Ready Steady Pedi (& Nos)

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Re: Ready Steady Pedi (& Nos)

Postby D and E » 30 Sep 2018, 09:06

JuliaB wrote:The little chapel on the way to Nimborio is well worth a visit. We used to think it was always locked until we discovered the knack of opening the door. Do persevere if you're in that direction again, Gemma.


We found that after sliding back the normal gate closure putting a hand through the gate and pulling the latch in the lock mechanism opened the gate onto the courtyard. Luckily the door to the little church wasn’t locked and the simple latch opened up and afforded us a look inside.

On other occasions in the past and at other churches we have been fortunate to come upon someone who may be sweeping the courtyard or doing some other kind of work and they have given us access.

We understand that there are also many private churches built & owned by families.
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Re: Ready Steady Pedi (& Nos)

Postby D and E » 30 Sep 2018, 09:24

Saturday - Weather

We woke up around 7:30 to blue skies, sun and a gusty wind but then we are facing out towards Nimos and have that lovely expanse of sea to gaze upon. All the talk is of weather.

A possible plan had been to head to Nanou on the taxi boat, if they were running, as we were led to believe that Nanou (the taverna) was closing this weekend which is a bit earlier than normal. Apparently there is still much storm damage from last year and repairs are required before winter sets in.

The Dodekanisos ferry came through and was followed by the normal day boats as we finished breakfast. After we had done our daily chores we set off over and through the church behind where we stay, and around the port to Cafe Aiglios where we had the usual frappé and orange juice. The taxi boats were doing good business despite the uncertainty over the weather although the reduced sailings appear to have kicked in with departures now at 10:00, 11:00 and 12:00. There was no sign of Poseidon so it must have gone out.

We decided to leave Nanou until next time and instead started our trek towards Chorio by first of all stopping and having a chat with Manolis who has the shop on the corner opposite Meraklis Taverna - he has some very nice things for sale.

We then headed up those steps that have a formal name but that we call the bloody hard way up. But once climbed the short walk along the road below the Kastro afforded us that lovely view of the harbour through the pine trees. Our exertions were rewarded with a couple of beers in Yiannis Rainbow Bar before we headed back down by the lazy steps. Well E went the whole way down but D, thinking ahead and a possible dinner in Haritomeni, checked the path over as it has been a few years since we went there. He then found a route down between the houses that took him out at the Port Offices which avoided the big zig-zag of the main road - after all he is no Silverfox :shock:

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View From Road To Haritomeni

We had agreed to rendezvous in Cafe Aligrito and thankfully D arrived first and then saw E coming from the opposite direction and parking herself in Cafe Mediteraneo next door. This was soon corrected :D

As we had decided to head up for dinner at Zoë’s, via Yiannis Rainbow Bar of course, we headed back to the apartment early avoiding the lure of Elpida’s, but the lure of Takis’s leather shop got the better of E and that resulted in an ATM visit and a transaction - he does sell some lovely things and E added to her handbag collection. We bumped into Ö&L as we left the shop and walked back together to the apartment.

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Another Takis Creation Added To The Collection

D drafted the first part of the blog and E started to get ready early as we thought, it being a Saturday night we would have a cocktail somewhere, and knowing a very good bartender with a track record to our knowledge of Nireus, Windmills and Zyllygos we decided we would go to Los no less.

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Rain Over The Vigla

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Saturday Night Fizz & Cocktail in Los

As we approached, the clouds over the Vigla were definitely suggesting rain and a few drops were felt. As Los didn’t have its awning extended we wimped into Stella Bar and had a drink there. Whilst the rain didn’t come to anything the threat remained. Not to be shortchanged E checked back on Los and with the awning up we returned and E got her bubbles and D had a very good gin and sage mash cocktail. We were aiming for the 7pm bus but as there was a taxi waiting we jumped in that. The road from the windmills through the Village is fixed so we were dropped at the Village Hotel and walked the short distance up to Yannis Rainbow Bar. Things were quiet just as we like it.

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Yannis Rainbow Bar

After the usual quota of ouzos & retsinas we made it to Zoë’s for our first visit. When we stay in Chorio we so often stay up venturing alternatively between Giorgios and Zoë’s but when down - well to be honest we are just so damned lazy !

Anyway we had a lovely welcome from Zoë and her family and then it was down to the business of ordering dinner. D&G who are Zoë regulars came in just after us and we caught up with their news.

We then started with dolmades that came with yoghurt and tuna fish salad which was very creamy. E then had the soutzoukakia with rice which came in a very flavoursome tomato sauce enhanced with a variety of herbs and spices. D had hare stiffado. A good chunky leg of hare cooked slowly to the point it was melt in the mouth gorgeous and came with very good real chips. Complimentary cake to end and it was time to think about the long trek back to Nos. Luckily Zoë, after five attempts, was able to get us one of the scarce taxis and so we had to forego the offered drink and our usual catch up with her and jump in this hard won car.

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Soutzoukakia

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Hare Stiffado

We got back to our apartment. It was calm. Was it the calm before the storm ?
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Re: Ready Steady Pedi (& Nos)

Postby D and E » 01 Oct 2018, 09:19

Sunday - What Storm ? That Storm !

Symi is still escaping the threatened storm as we awoke to sunshine and some cloud but very little wind and it remained like that all day.

The Dodekanisos came through at 09:25 whilst we were having breakfast. Being a Sunday we decided to have the walk-in self-service buffet breakfast at the Nireus hotel. For €7 per head you can have as much as you like from the three “stations”. One where there is yoghurt, honey and fruit; another has cold hams, cheeses, hard boiled eggs, tomatoes, etc.; and one where there is hot food that when we visited included a nice thick omelette, very thin and tasty bacon, sliced herby smoked village sausage and fried eggs. There was fruit juice, coffee, tea and a variety of breads and pastries. We availed ourselves of the entire wide variety and sitting at a harbour side table it really was quite excellent.

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Nireus Breakfast Under An Interesting Sky

The Symi taxi boats were running as usual although the Poseidon did not go out. But due to high winds there were none of the usual day boats from Rhodes with only the scheduled Sebeco and Skiadeni coming in. The Port was therefore very quiet as we walked round for our frappé and fresh orange at Cafe Aiglios. We then wandered around the back streets and walked to the new jetty out by the petrol station.

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Yialos From The New Jetty

On the return journey we had a beer & retsina stop in the Yacht Cafe mainly due to the fact that they were showing the Ryder Cup. After watching a few of the early holes we walked round the harbour but couldn’t resist an Elpida’s ouzo & retsina which came again with the spetzofai and the plate of cheese, tomato, cucumber and salami.

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View From The Yacht Cafe

It was about 16:00 by the time we got back to the apartment where that $100,000,000 mega super yacht that we reported upon a coupled of days ago had returned. The skies remained confused and there was a distant rumbling of thunder and then sporadic lightning could be seen out at sea.

We were still undecided about the dinner venue but had got it down to a shortlist of two, Trata or Kaboz, as we walked round to Elpida’s for the pre-dinner usual routine. We had not long sat down at one of the front tables when the thunder and lightning intensified and then the heavens opened. Gradually edging back under the extended awning it came to a point where the rain was so intense that we had to move to a table at the back. The sound of thunder overhead was amplified by the amphitheater of the hills surrounding the island and then a strike of lightning. The lights in the area around the bus stop all went out and the lights in Elpida’s flickered but the main concern amongst a packed taverna was that the football being shown on the TV and the WiFi wouldn’t go down. The rain became very intense and was streaming down all the steps that come down to the harbour side and after about an hour and a half it died down and this allowed D to nip to the ATM next door and then we decided that it was prudent to head towards the apartment rather than further into Yialos and so it was Kaboz for dinner.

We had dined in Kaboz about two years ago and we rated it average but one can never judge on a single visit and if there was an award for most improved restaurant on Symi then Kaboz must be a contender.

Whilst one of the joys of Symi is eating outside on lovely evenings this does mean that we hardly ever see the inside of some of these magnificent buildings and the interior of Kaboz is full of traditional features as well as having an open kitchen where we were able to watch our dinner being prepared and interact, at a distance, with the chef.

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Inside Kaboz

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Looking Out Of Kaboz

We started by sharing the prawns. Four good sized prawns cooked in a mild garlic butter and served with a small salad of shredded cabbage and tomato. The prawns were nicely prepared so that the they only came with the head and the tail, both of which had been loosened, to make eating easier - very nice attention to detail. The accompanying garlic bread was used to wipe the plates clean of the garlic butter. These prawns are up there with those of Tholos.

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Garlic Prawns

E was ecstatic to see Chicken with Prunes on the menu. This was always a favourite of ours in the days of Zyllygos in Chorio and so she ordered without hesitation. D being a pasta-head went for the seafood pasta dish. The chicken was very well cooked with a piece of leg and breast being accompanied by the prunes, some rice and good real chips but not too many. E declared this a triumph.

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Chicken With Prunes

D’s seafood pasta came with the fully array of squid, Symi shrimp, octupus, mussels and prawns all having been cooked well and then flambéed with dramatic effect in the open kitchen before having a mild tomato sauce added; and then being very nicely presented in a bowl of al denté pici, being that flatter spaghetti like pasta that is better at taking on sauce. Excellent.

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Seafood Pasta

A complimentary piece of cake that was soaked in lemon and orange syrup ended one of the best dinners we have had on Symi - hold onto the chef, Kaboz !

The lightning was still dancing over Turkey as we walked the short distance round Hirani to the apartment ending quite a dramatic day in this wonderful place.
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Re: Ready Steady Pedi (& Nos)

Postby D and E » 02 Oct 2018, 07:44

Monday - Kalo Mina

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The View At Breakfast

Before the storm hit the night before there had been a plan to take a taxi boat to Ag.Nikolas so D did a weather and bread / breakfast provisions walk at 07:45 to assess the lie of the land. There were still darkish clouds coming over the Vigla and heading out to Turkey and so it seemed sensible to change the plan.

There was a lot of buckets and mops on display as he walked around the harbour to the supermarket as shop owners and workers were cleaning up the aftermath of the evening before’s rain.

The usual breakfast routine ensued and we watched the recently added Monday Blue Star ferry dock and then depart. Doing the photos, the blog, a chapter or two of our books and some washing of t-shirts, etc. and before we knew it, it was past 11:00.

We had noticed at 10:00 that no taxi boats had headed out so our decision was vindicated. Following our daily routine we headed to Cafe Aiglios for frappé and watched the day boats come in from Rodos. There is a marked decline in the numbers of day visitors in comparison to our first week and we have seen one or two Symi shops close for the season.

We walked round the square and shared a very good spinach and cheese pie from the Panormitis bakery. This is a very good bakery and we bought one of their pots of tiramisu for later but could not resist a spoonful when we returned to the apartment - divine.

We got changed into our swimming gear and did something we haven’t done for what must be 20 years. We headed left on the Nimborio road and took one of the tracks down and went swimming off the rocks - great fun.

We then felt we deserved a beer so sat in the bar of Nos Beach and watched the various boats coming and going over a nice chilled glass of Fix. We intended having a second beer at Carnagio Cafe but Manolis wasn’t open so we had a glass of Prosecco at TzaTi and watched the last of the day boats leave whilst having our daily discussion about where we would eat at night, knowing full well that it would not be decided until we were having our nightly ouzo & retsina.

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Bubbles In TzaTi

Throughout the day clouds have formed over the Vigla only to break up or move towards Turkey. There has been the odd rumble of thunder in the distance but mostly it has been sunny with no wind to speak off round here on our side of the island.

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A View From TzaTi

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Hirani

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The Return Journey Leaves Early Evening

The evening commenced as usual and although we had decided to head to Cafe Aiglios for the pre-dinner ouzo & retsina the magnetic effects of Elpida’s drew us in as a half way stop. Having just the one (1/3 bottle retsina & small carafe of ouzo) with the usual complimentary mezes we moved on and reached the original destination where we bumped into two Symi regulars who we hadn’t seen for several years and N&P joined us for drinks - they are staying in the Opera House. This reminded us that we have only bumped into J&M on a couple of occasions and comparing that to a couple of years back it’s a bit disconcerting :D

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Elpida’s Attracts The More Discerning Customer

We had the one with N&P, that could so easily have turned into several, but time was drawing on and we wanted to eat in Trata. When we catch a “cheeky week” up (we do hope Silverfox hasn’t copy-written that term) Trata is the only taverna that would tempt us down. There is nothing flashy about Trata. It is everything we want from a traditional Greek Taverna. It’s is reliable. Always a genuine friendly simple welcome. A straightforward but quite extensive menu with all the Greek food that you would expect. It is always cooked well and in all our years has never failed to deliver and so it was again.

We shared a starter of tuna fish salad and imam. Plenty of tuna with onion and tomato and the imam has the individual style of Trata which is very fine indeed. D then had the Lamb Kleftiko which as usual was perfectly cooked and just the right portion size. It came with a small helping of rice and beautiful waxy potatoes. E had a very good chicken souvlaki which came already removed from the skewer which made life easier and the real chips were spot on. A complimentary plate of water melon and a very reasonable bill saw us being the last customers to bid the staff kalanikta


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Trata Dinner

We walked through the throbbing Vapori and Hirani bars and round the harbour where people were hitting each other over the head with plates in Manos and seemed to be having a great time doing this to a very joyous Greek soundtrack. We reached home under the stars that were peeping out from the loosening clouds and after a forensic investigation as to where the tiramisu had gone, and a guilty plea from E, we headed off to the Land of Nod
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Re: Ready Steady Pedi (& Nos)

Postby Gemma1 » 02 Oct 2018, 15:51

Another great read and naughty E eating all the tiramisu ;) . I hope there weren't too many sore heads - or broken plates - in Manos today.
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Re: Ready Steady Pedi (& Nos)

Postby silverfox » 02 Oct 2018, 17:53

Another great read and some brilliant photos too! Thanks for sharing.

"Cheeky Weeks" should be compulsory not copyrighted!

:D
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Re: Ready Steady Pedi (& Nos)

Postby D and E » 03 Oct 2018, 08:02

Tuesday - Tolis

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Breakfast View - The Weekly Visit

The day started with blue skies, sun and warmth and the last few stubborn clouds were heading off. We had sufficient bread from the previous day and knowing that we were heading to Tolis with Ö&L, breakfast and all the associated daily tasks were over by 09:30.

Beach bags at the ready and we headed off up through Chorio and beyond. The storms had cleared the air and the views from on high of Symi and then of Dachta and the Turkish mountains were more stunning than usual. We arrived around 10:45 to closed gates but it wasn’t long before the Taverna opened.

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Kalimera Tolis

The water was still the perfect temperature and after a good swim we simply chilled on sun beds until around 13:00 when that inner lunch alarm went off. Once again we had the most superb mezes, this time of tzatziki, tuna salad, courgette fritters, meatballs, Daphne salad, fried calamari & some very good real chips. Lunch at Tolis is a must have for us.

At least one visitor had walked over in the expectation that the Tuesday Symi Tours trip would be on and that they could avail themselves of the return journey on the minibus but we had noticed that the Bus never materialised in the morning so clearly it is always worth checking in advance.

Book reading and lazing away the day was the order of the afternoon before a sundowner beer and our return to the apartment by 18:15 and just to put Silverfox’s mind at rest - no we didn’t walk it.

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Kalispera Tolis

Showered changed and out a lot later than usual and our 100% record for Elpida’s was maintained. Our ouzo & retsina came with complimentary mezes of the cheese, tomato, cucumber and salami plus a second plate which this time was liver and very tasty it was too. As we were finishing our drinks J&M sat down so we had a quick chat and left them in peace to enjoy their mezes.

As we were still debating between Meraklis and Vasilis as the choice for dinner we had another ouzo & retsina stop in Cafe Aiglios. There was a lot of activity with Tuesday always being a last night for many Symi Visitors.

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The Garlic Seller Is In Town

We finally decided on Vasilis, a family run taverna recommended to us many years ago by several local people, and we are always disappointed if we miss this place out which alas we have done on our last few visits but clearly we are never forgotten. We were welcomed in and quickly got down to ordering from this very good menu.

We shared starters of garlic mushrooms, which were chunky to say the least and had a good garlic punch, and simply grilled prawns. D was pleased to see that the goat in lemon was available and E went for baked chicken. Two very simple rustic dishes packed with flavour.

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Garlic Mushrooms

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Grilled Prawns

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Lemon Goat

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Baked Chicken

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Kalanikta Vasilis Cat

One of the cafe bars in the square was showing the AEK game so there was the occasional cheer emanating from there as we set off along the quiet harbour side and made it through the door just before the witching hour and reflected on the fact that normally we would be going home the next day - but we still have another 6 dinners on wonderful Symi
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Re: Ready Steady Pedi (& Nos)

Postby Gemma1 » 03 Oct 2018, 16:08

I do keep 'looking out for you' on my travels D&E but it never occurred to me that you were one of the party of 5 at the next table. Lovely photos of Toli :D
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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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