Ready Steady Pedi (& Nos)

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Re: Ready Steady Pedi (& Nos)

Postby Val » 03 Oct 2018, 17:31

Wow. How wonderful it is to read your posts D&E. We spent a week on Lipsi which was extended by several days due to the weather. Last Wednesday we stood on the harbour late at night expecting to board the Blue Star Patmos only to see her sail by as the sea was too rough for her to enter the harbour, resulting in us missing our few days stopover in Symi which we had been so looking forward to. Eventually days laterwe caught the first boat out, the Anna Express to Kalymnos to meet up with the Dodec Express to Tilos. Much as we love this lovely island we were so looking forward to the many delights of Symi and especially as we also hoped to meet up again with Gemma after a few years. Instead we are enjoying the next best thing to being there and it is adding to our lovely laid back time here on Tilos. Loving your descripton of the places we might have been and dreaming of visiting the lovely island again in the years to come. Thank you so much for your delightful daily diary and enjoy your remaining days in that lovely place.
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Re: Ready Steady Pedi (& Nos)

Postby D and E » 04 Oct 2018, 07:42

Many, many thanks for the kind and supportive words Val.
Sorry to hear that your plans were scuppered by the weather but Symi will be waiting here with it’s usual welcome for your return.
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Re: Ready Steady Pedi (& Nos)

Postby D and E » 04 Oct 2018, 08:57

Wednesday - Pedi

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The View From The Apartment

Only D heard the rumbling of the engine of the early morning Blue Star but it wasn’t enough to encourage him out of bed.

We finally woke around 08:00 to blue skies, sun and the perfect mid 20’s C temperature.

D headed round to Taxas supermarket for yoghurt and got some bread there. He has a great selection of different breads. The Sebeco had gone and the island seemed very much quieter. He stopped a moment in the town square to watch the garlic seller sit there and weave baskets in a way that has probably been done for centuries.

We are unsure if we mentioned the proliferation of ATMs that are now in Yialos but beware as many are a means of making money with €2 or €3 charges for withdrawals. The ATMs in the lobby of the banks still provide a free service.

It seems our daily breakfast routine takes us until 11:00 and it was then that we set off with the aim of walking to Pedi. The first break was Cafe Aiglios for the daily frappé. We then avoided the “lazy” taxis, the “lazy” bus that was just about to set off at noon and instead climbed the Lazy Steps. We passed the Village Hotel and cut down onto the Pedi Road before branching off down the track past the small holdings and the football pitch and reached Pedi around 12:30. It was serenely quiet there.

We had a small draught beer each in the Katsaras beach bar and then took a sunbed for a few hours. The bay was like a mill pond and the swimming was perfect. We shared the excellent spinach pie that Katsaras do with an accompanying small beer and just chilled for a few hours even though that chilling was disturbed by D waking himself twice with his own snoring.

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Katsaras Beach Bar Beers

We caught the 16:30 bus back over to Yialos and walked round the harbour as the Poseidon and the taxi boats were returning. As Carnagio cafe bar was open (it has been a bit hit and miss late afternoons) we sat and watched the sun go down behind Hirani whilst having a retsina and bottle of Fix which came with a mezes of cold beans gigantes, creamy feta, olives and tomatoes.

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That Fixed It

So where was it going to be for dinner ? As always we went to Elpida’s where the additional complimentary mezes was that wonderfully herby village sausage. As we were finishing our drinks J&M turned up - we think that like us they have become Elpida-ed. We had just finished our usual small bottle of retsina and small carafe of ouzo when the young waitress produced the same again without us even asking - the generosity of Symi ! And this came with a small plate of luscious chicken in a light and fruity curry sauce.

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Drinks with Mezes in Elpida’s

D thought that E had guessed where we were destined to have dinner as she had put on a degree of finery that justified La Vaporetta. We dined there a few years ago and loved it and wonder why we haven’t been back. The setting is perfect. The service is spot on. And the food is so good. Some say it is pricey but the menu ranges from reasonable to expensive. Anyone who has read our blogs over the years will know how much we love Greek cuisine but there comes a time, especially perhaps during a three week Symi visit, when we want something different and we knew La Vaporetta could deliver.

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La Vaporetta

The carafe of half a litre of house white wine at only €8 was a change from our usual retsina. This was a well chilled, light, dry white wine that went perfectly with our food. D had the mussels to start that came in the pan they had been cooked in. They had been cooked in garlic, chilli, white wine & butter and were a joy to eat. E had the sea bream raviolo - it was stunning - a must have again dish.

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Pan Of Mussels

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Stunning Raviolo

D loves a simple dish of pasta done well so he had the pesto linguine which was just perfect. The fresh basil shone through and the look of complete contentment on his face said it all. E went for the oven baked salmon. Thus was a substantial salmon steak that had a buttery sauce on top and was accompanied by very good potatoes pan hagerty. We shared a panacotta sweet with a hint of chocolate sauce and once again declared this restaurant the top alternative if you want a change from the norm. We are now totally confused with regard to the run down of dinners over the next five night as a return visit is so tempting.

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Salmon

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Perfect Pasta Pesto

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Panacotta Pleasure

And so once again, and a bit earlier than the previous night, we made the short journey around Hirani under a glittering sky of stars and ended a really great day on sumptuous Symi.
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Re: Ready Steady Pedi (& Nos)

Postby D and E » 05 Oct 2018, 05:39

Thursday - Nimborio

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The View From The Balcony

As we had had a relatively early night on Wednesday we thought that if we could get ourselves up at a reasonable hour we would aim for a water taxi to either Ag.Nikolas or Nanou. Alas the comfort of our bed won out yet again and we surfaced around 09:00, and if D can’t get the first boat ...... ‘nuff said.

So we decided to swim and lunch at Nimborio but how should we get there as there were several options open to us. Walk directly from Nos. Go round to the port and get the dedicated water taxi. Head over by the church of St.George, as we had done that route in reverse the week before. We needed some items from Taxas so we headed into Yialos. As the taxi boat was not around the decision was made for us and we headed up out of the square, with E buying some apple cake from the Panormitis bakery in case we needed sustenance. We headed up past Iapetos and up the steep hill and over to the shack below Niredes for a frappé / beer stop. It was quite busy.

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The View From “The Shack”

Then the short hop round the corner to Nimborio where it turned out we were stalking J&M :-) After D tackled the new and quite substantial umbrellas we had some time in the sun before swimming in water that was a few degrees less than we encountered the day before in Pedi but it was still very comfortable to swim in. A slight wind got up that exposed D’s lack of umbrella erecting skills as he had failed to notice that the arms had to fit into the little pockets of the cover and so one side of the cover blew over. However he did remedy this and he will know in future.

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Nimborio

Panagiota & her husband are still doing a great job front of house at Taverna Metapontis whilst mum does the cooking. We had whitebait, Greek salad and tuna fish salad which was fresh tuna in oil for a change. We decided to jump on the 4pm boat back to Yialos.

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Metapontis Lunch

We find that between 4 and 5pm once the day visitors have headed back to Rodos and Symi is quiet again many of the vessels that intend overnighting in Symi harbour start coming in and we really enjoy watching this. We therefore had an ouzo & retsina stop in Elpida’s to watch “rush hour”. The mezes included macaroni and octopus in a light tomato sauce - wow.

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Macaroni With Octopus Mezes

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Rush Hour

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Perfect Docking

It was our dear friends Ö&L’s last night so we had planned to dine with them in Odyssia. The four of us walked round past the ever busy Tholos where that morning we had booked a table for Friday evening as this is what you have to do if you want to be sure of a table - it must be the most successful restaurant on Symi just now.

Manolis & Katholiki have known the four of us for many years and made us so welcome as they always do. Ö&L shared a salad that included walnuts and blue cheese whilst we had some tzatziki to have with the garlic bread. Then it was three grilled chicken with D being different and choosing his favoured amberjack again.

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Grilled Chicken

After a complimentary plate of grapes and some lemencello it was time to walk back around the corner under the stars and wish our good friends kalanikta.
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Re: Ready Steady Pedi (& Nos)

Postby D and E » 06 Oct 2018, 06:53

Friday - Panormitis

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The View At Breakfast - Fuel Delivery

Having had a very early non-ouzo & retsina night :o D was awake at first light and did the blog. He then set off for Taxas to get some fruit as the complimentary supplies in our apartment had finally run out. He was very impressed to see Neil of SymiDream fame doing his early morning power walk. After three weeks of indulging, D will need to follow Neil’s lead when he gets home to Wales !!!

On the way back D was only too pleased to help some Symi first timers who were looking for breakfast, a supermarket and a general crash intro to the delights of Symi as E waited patiently for her breakfast.

There was a gentle breeze blowing the sea to the point of small white waves but the skies were blue with a few whisps of white cloud as we had breakfast.

After breakfast we said our farewells and Kalo Taxidi to Ö&L who have been our neighbours since we arrived in Nos. We will of course keep in touch till we meet again.

Our minds then turned to our own leaving arrangements so whilst E had a look around the shops D went to the Symi Tours office and purchased the return ferry tickets. He also booked an excursion for the afternoon.

We rendezvoused in Cafe Aiglios for our frappé and started discussing our last 4 nights and 3 full days which amazingly have crept up on us. E had purchased the final two elements that D had started by surprising her with a ring. A real fun piece which started with a nose!

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It Started With A Nose

D then decided he should visit the bank but the ATM in the lobby of the bank by the bridge ran out of notes - an no it wasn’t his transaction that did it so he continued round to the bank near Elpida’s before returning to meet E in Katoi Cafe Bar for a couple of small beers. E went for another wonder and D stayed put chatting with Yannis who is the most charming of Symi gentlemen.

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View From Katoi Cafe Bar

It was opportune sitting on the Katoi side of the harbour as D’s excursion purchase was to take the Sebeco trip to Panormitis (€17 for both of us which affords the traveller a whole 45 minutes at the monastery - enough time for a beer and quick peek into the church - certainly not enough time for D to confess all his gluttony :shock:

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Sebeco At Panormitis

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Panormitis Fishing Boats

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Who Got The Scaffolding Contract ?

D thought the trip to be very popular only to discover that it was only him and E and another couple that got off when we docked back in Yialos. The crowds were day trippers from Rodos who had done Yialos, had then gone to Panormitis and then stayed on the boat to return home.

We had seen spaghetti “hands” in the very nice olive wood shop close to where the Sebeco berths so we couldn’t resist them and they are coming home along with a beautifully crafted little dish that will ration D’s peanuts over the winter.

Cafe Alegrito looked very inviting in the late afternoon sun so a quick ouzo & retsina was had there and then we headed straight home. As we approached our apartment our other long term neighbours S&J were heading out and so it felt really strange having the whole place to ourselves.

Showered and changed we then headed to Elpida’s to make sure there was no hard feelings as we had not been able to visit the evening before (late afternoons don’t count) :-) Everything was being made ready for music night so we had a double quota of ouzo & retsina with the usual mezes being supplemented with a very nice piece of spinach pie.

Our table at Tholos was booked for 20:30 and our neighbours S&J were also there. Of course we started with what we regard as the best prawns on the island. E then had the sea bass which came with the legendary lemon potatoes and a lemon sauce that is an accompaniment so can be left off. This was a very good fish in terms of size and taste and as we may have mentioned in past blogs it is so good to see fish being sold at a set price rather than by weight. D had papoutsakia or little shoes which is described on the menu as aubergine with minced meat on the grill. This another of D’s favourites and it came exactly as described on the menu with a very well herbed and spiced mince. A complimentary yoghurt with shredded orange finished what is likely to be our last dinner at Tholos this visit - maybe !

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There’s Them Prawns Again

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Damned Fine €15 Sea Bass

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“Little Shoes”

And at a very reasonable hour of 22:30 we headed up the slight incline to bed and a different type of day on luscious Symi ended.
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Re: Ready Steady Pedi (& Nos)

Postby silverfox » 07 Oct 2018, 13:03

I was looking forward to the picture of the lemon potates!

:( :? :o
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Re: Ready Steady Pedi (& Nos)

Postby D and E » 08 Oct 2018, 06:26

silverfox wrote:I was looking forward to the picture of the lemon potates!

:( :? :o


Your wish is our command -

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Your Lemon Potatoes Are Served


:)
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Re: Ready Steady Pedi (& Nos)

Postby D and E » 08 Oct 2018, 06:28

Apologies that D was a bit of a slacker yesterday and the blog wasn’t posted first thing but he is now working on Saturday and Sunday and all will be revealed.

:shock:
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Re: Ready Steady Pedi (& Nos)

Postby D and E » 08 Oct 2018, 07:00

Saturday - St.Nikolas

It’s all happening. We were up and had breakfast, did the photos, finished the Friday blog and were walking round to the harbour by 09:15.

Another ATM visit due to the bank placing a security withdrawal limit of €300 a day on us and whilst many more places than ever accept payment by card, cash remains king. A tourist in front spent too long counting the notes that the machine had dispensed and so his card was swallowed. The only advice we could give was to suggest he waited for the bank to open and see what could be done but we feared that once swallowed that was it. It happened to D last year and he now knows to take the notes then the slip and then grab the card quickly and then sort everything out.

We wandered round and got our tickets for the 10am taxi boat to St.Nicks. 5 people got off at Ag.Marina and another 5 at St.Nicks leaving around 8 on the boat - things are quietening down. Ö&L’s neighbours from Sweden were having their last day and were on the same boat so we are able to have a chat and say our farewells later in the day.

Our Welsh friends and Symi regulars, D&G, were in their usual spot so everything seemed right except that in three weeks this was our first visit to D’s favourite beach - where has the time gone.

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D’s Favourite Beach - St.Niks

The temperature was perfect, the swimming was excellent and we had our frappé in the small bar area and had a chat with Michalis and his family. A read and some sun and then lunch of Greek salad, pita bread & tzatziki, and a superb grilled fresh calamari. We love lunch at St.Nicks.

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St.Niks Lunch - Tzatziki & Greek Salad with Pita

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St.Niks Lunch - Fresh Calamari Grilled

We caught the 16:10 taxi boat back and encountered a wedding setting off from outside Cafe Aiglios with everyone in their immaculate outfits and we stopped to watch the beautiful bride set off in her taxi.

We had a beer stop and catch up with Giorgios in the Corner Cafe but needed to head home as we had decided to go up one last time and say farewell to Yiannis and others in the village. As we rounded Hirani we bumped into George of Alexandros Jewellery fame and his wife and made arrangements to meet them the following day.

We headed round for the 7pm bus as we did not think we could rely on taxis in light of the big wedding. However we must have hit the right time as the taxi rank was full and we were nipped up to the Village Hotel in no time at all and then the all too familiar walk to Yannis Rainbow where the usual appeared in double quick time but “our” usual seats were taken - but not for long and we were moved :-)

Our dear friend E who has the boutique opposite Giorgios is closing down at the end of the week which is a bit sad but she was in very good humour and has plans ! We are sure that whatever she does she will be a success. Several people were grabbing the bargains on offer so E not wanting to miss out ........

It was great to see S&L who had had another very successful gig, this time as part of a Poseidon outing. It seems we always meet them at awkward times and we vowed to make time next year for a proper catch up.

We had thought of options for dinner in advance and it was between Giorgios and Haritomeni but as we learned that the wedding reception was in the latter Giorgios it was for the last time this visit.

It was pretty busy which was good to see. We ordered a mezes of a new style beetroot salad which came in a garlic mayo with walnuts and apple, garlic mushrooms, imam and as they had run out of moussaka we had the alternative; the papoutsakia which was very different from the one we had had the previous night in Tholos and we have to say that the Giorgios version won by a short head. By the way we need to correct an error in our dining reporting as the complimentary sweet at Tholos the previous evening came with a delicious carrot jam and not shredded orange as D had surmised (thanks go to our neighbours S&J for pointing this out).

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New Style Beetroot Salad in Giorgios & Maria’s

So from Giorgios we headed down to the Kiosk, said kalanikta to the woman who was closing up at 22:45 having been there since 06:00 and then we took the “long” bus journey down to Pedi, back up to the kiosk and then down into Yialos. Then a very pleasant walk round the harbour where there was a batch of very handsome motor cruisers outside a very busy Elpida’s.

And another fantastic day on Symi ended.
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Re: Ready Steady Pedi (& Nos)

Postby Gemma1 » 08 Oct 2018, 07:57

Thanks for the Symi fix - I'm back at work today and Symi is becoming a distant memory :(
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Re: Ready Steady Pedi (& Nos)

Postby D and E » 08 Oct 2018, 08:16

Sunday - Poseidon

We had booked the Round The Island trip on Poseidon so whilst the words for the blog had been drafted the pics had still to be done and time ran out on D as we wanted to get to the boat sharpish as we know how popular an outing it is.

Our favourite position is on the upper deck but only if the canopy is up and alas it wasn’t so we went for our reserve position at the back of the boat.

Around 40 people boarded which we thought a perfect number. We set off at 10:30 and coffee was immediately available. We headed directly to St.Emelianos for the first swim stop and for those who didn’t want to swim the monastery was opened up. The water was beautiful.

The ouzo, red wine, white wine, apples in cinnamon and cucumber were then put out in the cabin for everyone to help themselves. An ouzo & retsina after a refreshing swim - does life get any better ?

We then headed to the “Seal” Cave. The boat now has a new ladder as well as the old one. The new ladder does appear to make it easier to enter and exit the water. But D being the child that he is had so go in off the back of the boat so he could be first into the cave. 60 going on 6 :)

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Swim Stop

We then had another swim stop in the clearest most turquoise water we have ever encountered before heading to Sesklia for the famous bbq. There was time for a swim as the chicken was being cooked and of course a drink or two. Cans of very cold beer were available at €2.50 whereas all other drinks were included in the price of the outing which remains at €40. We think this is excellent value. We sat with our neighbours from the apartment to have the legendary bbq of salad, green beans, beetroot, beans gigantes, potato salad, spaghetti and perfectly bbq’d chicken and you can keep going back for more until it is finished which in all our years we have never seen achieved - there is always some left for the goats.

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Masterchef

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Poseidon at Sesklia

We had one final swim stop in the sunny area under the vast cliff face of St.George’s Bay before returning to Yialos around 5pm.

This trip is always a highlight of our Symi visit. So often we meet wonderful people from all over the planet and this trip was no exception. In the unlikely event that some may read these ramblings we thank you for your company.

We had arranged to meet Jewellery George and his wife Lesley in Cafe Aiglios and spent a very enjoyable couple of hours catching up on his new life in Scotland and vowed to visit Lanark and see his shop the next time that we return to D’s homeland.

We were undecided between Vaporetta and Odyssia and so after getting showered and changed we had an ouzo & retsina in Carnagio Cafe Bar where we got into conversation with George, whose face we have known since we first came to Symi all those years ago, and our friend who has worked in many places and of late at Nanou. By now it was 9pm so we headed to Odyssia and had the Exotic Salad which has crispy leaves with a nice dressing, walnuts and blue cheese to accompany E’s soutzoukakia and D’s linguini with prawns which came with four good sized prawns in a light tomato sauce and got the thumbs up.

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Exotic Salad

We were full and tired after all the swimming and eating and so refused the complimentary sweet and drinks but as we left Manolis would not accept this and thrust a small bottle of his very nice retsina into our hands “to have on the balcony”. What hospitality. We walked the short distance to our apartment and were out like lights in no time at all.
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Re: Ready Steady Pedi (& Nos)

Postby silverfox » 08 Oct 2018, 17:14

Gemma1 wrote:Thanks for the Symi fix - I'm back at work today and Symi is becoming a distant memory :(


In the deepest winter months I read all the blogs again, even my own, just to cheer me up and look forward to the next visit!

:oops:
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Re: Ready Steady Pedi (& Nos)

Postby silverfox » 08 Oct 2018, 17:16

Thanks for the stamina of eating all that food D&E and still having time to keep us back in the UK enthralled.

Oh and for THE Lemon Potatoes fix!

:)
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Re: Ready Steady Pedi (& Nos)

Postby Lisa B » 09 Oct 2018, 12:30

D&E, glad you've enjoyed Carnagio Cafe Bar, you've certainly given us ideas of places to eat that we didn't get chance to try. Once again thank you for the time you put in sharing your Symi time :D
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Re: Ready Steady Pedi (& Nos)

Postby D and E » 09 Oct 2018, 12:51

Lisa B wrote:D&E, glad you've enjoyed Carnagio Cafe Bar, you've certainly given us ideas of places to eat that we didn't get chance to try. Once again thank you for the time you put in sharing your Symi time :D


Thanks for the kind words and for pointing out Carnagio which is the typical small Greek Taverna that we love trying out. Manolis is a great guy and we had several enjoyable visits. We are so glad to read that you will be returning to Symi next year.

Have a good winter.

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Re: Ready Steady Pedi (& Nos)

Postby D and E » 09 Oct 2018, 13:07

Monday - Farewells

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View From The Balcony

There was no need for a bread run and after a long and energetic previous day it was nice to have a leisurely breakfast, watch the big Hellenic Seaways (now Blue Star) ferry call in past Symi, and then catch up with two days of the blog.

Having done all that we set off around 11am. A great deal of debate had gone on over the last couple of days about the all important last night dinner venue. The shortlist had come down to Tholos, Cavoz & La Vaporetta and we knew if we wanted Tholos we would have to book and this is what we did. Tradition, excellent cooking and venue won through.

We had our frappé in Comfy Chairs. E then had an ice cream from the coffee shop next door to Symi Tours to get her blood sugars up before tackling the Kali Strata. As we turned the first major corner, way up in the distance, Maria Herbs spotted us and started calling on us but our route was to drop down by the artist that is never open, go across, and catch the Lazy Steps coming out at what used to be the “Opera Bar”. We successfully completed the assent without a bagful of herbs.

We had decided to go up again because E had a dress that needed altering in some way and D, never one to turn down an ice cold beer in Yiannis (there could be a film title in there), was well up for it. So after having a couple of small beers with a very nice mezes we finally said our goodbyes and good winter to Yiannis and of course vowed to see him next year.

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Spot The Ice

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Yannis Mezes - The Healthy Option

E had misplaced her nice leather Takis phone cover when we were up on Saturday night so we checked at the kiosk where we caught the bus, who in turn suggested we check in Ringo Bar. Not since the days of us staying in Taxiarchis had we had a drink in Ringo so although the phone case couldn’t be found it was nice to have an ouzo & retsina and reminisce of the old days.

We then walked down the Lazy Steps but cut across and came down through the kiosk beside the Sebeco. We saw some delightful kittens on the way and hope they can survive. We were on our way to the apartment, tempted by the promise of home made dolmades for lunch that were being provided by our apartment owner. The long journey home :-) needed to be split with a stop for retsina in Katoi Cafe Bar.

We got back around 3pm and true to her word the warm dolmades appeared and wow - just wow. With some home made yoghurt these were exceptional - we may now be put off ever ordering dolmades in a restaurant again. The dry vine leaves filled with a moist herby rice with minced meat were just the best we have ever tasted. That with a glass of the retsina that Manolis had given us the night before, and with Greek music drifting up from Nos, lunch on our balcony looking out towards Nimos and Turkey beyond was simply idyllic - there is no other description.

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Homemade Dolmades - Delicious

After a snooze we got ready to head round to Elpida’s for our final evening of ouzo & retsina there as we are taking the 16:30 Dodekanisos Skiadeni to Rodos the following day, having a night in the Plaza Hotel and a leisurely day in Rodos on the Wednesday before our evening flight back to Luton where we will stay over and get the train to Aberystwyth on the Thursday.

As we were having our first drink C&L who D had given the crash intro to Symi a few mornings before stopped to say how much they have fallen in love with Symi and how they plan to return next year.

The first drink came with the usual salami, cucumber, tomato and salty cheese plus a plate of two small feta pies. Then some tandoori chicken arrived. With our second drink there were samosas with a curry filling and a small plate of delicious meatloaf - this was a new kid on the block. Our table at Tholos was for 9pm and as we made a move to pay, a complimentary round of drinks arrived with a small plate of chicken curry and another with more of the meatloaf. The sensible thing would have been just to take a nibble but the mezes is so damned good. We finally got to say our thanks to Elpida’s son for all the wonderful hospitality they have provided and we reached a busy Tholos at 9:30pm.

The first thing that we were called upon to do was take a photo of a couple who had just got engaged. Having had our fill of mezes we had the prawns to start which despite being the biggest we have ever encountered were very light. E had the sea bass again and D had the mussels - both delicious. Oh and of course a portion of lemon potatoes had to be squeezed in.

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Last Nights Dinner - The View From Tholos

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Tholos Prawns

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Tholos Sea Bass

We were next to a very lively table of local girls full of laughter which made our last night’s dinner even more enjoyable.

After the complimentary ice cream with a tahini topping we said our farewells and with a hint of sadness we headed up the slight incline under the stars for the last time this visit.
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Complimentary Ice Cream At Tholos
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Re: Ready Steady Pedi (& Nos)

Postby Gemma1 » 10 Oct 2018, 07:35

Another great update though I do wonder how you manage to fit all that delicious food in after the mezes, I'm full just thinking about it ;) I didn't get chance to try any dolmades on my recent trip - hopefully I'll have some when I go island hopping with OH in June. I love the starters in Greece but most of them are so large that if I order a starter I can't eat my main meal.

Safe travels back home today and thanks again for sharing your Symi holiday - and all that delicious food - with us all. I won't be back on Symi next year :( but through reading blogs like this it won't feel so far away and hopefully I'll be back the following year :D
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Re: Ready Steady Pedi (& Nos)

Postby D and E » 10 Oct 2018, 08:19

Tuesday - Last Day In Paradise

Our planning turned out to be perfect as this being the last day the fridge was empty apart from water and chocolate - the latter going into the case and to be rationed when home. This allowed a second visit to the Nireus for the walk-in buffet breakfast that once again we had at a table beside the sea.

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A Interesting Panoramic Pic Over Breakfast

We then returned to the apartment to pack before we walked round to Cafe Aiglios for the last time this visit and the daily frappé and a shared fresh orange juice. E had a wander around the back streets and made one final purchase before we rendezvoused for a small beer in the Corner Bar. Then another in the Stella Bar and then a last in the Nireus with fond farewells and good winters being exchanged as we walked round.

We then packed away the last few things and our wonderful host and friend for so many years took us and our neighbours S&J round to the far side of the harbour where the Skiadeni was forced to be, due to Tuesday being the day for the regular stop of the Cypriot cruise liner at the Clock Tower.

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Au Revoir Symi

Our neighbours were on the Sebeco which was departing 16:45. The Skiadeni departed spot in 16:30 and we watched the Sebeco follow us from the top deck. Both boats disembarked about the same time. E did her usual “sprint” to get out of the gates of Akantia and grab a taxi - we have phone numbers as back up. We were sitting overlooking the pool of the Plaza by 06:45.

As we were having a cocktail in the hotel bar S&J popped in as their accommodation was only 2 minutes away. We may well see them at the airport as J is on our flight and S on one an hour earlier.

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Plaza Hotel Bar

We knew that Stavros of Mythos Fish Restaurant had moved from Symi to Rodos and his new restaurant, Mythos Simi, is only 2 minutes walk from the Plaza so we headed there. The place seemed lifeless with one person greeting us and two locals having a beer. We asked for Retsina but Retsina was off despite there being a rather large supermarket just at the end of the road. However after accepting the carafe of white wine as an alternative the main man himself made an appearance from what we assumed was a house next door. There was some mutual recognition and we got down to ordering.

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Mythos Simi

Some of the old signature dishes were on the menu but when we asked for the aubergine mille feuille and the coquille St.Jaques Stavros apologised and said he would make us alternatives that would be equally delicious and whilst initially a bit concerned about this we shouldn’t have been as two excellent starters arrives. Prawns in a garlic butter served in the shell that the coquille would have come in and a prawn saganaki where the prawn has been diced and reshaped with a saganaki sauce and served on a bed of puréed chickpeas - top cooking. Our plates were wiped clean with the corn bread that we had been given.

E then went for pork medallions with dauphinois potatoes. The pork as cooked to perfection and the dauphinois were excellent but such a wonderful dish was let down by a serving of tinned carrots. D had prawns linguini and the prawns were cooked perfectly with a light garlic and tomato sauce. Stavros again apologised for not having had time during the day to prepare his sweet menu.

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Mythos Simi Dinner

There is no doubt that Stavros is a top chef and his new place is small and intimate. What we had was very fine cooking but we were left thinking that something was slightly amiss and we will put this down to it being a one off perhaps. It will not put us off visiting again.

We walked round the corner to the Plaza and off to bed.
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Re: Ready Steady Pedi (& Nos)

Postby rockbottom » 10 Oct 2018, 19:32

Really enjoyed your blog D and E, so much so that we'll definitely book for next year, especially as friends of ours will also be returning! It was good to hear that George from Alexandra jewellers was visiting, i'll miss his shop as we always managed to find the perfect birthday present for me there! Last year George presented me with a beautiful pair of earrings as a gift to match the necklace we had bought! Where else but on Symi would that happen? Safe journey home and maybe bump into you next year!
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Re: Ready Steady Pedi (& Nos)

Postby D and E » 11 Oct 2018, 10:15

rockbottom wrote:Really enjoyed your blog D and E, so much so that we'll definitely book for next year, especially as friends of ours will also be returning! It was good to hear that George from Alexandra jewellers was visiting, i'll miss his shop as we always managed to find the perfect birthday present for me there! Last year George presented me with a beautiful pair of earrings as a gift to match the necklace we had bought! Where else but on Symi would that happen? Safe journey home and maybe bump into you next year!


Thanks for the encouragement Rockbottom.
If the blog encourages one person to book a visit to Symi it has done its job.
It would be great to meet up with you guys again - we had a few laughs last time.
Take care and have a good winter.

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