Saturday
Weather Report at 09:00 - Anastasia’s Room 5 Balcony
Baro Pressure 1008
Humidity 30%
Wind Speed 6 mph
Temp Shade 22 C
Temp Sun 26 C
The sound of the wind gusting outside suggested to us that our plan to go to Agia Marina on Little George’s boat may be a bit foolhardy so we took our time over breakfast to see if the wind would clam down and as it hadn't by 11am we headed down to Yialos via the Lazy Steps.
Sea Dreams was docking as we came down the last slope but the manoeuvring wasn't as simple as usual with the wind blowing against the side of the ship as it tried to pull itself in with the ropes and winches.
Cafe Aiglios was very busy with a large Symi family using it as a meeting place and as more and more arrived the more the children squealed with delight and it was great to watch.
Poseidon had cancelled the Round The Island trip and Captain Yannis was having coffee in Pachos. He thought that the wind would peak Saturday night and things would be back to normal on Sunday which is what has been generally said since Thursday when we were at Tolis and the winds got up.
We therefore decided to walk to Nimborio by heading from the square up past Iapetos and over by the cemetery having our usual stop at the Church of St.George to take in that wonderful view of the bay. The wind was keen at the top of the hill but eased off as we came down and we had a beer stop at the shack below the Niredes Apartments.
- The View From the Church of St George
- E's Excellent Pic of The Church of St George
- The View From The Shack Beer Stop
We then headed around the corner and had a light lunch of Greek salad and the lightest, and beautifully seasoned moussaka, which was enhanced with the inclusion of star anise. The normally tranquil taverna was very busy but Panagiota and her new fiancé were coping well. She looked very happy when she showed us her engagement ring.
After lunch we walked to the far end of the beach and then headed back to Yialos via the road and as usual turned down the offer of taking “the train” back. We cut over by the church and came down by the Hanari boatyard and then cut up at Tza Ti and walked along the back lanes past the Dorian Hotel and then along the back of the shops dropping down and coming out just before Elpida's which was very busy. We had a beer stop at Stella Bar instead and watched the day trippers return firstly to the St.Nikolas and then to the Skiadeni and once again that lovely calmness of late afternoon materialised.
We walked round to catch the bus but as there was a taxi waiting we jumped in that and caught the supermarket before returning to the apartment to sit out and start this blog. The sun was shining over the Kastro at 17:45 and our washing was being whipped around by the winds which had picked up again. Getting close to Yannis time and the big decision of the day - where to eat tonight - we were thinking Apotholos in Pedi but the wind put us off.
Yannis was busy with so many regular visitors catching up and making plans for the evening. After our nightly ouzo and retsina we decided to head down to Vasilis Restaurant and on the way had another ouzo & retsina stop in Cafe Aiglios and take in the buzz of Yialos on a Saturday night.
We were rather worried that we had a “J&M Free Day”
but thankfully they appeared up the Kali Strata and wished us a good evening in passing
It was also nice to have a chat with a couple of first time Symi Visitors who read the blog and made the climb to find the “hallowed” Rainbow Bar.
- From the Kali Strata
Vasilis had only one or two Greek families in but this lack of activity should put anyone off. We visit this restaurant only sporadically simply because of time limitations as really it should be a firm favourite as it has a very traditional feel and menu and the food is extremely good. We are always surprised we don't see more visitors dining there of an evening.
With our taste for dolmades being whetted by Zoe the previous evening we started with those. They were herbed well and came with a deliciously creamy yoghurt. Then we had imam which was as good as we have had. E then had the grilled liver which was cooked to perfection and D had his favourite - the reason for heading to this restaurant really - the lemon goat. This dish is made of potatoes, carrots, artichokes and courgettes in a lemony broth with good chucks of goat throughout. It reminds D of Welsh cawl. A complimentary custard tart ends a great dinner and we head for the 11pm bus which is much quieter compared to last week.
- Dolmades and Imam a la Vasilis
- Grilled Liver a la Vasilis
- Lemon Goat a la Vasilis
We went out onto the balcony to have our square of chocolate but didn't linger as the wind was still blowing.
Sunday morning and we have a gloriously blue Symi sky and only a light breeze - what will we do