Sublime Symi in September

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Re: Sublime Symi in September

Postby Pollychops » 22 Sep 2017, 09:57

Great post again coming straight from Symi. With our recent visit and your weather forecasting and fantastic images, it has convinced us to visit in September rather than June. Can't wait till next year and more so your next post.
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Re: Sublime Symi in September

Postby Gemma1 » 23 Sep 2017, 06:05

More great reports and that giouvetsi looks delicious. I've never had that before and love pasta so will look out for it next year. I'm currently at the airport waiting for a flight to Chania so will be enjoying Greek food myself later today, though doubt it will match whar you've been having.
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Re: Sublime Symi in September

Postby D and E » 23 Sep 2017, 08:14

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Taverna Daphne - Tolis


Friday

Weather Report at 09:00 - Anastasia’s Room 5 Balcony
Baro Pressure 1006
Humidity 33%
Wind Speed 0.5 mph
Temp Shade 24 C
Temp Sun 32 C

After two “active” days we decided to have a “lazy” day. D waited until 8am before heading on the bread run and by the time we had done a two day blog with sized photos and had breakfast it was about 11am. There were clouds scudding across Symi from Turkey heading towards Rhodes but Symi was very pleasant and definitely not as hot as recent days.

Now readers might recall that we had a duff kettle last week which was fixed with a smile and a brand new replacement. This morning the shower head started leaking in a big way sending fountains of water this way and that. It might just be us, but getting up the nerve to point this out took a bit of doing but our wonderful hostess, Anastasia, just blamed the “bloody” Chinese manufacturers and said her grandson would be on the case and would fix it.

Somewhat relieved we headed down the lazy steps for our Cafe Aiglios frappe and fresh orange juice and just watched the world go by. It is so lovely to sit somewhere surrounded by different languages and cultures and just feel part of something much bigger and more important.

We then wandered around the back streets and landed in the Corner Cafe for a couple of small beers and fondly, and ashamedly, remember the days when they was no barrier to the slipway and some of the hilarious incidents that we have witnessed over the years. Some cheese, pickled capers, cucumber and olives are the mezes of the day. Then who did we find in the next door Cafe but the ever present J&M :-)

Just as we were about to leave the Corner Cafe, Zoe’s husband Nikos passes and mysteriously two more small beers appear in front of us. That’s Symi.

So we then take a walk around the harbour to the ATM. So handy it is next door to Elpida’s and so we have an ouzo and retsina stop with a lovely mezes of those spicy samosas, sweet tomatoes, cucumber and cheese. Then one of the longest established Symi Visitors and well respected members of this forum arrived and had a chat - great to see Kojak on the island with the other doyens of the SV Forum in Elpida’s.

A second ouzo to keep up with E’s small carafe of retsina comes with spicy salami and salty feta - perfect. A&A are passing and we have a foodie chat - well you do, don't you. They recounted a superb lunch they had just had at The Nireus and a memorable “fruit de’ mer” in To Spitiko the night before - both sounded amazing.

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Zeus Day Boat - stops at St George's Bay on way back


E was looking for some sleeveless tops (whatever that might be) and so she headed to Debbie’s in The Square and D headed to Kakoi. By this time it must have been at least two hours since we had seen J&M and that felt wrong :-) but thankfully they soon walked past :-)

Approaching 4pm Kakoi likes to close for a couple of hours and as E was still shopping D moved to Cafe Alegrito and a after one more to watch Poseidon and the water taxis arrive back we headed for the 5pm bus.

Writing the blog on the balcony of Room 5 at 6pm the wind got up again but it was time to get ready and head to Yannis on a much cooler evening.

Our four friends made their way up from Nos, where they are staying, to have dinner with us in Zoe’s before two of them head back to Sweden the next day. Yannis does a great job rearranging the chairs to accommodate us. Another regular visitor (and cat lover) arrived in Yannis and called D over to compliment the blog and give his condolences over the loss of Greyam which was very thoughtful indeed - thanks N.

In Zoe’s we start by sharing a mezes of dolmades with tzatziki, very light and flavoursome courgette balls and the unctuous bouyiourdi that everyone dipped the bread into and loved the taste of the oven baked feta with peppers. For mains D had the hare stifado, E the soutzoukakia in that rich tomato sauce whilst our four Swedish friends had the legendary beef stifado which floored at least two of them.

After some complimentary retsina and apples in cinnamon even Zoe could not get our friends a taxi at around 10:45 so we walked them down to the Chorio Kiosk and Lakis was soon there to bus them down the hill.

The uncertainty of taxis must impact as the demographic of the average Symi Visitor does suggest that they may be less inclined to venture far at night if they cannot be sure of a taxi home, especially those less familiar with the island and the brilliant bus service.

So we headed home bumping into J on the way and then passing the Sunshine Bar that was just getting going by the looks of things.

Another most enjoyable day on “the rock” ended but the wind continued to blow during the night as was forecast and there is still a breeze at 10:00 as the blog is being posted.

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Pedi Bay from R5 Balcony this morning
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Re: Sublime Symi in September

Postby D and E » 23 Sep 2017, 08:20

Gemma1 wrote:More great reports and that giouvetsi looks delicious. I've never had that before and love pasta so will look out for it next year. I'm currently at the airport waiting for a flight to Chania so will be enjoying Greek food myself later today, though doubt it will match whar you've been having.


Enjoy Gemma1 and hopefully we will read on this Forum how Chania turns out.
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Re: Sublime Symi in September

Postby D and E » 23 Sep 2017, 08:21

Pollychops wrote:Great post again coming straight from Symi. With our recent visit and your weather forecasting and fantastic images, it has convinced us to visit in September rather than June. Can't wait till next year and more so your next post.


Thanks Pollychops - we are certain you will enjoy Symi in September : we have for many years and intend to for many more.
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Re: Sublime Symi in September

Postby silverfox » 23 Sep 2017, 15:31

Mmmmm

Do we need to do late June AND September next year?

Your trip sounds so nice!
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Re: Sublime Symi in September

Postby Allan » 23 Sep 2017, 16:04

silverfox wrote:Do we need to do late June AND September next year?

Is that a rhetorical question?
Just in case it isn't, the answer is YES of course! :D
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Re: Sublime Symi in September

Postby D and E » 23 Sep 2017, 21:45

We have found that the more we visit the more we discover about this magical place so take Allan's advice - he makes us look like newcomers :D

But perhaps try one visit up & one down. You may be amazed at the difference.
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Re: Sublime Symi in September

Postby D and E » 24 Sep 2017, 07:05

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.

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The View From the Church of St George


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E's Excellent Pic of The Church of St George


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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.

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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.

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Dolmades and Imam a la Vasilis


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Grilled Liver a la Vasilis


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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
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Re: Sublime Symi in September

Postby Pollychops » 24 Sep 2017, 08:37

Good morning D and E, what a nice way to start our Sunday morning reading through your post. The lemon goat looks fab, did it taste as good as it looked, like the idea of the broth and it would be ideal back home as an Autumn dish. Hope the wind dies down for the rest of your holiday.
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Re: Sublime Symi in September

Postby Lisa B » 24 Sep 2017, 08:57

Hi there, been reading your blog since joining. You've already become part of our day and we've just realised you need to stay til Sept '18 so we can have our daily fix!
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Re: Sublime Symi in September

Postby D and E » 24 Sep 2017, 13:25

Pollychops wrote:Good morning D and E, what a nice way to start our Sunday morning reading through your post. The lemon goat looks fab, did it taste as good as it looked, like the idea of the broth and it would be ideal back home as an Autumn dish. Hope the wind dies down for the rest of your holiday.


It sure was Pollychops.
Normal service has been resumed & this comes to you from windless St. Nicks which is busy, with a temperature of around 37C and a very good 4G service.
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Re: Sublime Symi in September

Postby D and E » 24 Sep 2017, 13:27

Lisa B wrote:Hi there, been reading your blog since joining. You've already become part of our day and we've just realised you need to stay til Sept '18 so we can have our daily fix!


Sounds like a great Crowd Funding Project LisaB - to including paying for D's expanding shorts !!
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Re: Sublime Symi in September

Postby JuliaB » 24 Sep 2017, 20:47

Promise we haven't been hiding but you seem to have had a J&M free Sunday!
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Re: Sublime Symi in September

Postby Gemma1 » 25 Sep 2017, 06:05

More great reading :-) After a night in Chania I have moved on to Hora Sfakion where I am very happy with my view overlooking the harbour and the beautiful blue sea. I will post a trip report in the off topic forum.
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Re: Sublime Symi in September

Postby D and E » 25 Sep 2017, 10:20

JuliaB wrote:Promise we haven't been hiding but you seem to have had a J&M free Sunday!



Phew - good to hear from you : we were worried :-)
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Re: Sublime Symi in September

Postby D and E » 25 Sep 2017, 10:21

Gemma1 wrote:More great reading :-) After a night in Chania I have moved on to Hora Sfakion where I am very happy with my view overlooking the harbour and the beautiful blue sea. I will post a trip report in the off topic forum.


Look forward to reading about your adventures.
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Re: Sublime Symi in September

Postby D and E » 25 Sep 2017, 10:32

Sunday

Weather Report at 15:30 - St. Nikolas Beach
Baro Pressure 1016
Humidity 30%
Wind Speed 0.1 mph
Temp Shade 30 C
Temp Sun 37 C

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A Friendly Symi Moth


As the wind had dropped we made our way down the Pedi road to take George’s taxi boat to St. Nikolas. George is still involved but it is his brother and his boat that now takes you to and from St. Nikolas & Ag. Marina.

We were hoping for the St. Nicks of old where we have most of the beach to ourselves but it is wasn't to be and once again it got very busy with each taxi boat depositing more and more people plus those who walked over. Seems the word is out about St.Nicks or the season is moving towards September / October or a combination of both. However it is good news for the Taverna owners as they had an excellent lunchtime service with every table taken and even some locals taking Greek salads across to the cafe area.

We had a Greek salad, a deliciously thin omelet with the thinnest of bacon, and grilled courgettes with a smooth and quite mild skodalia.

A regular visitor sat at the table next to us and we had a brief catch-up and then we met our Anastasia neighbours again - Rockbottom - so we exchanged recent experiences as you do.

We had an hour of sun and snoozing before it was time to catch the 4pm taxi boat back to Pedi. E indulged in an ice cream from the supermarket which helped with the walk back up the hill.

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Our Holiday Bears


We had been invited for our aperitif to A&A’s apartment so agreed to rendezvous at - of course -Yannis Rainbow Bar. We sat out on A&A’s balcony that you could hold a party on and were amazed at the panoramic view from the sun setting over the mountains of Turkey in the west, over Yialos, to Turkey in the east - a huge wow moment.

A&A produces a mezes as good as we have had and we spent a very pleasant couple of hours exchanging stories of our adventures. Thank’s ever so much both.

After a few very generous ouzos & retsinas at A&A’s we did not risk the Kali Strata and the convenience of Giorgios proved too tempting so we had the fried meatballs (keftedes style), the ever flavoursome green beans, the most tender chicken souvlaki and courgette fritters and then it was time for bed.

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The Bells
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Re: Sublime Symi in September

Postby Robert » 25 Sep 2017, 17:24

What a lovely and informative blog - as usual. So sorry to hear of your sad loss.
Looking forward to hearing more - sadly I have lost my dining notes and can't remember what we did after the beach .... old age catching up - but more to do with island hopping after Syi and starting a new job when I got home.
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Re: Sublime Symi in September

Postby D and E » 26 Sep 2017, 07:45

Robert wrote:What a lovely and informative blog - as usual. So sorry to hear of your sad loss.
Looking forward to hearing more - sadly I have lost my dining notes and can't remember what we did after the beach .... old age catching up - but more to do with island hopping after Syi and starting a new job when I got home.


Many thanks Robert.
Only a couple more blogs before we head home on Wednesday.
Good luck in the new job.
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