Symi Chat

I don't know if anybody was watching Yotam Ottolenghi on More4 - he has a cookery program visiting the Mediterranean Islands. Today was Crete. He went up to the mountains to eat Lamb with a local family and it reminded me of a time in Symi about 13 years ago. I and my then partner made friends with a lovely lady who looked after our room. Maria took us to meet her family and as it was Easter, invited us to the Easter celebration feast in the hills. It was wonderful; all packed on to the back of a truck sober on the way up - barbeque lamb and the local firewater to drink, music, dancing and very tipsy on the way down!
I think for me the most wonderful thing about Symi have been those unexpected moments when I am made to feel like a friend - not just a tourist.

I wish I had seen the programme as Crete is my second favourite Greek Island. In fact I go to Crete in May staying on the south coast which is less commercialised than the north coast - then Symi in September. The family who owned the studios where I stayed on Symi this year have a smallholding on the island which is only accessible by boat, they invited us for a lunchtime barbeque and we had wonderful fish which had been freshly caught in the morning along with fabulous greek salads. A truly memorable occasion. I mention this because I watched a most interesting programme this morning on El Greco - the artist who most think was from Spain but in fact he was born on Crete in Candia (the modern day name is Heraklion) and some of his early works are on display in the Historical Museum on Crete which I hope to visit next May

How wonderful JeanW. I have also visited Crete a few times mainly staying in and around Chania. The one time I did go to the other side of the Island I went to the Archaeological Museum in Heraklion and fell in love!! with the Minoan jewellery. I would love to go back and spend a whole day there with lots of coffee breaks. I haven't visited the Historical Museum but can see it would be somewhere else to put on my list.

If you go to Crete again, try Plakias on the south coast, it is a wonderful resort - more modern than Symi but with no high rise developments and non the less very special. Olympic holidays go there.

I used to go Plakias in the 80's/90's - stayed in the Alianthos and was even photographed one year in various places around the hotel and the pictures used on their next brochure! It is lovely (if a bit windy on the beach, from what I remember) but I've not been back since I discovered Symi.

Thanks for the tip JeanW - just looked it up and the beach looks great. Ive booked for Symi for next September - Crete in the spring sounds nice.

I'm another Plakias fan, though haven't been back for about 3 years now. It's a lovely chilled out place and there are some lovely little villages you can walk to in the hills Of course it's not quite as beautiful as Symi IMHO .

I'm going back to Crete with OH in June for a week though we're going to the north coast and staying in Sissi as OH has never been to that side of the island. It's over 20 years since I've been to the north coast and I was only a young thing at the time so it will be interesting to go back.

Gemma, compared to some of us, you're still a young thing.

[quote="Kojak"]

Gemma, compared to some of us, you're still a young thing.
[/quote]

Aww thanks Kojak