats ’round these parts because, well, when you live on an island with no airport or bridge to take you to the next piece of land, you have to. Boats are often the topic of conversation at the kafeneion, as in: What time is the next one? When does the Blue Star come in? What’s that leaving now? What boat is she on? And so on. Things are the same in winter, except the questions may be more urgent. Right now, we have plenty of boats on and off the island each day. In winter, it may only be three or four times a week, and if the weather’s bad, then no boat at all.

That’s the ferries we’re talking about. There are other boats. From the balcony, I can see and hear the small fishing boats going out and coming in, usually in the very early hours of the day. I also see the taxi boats in the summer, the coast guard and patrol boats every day, and pleasure craft in the summer months. You know when bad seas are coming because the fishing boats tie up further away from the quay than usual. Many owners bring their boats ashore in the winter months for cleaning and repair.

Then we have the day boats and the private hires, plus the private excursion boats. You find them lined up along the quay in Yialos with their advertising boards. That’s also where you find the taxi boats.

I often see posts on social media asking where about this or that boat will dock, and it’s a good question if you don’t already know the answer. (If you did, then why ask it?) Maybe the booking sites and ferry companies should make it clearer on their tickets and put: ‘Your ferry will dock in the new port, which means you’ll have to walk around via Petalo on the narrow main road, we suggest luggage no wider than 30cms. Follow the road all the way into town. It will take you about 25 minutes.’ There’s probably not enough room on the ticket. Some boats go from the north side of the harbour, some from the south, some on either side or both, and some go from over in the far corner… Best to ask, and make sure you are there in plenty of time. Also, make sure you don’t get on one that looks like this:

Share on Facebook

We had a splash of red in the harbour yesterday as the F/B Ariadne is currently calling in on a Monday. This Super Fast Ferries ferry leaves Piraeus at 18.00 on a Sunday and arrives in Symi at 11.20 the next day, according to their schedule. That’s 17 hours and 20 minutes, at a basic cost of €65.00. If you come down the next day on the Blue Star 2, you also leave at 18.00, but you arrive 14 hours and 40 minutes later, at 08.40 on Tuesday, also for the basic price of €65.00. I say basic price, because I’m guessing that’s for a foot passenger with no booked seat, but if you were to book a cabin or to bring a car, you’d be paying a lot more. I reckon you should then be charged again for bringing a car to an island that has only one road, no municipal parking, and gawd knows how many car and bike rental places, but that’s me. And here’s the ship arriving.

And here’s the ship leaving some time later. A long time later, as this was in the evening, and it had been to Rhodes and back in between.

Also discovered on my return home yesterday afternoon was a shell. Not an oyster shell with some nymph coyly ascending, nor a military kind of shell such as H and I found up at the Ponticokastro that time, nor even an ‘Oh ’chelle,’ from Eastenders or other fantasy-based light entertainment (light?!), but the shell of a cicada, which probably isn’t called a shell at all. Exoskeleton? Whatever. They shed their skin, and this one blew in whole from the courtyard. Not very easy to photograph something virtually transparent, but here you go…

And there I go, off to find delicious ways to cause crime and mayhem in Victorian London and then solve the case by some devious means. Have a good one.

Share on Facebook

Morning. Let’s start the week with a sunrise.

Right, got that out of the way… Actually, that was from a month ago or so, and it’s a Neil photo, but sunrises are still to be had. You can either get up early (around six) to wait for the sunrise, or you can go out late to the Sunrise, stay for a few hours, possibly more, and not go to bed, then see the sunrise on your way home. I’m not sure what time the Sunrise bar closes, but I know it is open in the evenings and can be found by following the sign that’s outside the Village Hotel. (If in doubt, ask – but don’t ask Google Maps or you will end up in Tilos.)

Here’s a random photo showing the view from the bus.

That’s because the camera picked up on the dots that make up the image you can see from the outside, but see through from the inside, unless you are a camera. If you’re getting the bus up from Yialos to the village, then you want to sit on the right-hand side for a better view down to the harbour as you go up the hill. (I think that’s right. It’s hard to work out when you’re sat at a desk.) Same if you take a taxi. The best way is to walk up the main road, if you can. It’s a gentle slope, but there’s no or little shade, so watch out. Great views from the top, though.

Another great view is your table on the ferry bringing you across from Rhodes to Symi or the other way around.

Last July, I took the Panagia across from Symi to Rhodes at 10.15 in the morning and knowing it was to be a 90-minute crossing, I brought a book. I also sat beneath the air conditioning because it was so hot, but I can tell you, it’s not that hot now. Still reaching around the 30s most days, we’re enjoying warm, clear skies and seas, and there’s not been a great deal of a breeze of late, which helps keep the dust and sneezing down. I counted at least nine day-trip boats yesterday, and the last I heard was that the village square continues to be busy most nights before and after dinner.

There you go. Happy Monday.

Ps. You can find that book here. (It’s actually rather good.)

Share on Facebook

Woke up feeling cold this morning and had to put a shirt on for the first time in ages. It’s 24° outside (at 6.45) and there’s a breeze, which makes it feel cooler, and the humidity is at 60%, so now you know. There’s not a lot of harbour action going on yet, and it’s not a day for an early morning Blue Star. From up here, having my cup of tea and watching the harbour later in the morning, I often see large groups of people catching the Dodecanisos at 8.50 to head off up the island chain to Kos or Kalymnos, or wherever. Meanwhile, over to the right, the barge and crane were playing a game. One dredged beneath the sea, pulled up a load, and dumped it further along so the onshore digger could use its bucket to collect the same stuff and drop it back where it came from. At least, that’s what it looked like. I’m sure there’s a reason for it.

It’s later in the day when things start to really heat up down there. It starts with the arrival of the first day boat, or ferry, depending on which comes first, and it builds from there until we’re counting four or five large day trip boats on the far side of the harbour to add to however many have come into the side we can’t see. Then, having another cup of tea later in the morning (I drink a lot of tea), I can watch large groups of people being led around, gathered up, walked on, while the toy train tries to get through one way, and a tour bus tries to get through the other, and the group still sands in the middle of the road saying, ‘Oh, ain’t it pretty?’

There was some unusual action yesterday. First, I noticed the ambulance with its light on heading for the early Blue Star, and later in the day, heard its siren not long before the SAR helicopter came into the landing pad, and a patient was taken from ambulance to airlift. I hope whoever needed the services yesterday is now doing well. People often ask about the medical services on the island, and it can be a sore point (no pun intended) depending on your experience and what you need, but most of the time, you can’t fault them – considering what they have to work with. I’ll go into more detail one day. Today is for watching the harbour.

We’ll be down there again tomorrow, and this time I have a package to collect from the post office before we go to lunch. After, I might feel inclined to walk back up like I did last Monday. (‘Inclined’ means there were no taxis, but there was a queue, and I’d missed the bus.) Either way, it will get me away from the typowriter for a while. On which note, I will get to it now, as I am on chapter 20 of the next great masterwor,k and I’m having a thoroughly good time being a villain.

Share on Facebook