24/9/18 continued
For dinner I decided to follow in D&E's steps and walk down to the Tolis taverna in Pedi. Although the road is lit by street lights, it can be dark in parts so I was glad I’d packed my mini torch – especially when 2 motor bikes went passed without any lights!
When I reached the taverna there were only 4 tables occupied so I sat at a table next to the sea, enjoying the peace and quiet with the lights from the Pedi beach hotel in the distance and an occasional fishing boat returning to Pedi. I ordered aubergine salad to start, followed by the excellent moussaka and the bill including bread, a small water and a glass of very nice white wine was 15.5 euros. I only managed to eat half the aubergine salad and struggled to finish the moussaka, though some local cats soon moved over from where they’d been meowing at the table behind and helped to finish it off. As it was 20 minutes until the next bus was due I walked back up the road where I met up with A and went to the open mic night at the Secret Garden, listening to Marcus, Steve and George, plus a few poems from a lady called Hazel. It was a pleasant evening listening to music and enjoying a few glasses of wine.
25/9/18
Woke to another hot and sunny day with no shade on the balcony, so after a quick breakfast, I set off past the square before turning right up a flight of stairs and meandering through the houses and ruins to the donkey path. Every time I do this walk I seem to take a different route but soon found the path with its magnificent views over Yialos and Horio. I met one solitary goat on my walk until I reached the little church where 2 goats were enjoying the sunshine on the church roof. I stopped a while to enjoy the view and the peace and quiet, listening to the birds and the buzz of insects with the occasional bleating from the goats. After my rest, and a welcome drink of water, I continued up the path to the road and turned left back towards Horio. I passed the kantina, which was closed, and when the road turned left down the hill I crossed over and walked through the open gate towards the monastery, passing 2 cement mixers, a truck and an old freezer before reaching the monastery gates. I sat under the shade of the large tree, reading my book and enjoying the welcome breeze, before walking back to the road and taking the quiet lane at the back of Yialos towards the church. I made my way back down towards the square via various paths and steps and as the bakery was still open, I bought a cheese pie for lunch (2 euros) that I ate on the balcony with a large tomato. After lunch it was still very hot on the balcony, so I decided to do a bit more walking and walked up to the windmills and down to Yialos via the main road so I could take a look at the new ferry dock. I had to walk in the road for part of the way as workmen are digging a large trench at the side of the road to lay new pipes. When I reached the dock there wasn’t an awful lot to see apart from the Blue Star kiosk and some large poster size ‘postcards’ of Symi on the wall – presumably to brighten it up. The bar/restaurant was closed with everything wrapped in what looked like thick cling film, so I made my way to the harbour where I stopped for a drink before walking back up the kali strata. I’ve just had a visit from Sam, my accommodation owner, who has brought me some fresh eggs so it looks like it’s eggs for breakfast tomorrow