by Anthony » 26 Feb 2008, 00:21
I read 'Bus Stop Symi' when it was published by the book club "Readers' Union" in 1973 (I think it was their 'Book of the Month' so it came automatically with your subscription, I don't think I chose it): I thought "that sounds an interesting place, I really must go there some time" - by which I meant 'later in life', because in those youthful days all my summer holidays had been fairly strenuous backpacking, usually in the Alps, and I felt I wouldn't find that sort of thing on Symi!
I first went to Greece in 1981, backpacking on Crete (I remember walking up the Samaria gorge with may pack on my back, something which I last did around 10 years ago!). The following year another backpacking trip, in the Pindos (Northern Greece) ended with a couple of days relaxing in a beach resort, and I found myself thinking "I'm rather enjoying this!".
To keep a long story short(ish), I soon found myself going to islands like Naxos and Samos where there was plenty of walking, but organised in a way that you didn't have to carry more than a day sac (and could also enjoy the other delights of Greece). By the mid-90s I discovered that Symi was in the Manos brochure; but for the first two years, by the time I came to visit the travel agent Manos's Symi holidays were sold out.
In 1999 I booked really early - success! The blessed Sylvia was my rep, but the holiday didn't start well. Our flight was seriously delayed, and she met us at the airport with the news that we had missed the ferry - and that we were therefore going to be put up for the night in Falaraki! Fortunately the place - chosen because Manos had booked and paid for the whole hotel for the season but it was full of empty rooms - was actually on the edge of Falaraki and not too dreadful.
The following morning we got up early for the 9.00 departure of the Symi I, and yes, all our troubles were forgotten when we rounded the corner and saw the houses rising up the hillside! I was staying in the Lavinia Apartments, right at the top of the town, but in those days (remember those backpacking holidays!) I didn't mind. It must have been my first afternoon when I was looking for somewhere to have a large beer in the harbour, walked round looking at prices and the comfort of the chairs, and selected a bar about half way along on the clock tower side. Yes, Pat's!!
For the rest of that holiday I was in that bar after dinner every night until around midnight, then set off up the Kalistrata towards my distant bed. I'd read in the guidebook of course about the 'Jean and Tonic', but thought with a name like that it must be run by a crusty old gent who was fond both of his (lady wife?) Jean and his G and T! Not my style - but nevertheless a few nights later I felt a thirst coming on as I approached it and decided to have 'one for the road'. I was very pleasantly surprised, and one [or more] for the road there soon became a regular habit after Pat's. The rest, as they say, is history.
That, as I say, was 1999 and I've been back every year since, soon making it twice a year and more often recently three. When last October's holiday approached, I was starting to wonder whether I wouldn't really have got more enjoyment from going somewhere else (though I had been to the Dordogne in September), but as soon as we rounded the corner past the windmills I thought "Oh, it's marvellous to be back!
The magic of Symi lives on!