For various reasons I had to forego my usual October visit to Symi, so I've come here in November instead, after an organised week looking at autumn bulbs in the Peloponnese. We saw plenty of these (including 8 different species of Crocus!) and I will no doubt some time be putting up some pictures on Flickr.
Symi of course is now in winter mode, with no charter flights to Rhodes, a reduced ferry service, and most of the tourist-oriented businesses closed. Just as on my March visits, all the bars in Chori are open and about 40% of the ones in the harbour, to continue serving their local clientele. Indeed, with the tourist season over, many of the locals - though by no means all, as Adriana has pointed out - have more time to sit around and enjoy life just as we do on our own visits. At the beginning of the week there were a few chairs outside The Rainbow and Lefteris', but these have now been taken in and down in the harbour the clientele of all the cafe/bars except Pachos and Coffee Corner are resolutely shut in behind the protection of transparent plastic sheets. I was in Aigial's a few evenings ago when almost every table was occupied with locals watching a Greek basketball match on TV. Most of them were smoking (whatever happened to the Greek smoking ban?) and the atmosphere was even worse than it used to be in our UK pubs.
So far as the tavernas/restaurants are concerned, Syllogos has closed (early than usual, I believe}, and Lefteris tells me he will not be re-opening until February. Apart possibly from Haritomeni, which usually opens at weekends throughout the winter (I shall try it tonight (it wasn't)), that leaves Giorgo + Maria's as the only eating-place up in Horio: down in the harbour Merakles, Dimitriis, Aris with his cheaper winter prices, the various Kebab/Souvlaki places, and the International are all open.
With the ferries, both Dodecanese boats have stopped running (again I think earlier than usual), but the Proteus and the Symi II between them are providing at least one service to and from Rhodes every day: though the first/only departure from Symi is at 07.00 (06.30 on Saturdays): doubtless designed to meet the needs of the locals going to Rhodes on business or to shop, but less welcome to late-rising holidaymakers like me! For my flight home on Tuesday 24th, the choice seems to be between leaving the island at 7.00 that same morning or (less risky) the previous day; or taking a boat on Sunday afternoon leaving me with a two-night stopover in Rhodes. I know which I am more likely to choose!
I'll write more about my experiences in a day or so, but this is enough to get started.