Late September on Symi

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Re: Late September on Symi

Postby Gemma1 » 28 Sep 2018, 07:50

silverfox wrote:Great updates Gemma!

You are certainly getting plenty of walking in and not the easy routes either. Putting me to shame for sure!

I'm retracing all your steps in my mind.


Hmm, this is the man who walks up the hill from Yialos to Horio every day! I find the Kali Strata hard work but not sure I could walk up that road every day ;)

I'm struggling to add photos as my phone keeps saying low memory but will try again later.
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Re: Late September on Symi

Postby Gemma1 » 28 Sep 2018, 15:44

At 8pm I walked back down the Kali Strata and went to the Dolphin for dinner where I ordered the pollo pasta which was delicious. The bill with a glass of wine and a small bottle of water was 12 euros. The waiter brought a complimentary glass of raki with the bill. Unfortunately I don’t like raki and had to leave it, but it was a nice gesture. The harbour at night is stunningly beautiful all lit up, with the moon half shrouded in cloud high up on the hillside. As I’d already walked up the Kali Strata once that day, I caught the 10 o clock bus back to Horio and popped into the Sunrise for a nightcap.

28/9/18
Woke up to rain – though it had stopped by the time I’d finished off Sam’s eggs for breakfast (scrambled this time). There was still a lot of grey cloud around but I decided to make the most of the slightly lower temperatures and walk up the Vigla – with a couple of plastic bags in my back pack to protect my camera, phone and kindle if it started raining. I walked through the village and on the donkey path where, instead of going straight on, I took the path on the left going up the hill towards the main road. When I reached the road I turned right and continued walking until I reached the sharp left hand bend where I continued straight ahead, taking the moni-path to Aghia Ekaterini monastery. This was a lovely path with beautiful views over the valley and a few goats to keep me company. When I reached the little monastery (gates were locked) I sat on the wall for a while admiring the view whilst listening to the birds tweeting, the buzz of insects and the occasional goat bell – it was beautiful. Two ladies stopped for a chat on their way to Nanou and one of them had read my blog :) . I walked on and re-joined the road and after about 15 minutes walking took the path on the left up to the Vigla. It was very windy, which meant the climb wasn’t too hot. The views from the top are breath-taking – you can see for miles, right over Yialos, Horio and Pedi and far out to sea.

I made my way back to Horio via the road and stopped for lunch at the Olive Tree where I had a very nice salad bowl with pita and a large bottle of water – followed by a slice of chocolate cake that I spotted when I went in to pay the bill and ate back on my balcony. The bill was 12 euros and it was all delicious.

Unfortunately there are still no photos as my phone keeps saying 'low memory' when I try to upload them and when I've tried to open them on the netbook from my email account I get a message saying that the server is down. I will try again later - or tomorrow.
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Re: Late September on Symi

Postby Gemma1 » 28 Sep 2018, 16:59

View from the Vigla
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Lunch at the Olive Tree
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Re: Late September on Symi

Postby silverfox » 28 Sep 2018, 17:43

Well done Gemma!

It's not a stroll to get to the top of the Vigla but well worth it!

The food and drink tastes even better after such a walk. :)
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Re: Late September on Symi

Postby Gemma1 » 29 Sep 2018, 16:05

28/9/18 continued

For dinner I went to Zoe’s where I ordered the chick pea balls followed by the beef stifado. I asked if I could have a smaller starter and Zoe said that it was small, however when the 5 plump and tasty fritters arrived there would have been plenty as a starter for 2 IMHO. I ate 3 and wrapped the other 2 up and took them home – I’ll put them in the fridge for emergency rations in case I can’t get out if the bad weather comes. The stifado was also very tasty but came with far too many chips – I left over half of them. Bread arrived but was refused as I knew I’d have no space for any bread. The bill including half a litre of house white was 23.5 euros. Complimentary sliced apple with cinnamon followed the meal.

29/9/18
Woke to a sunny but very breezy day. I decided to take advantage of the breeze by doing some laundry, before settling down for breakfast on the balcony. After reading my book for a while, I decided to head for the beach and have a swim and took the familiar walk down the road to Pedi and on the path to St Nick’s. There were a lot less sunbeds than when I was there earlier in the week – probably winding down for the winter now that a lot of tourists are heading home. After paying for the sunbed (3.50 euros so I either got the price wrong the other day or it’s gone up) I went for a dip in the sea. The water felt cold initially but I soon acclimatised and enjoyed my swim in the clear blue water before settling down with my kindle for a couple of hours. I decided to skip lunch at the taverna and mid-afternoon headed back to Pedi where I had a late lunch of a cheese and ham pie followed by an ice-cream from the kiosk – very healthy! I burned off a few calories by walking back up the hill as the bus drove past.
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Re: Late September on Symi

Postby Gemma1 » 29 Sep 2018, 16:13

Dinner at Zoe's my food/photos doesn't look half as appealing as D&E's!
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Re: Late September on Symi

Postby Gemma1 » 30 Sep 2018, 14:11

29/9/18 continued:

Dinner was at M and A’s where A made an excellent pasta bolognese. It was another relaxing evening in peaceful Horio, watching the lightening over Turkey in the distance. On my way back to the Anastasia I stopped to chat with some people outside Lefteris in the square and had a very nice glass of rose wine whilst discussing the walk up the Vigla.

30/9/18
Woke to cloud but no rain and when the sun popped out it was very hot. After a leisurely breakfast and some time spent reading, I set off towards the windmills watching the Sebeco arrive down below in the harbour, before making my way to Pontikokastro on top of the hill. After admiring the view (I do a lot of that on Symi) I made my way back the track and walked down the main road to the harbour. I couldn’t see the workmen so stepped over the flimsy barrier and walked down the path. The workmen were halfway down the hill and have filled in most of the trench at the side of the road so it shouldn’t be long until the path is open again. At one point I had to negotiate round a large round wooden object that took up most of the path (yes the path is closed for a reason!) before making my way towards the workman stood at the barrier at the other end of the path. I expected at least a frown but the workman just smiled at me as I made my way round the barrier.

After having a mooch round the harbour, which was much quieter than usual, I walked passed the boatyard at Harani before making my way to the church on the hill above Nos beach. I relaxed and read my kindle whilst a luxury yacht was moored out at sea below. Lunch was a chicken gyros in the harbour, before I made my way back up the Kali Strata.
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Re: Late September on Symi

Postby Gemma1 » 30 Sep 2018, 14:18

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Re: Late September on Symi

Postby Gemma1 » 01 Oct 2018, 15:10

30/9/18 continued

As I was getting ready to go out for dinner the rain started and became heavier with thunder and lightning overhead. I stood at the doorway listening to the storm as a giant clap of thunder sounded overhead. The lights flickered but stayed on, though I found out later that they went off in Pedi and in the square. Shortly before 9 the rain eased off slightly so wearing my walking sandals and holding my umbrella, I made my way down the steps to Secret Garden which was very quiet with only a couple of customers due to the rain. I ordered the meze special – 6 meze dishes with half a litre of wine for 15 euros. As I don’t like olives I was given tzatziki instead - along with spicy cheese, beetroot, meatballs, gigantes beans and spicy sausage casserole. Bread was also included – excellent value and one of my best meals so far. After my meal and a catch up with Katja, I returned up the steps with the sound of thunder out at sea.

1/10/18
Woke to a very grey sky and after breakfast sat on the balcony reading for a while. By mid-morning there was still no rain so I set off along the road to the kiosk. It was very busy this morning with a large group of children chatting away and several elderly Greek ladies walking along the road. I made my way along the main road before taking the track to Pedi which was soft underfoot after all the rain. I passed a couple of small ‘farms’ with a lot of chickens and a few goats. The sky was very grey over Pedi Bay and I could hear thunder in the distance so kept my fingers crossed that there wouldn’t be a sudden downpour before I reached Pedi. I lost the track a couple of times and am very grateful to whoever takes the time to repaint the markers every year. I struggled to open the bolt on the rusty gate which could definitely do with some WD40, before arriving at the new 5 a side football pitch. I continued on the track to Pedi as the grey sky turned to blue and I sat on one of the benches and read my book in the sunshine.

As I wasn’t ready for lunch I decided to walk on to Agia Marina and set off along the track and through 2 gates, following the water pipe most of the way. It was very quiet apart from the sound of several small lizards scurrying away between the stones. After the second gate I completely lost the path and after going through an opening in the wall, decided to retrace my steps. The only marker I could see appeared to be asking me to climb a wall! It was quite rough underfoot and mindful of the storm clouds gathering in the distance, I returned to Pedi and ordered a Greek salad with bread and water in Tolis taverna – 7 euros. I walked back up the road with heavy grey clouds overhead.
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Re: Late September on Symi

Postby Gemma1 » 02 Oct 2018, 06:17

Meze at the Secret Garden
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Walking to Pedi the back way
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From the path to Agia Marina
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Re: Late September on Symi

Postby Gemma1 » 02 Oct 2018, 06:32

For dinner I walked down to the harbour and was tempted to go back to the Dolphin but thought it would be nice to be brave and try somewhere new. I walked round the harbour looking at the luxury yachts and passed the Nireus before stopping at Kavos where I sat at a table right next to the sea with lovely views of the harbour. I ordered fava which came with toasted bread and was very tasty followed by a succulent chicken fillet which was accompanied by salad, just the right amount of chips and rice. A complimentary slice of a deliciously moist orange cake followed the meal. It was a lovely meal in a beautiful setting and the bill, including a glass of white wine, was 19 euros. I caught the 10pm bus back to Horio and popped into the Sunrise for a nightcap.

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Last edited by Gemma1 on 02 Oct 2018, 15:39, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Late September on Symi

Postby D and E » 02 Oct 2018, 07:10

So glad you enjoyed Kavoz.
Currently it may get our “last night” slot. That would be breaking with traditional when down here but it was that good
IOHO.
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Re: Late September on Symi

Postby Gemma1 » 02 Oct 2018, 15:42

D and E wrote:So glad you enjoyed Kavoz.
Currently it may get our “last night” slot. That would be breaking with traditional when down here but it was that good
IOHO.


I thoroughly enjoyed it and can't believe I forgot to mention the complimentary slice of orange cake that followed the meal - I've just had to edit to include it. It was delicious.
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Re: Late September on Symi

Postby Gemma1 » 02 Oct 2018, 16:43

2/10/18
Woke to a beautiful sunny day. As I was eating breakfast, I had a visit from Anastasia saying she’d had a phone call saying I need to go down to the Symi Tours office after 5pm this afternoon to collect my tickets. Hmm, my Olympic letter said I have to go the day before – which is tomorrow. The jobs of travelling with Olympic!

I wasn’t sure where to go today but set off through the village and on the donkey path. As the harbour came into view, I could see a large cruise ship moored by the clock tower. The Sea Dreams was approaching the harbour with the Dodekanisos Seaways ferry in the distance behind it. I watched with interest to see how they would all ‘fit in’ – by the time that the Dodekanisos ferry had docked there didn’t appear to be an awful lot of room to get in and out!

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After my usual rest stop at the little church, I continued up the steep path to the road and turned right, debating whether to walk down to Yialos on the rocky path or continue on to Toli for lunch at the Daphne taverna. As there was a pleasant breeze, I decided to walk to Toli and hope that the walk back uphill wasn’t too much of a killer! After passing the army barracks, I stopped at the Taxiarhis Mihail Roukouniotis monastery and entered the grounds. The monastery was locked (I have been inside on a trip with Symi Tours and it is well worth a visit) but the toilets were open which came in very handy before I continued on the 3km walk (according to the taverna sign) to Toli. This part of the island is very barren, with very little shade on the road. There were a lot of goats around but apart from 2 motorbikes and a car that drove past, I didn’t meet anybody. As I made my way down the dirt track to the taverna I was relieved to see that it was still open and there were quite a few customers. I don’t generally eat a lot at lunch time (especially with a long walk uphill ahead of me) so just ordered a tuna salad with bread and water (7 euros), whilst those around me were tucking into the delicious meals that the Daphne provides. The tasty tuna salad (dip) was just the right consistency and with 3 slices of bread I was pleasantly full as I started my journey back up the track. It took me 15 minutes to reach the first lone tree, where I was relieved to stop in the shade and feel the breeze cooling me down. The walk back to the monastery took 45 minutes (it was a 35 stroll on the way down) which I didn’t think was bad going – I’m obviously getting fitter! After stopping to cool down and relax for a while in the monastery courtyard I continued up the road before taking the rocky path next to the little church going down the hill towards Yialos. The path zigzagged down the hill, keeping close to the water pipe much of the way. I could see the Dodekanisos ferry in the harbour below but the cruise ship had gone. When I reached the bottom of the hill I went through a gate before continuing on a rocky path downhill, which eventually joined some steps between houses before emerging at the back of the harbour.

As it was already after 4pm I decided to wait in the harbour until it was time to go to the Symi Tours office. I saw Nancy, the Olympic rep, talking to another Olympic customer and we both followed her to Symi Tours. I’m leaving on the 1500 Dodekanisos Express on Thursday which is very civilized! Rather than have to go back again tomorrow to collect tickets Nancy said she’d leave them with the mini bus driver – I certainly hope so!
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Re: Late September on Symi

Postby D and E » 02 Oct 2018, 17:06

We were those around you tucking in, Gemma. In fact we were the table of 5 directly to your left. Of course we didn’t want to be rude and blurt out “who are you ?” If we had we would have told you how much we are enjoying your blog.

We will describe what we tucked into tomorrow.

Have a great evening.

D&E
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Re: Late September on Symi

Postby silverfox » 02 Oct 2018, 18:03

Thanks for the updates Gemma.

I'm enjoying all your walking so you must be too! I've never done Tolis, so that's still on the list, and it sounds you have a great route to follow.

Are D&E spying on you? 8-)
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Re: Late September on Symi

Postby Gemma1 » 03 Oct 2018, 16:18

It sounds as though it was me following in D&E's footsteps silverfox - metaphorically speaking seeing as they didn't walk ;) I did hear some English voices at the next table, there was a lady saying she was there with her family - but it never occurred to me that D&E were so close. Here are my photos from Toli yesterday, they didn't reach my email account until this morning.

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Last night dinner was at Georgios where I decided to have 2 starters – courgette fritters and mushrooms fried in garlic and wine. There were 4 plump tasty fritters and a big plate of mushrooms with lovely soft brown bread. The bill including quarter a litre of wine was 17 euros and even with 2 starters I struggled to finish it all as they were both large portions.

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Re: Late September on Symi

Postby Gemma1 » 03 Oct 2018, 16:26

3/10/18
Woke to a beautiful sunny day – the weather really is excellent for October. After a leisurely breakfast I set off down the Katarakis and took the road at the back of the harbour and made my way uphill towards the cemetery for the walk to Emborio. The hill was much easier this week – I am definitely getting used to all the steps and hills on Symi! After I passed the cemetery two nosey goats were watching me from their enclosure so I stopped to say hello.

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I had my usual stop at the cemetery and when I tried the church door it was unlocked (thanks D&E) so I went in to have a quick look round. I continued on to Emborio and across the rocky beach before taking the rocky path uphill to Agios Nikolaos Stenou. The path is very rough underfoot in places so I proceeded with care – even though I have done this walk several times, I wouldn’t find my way without the markers. After climbing up for half an hour I was relieved to see the monastery with its shade in front of me. As I walked round to admire the view over Turkey a sudden noise startled me but it was only 4 goats that (judging by the droppings) had made the monastery courtyard their home. I could hear their bells quite close by and every so often one brave goat would pop his head up from behind the rocks to see if I was still there. 10 minutes later I heard what sounded like footsteps and the goat’s head appeared round the corner a few feet away – it was really quite comical. Eventually the goats seemed to realise that I wasn’t a threat and returned to the courtyard – still keeping their distance, which was a relief as they were quite smelly! I love the peace and quiet up here and sat there for about an hour before making my way back down the hillside and leaving the goats to their space.

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I stopped and had lunch at the taverna at Emborio where I had a Greek salad with bread and water – 8 euros. I made my way back to Horio via the road and climbed the Kali Strata for the final time.
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Re: Late September on Symi

Postby Gemma1 » 04 Oct 2018, 08:05

At 7.30 I met M&A outside Lefteris bar and after a pre-dinner drink we made our way to Haritomeni for dinner. This isn’t the easiest place to find in the dark but I’d heard good reports about it and it certainly didn’t disappoint. To start with the views are absolutely stunning, you can see all the lights of Yialos down below and the food was excellent too. We shared a starter of fava with mackerel which was delicious, followed by chicken souvlaki x 2 for me and A and a Greek salad with chips for M. The bill including a litre of red wine, half a litre of white, a large bottle of water and bread was 64.5 euros. The only let down was that they don’t accept credit cards, ‘broken’ was the answer I got when I asked to pay by card – hmm. That aside it was a fabulous last evening on Symi in beautiful surroundings with delicious food and excellent company – who could ask for more :D

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The photo taken on my phone really doesn't do the view justice - it is stunning.
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Re: Late September on Symi

Postby Gemma1 » 05 Oct 2018, 17:29

4/10/18
After my final breakfast on the balcony listening to the birds and cockerels (it will be breakfast in the kitchen listening to Radio 2 from tomorrow!) I packed my suitcase in preparation for the journey home. Anastasia had very kindly said I could keep my room on until 2pm as I wasn’t due to be picked up until 2.15. After paying the tourist tax and saying my goodbyes to Anastasia, I walked up to M&A’s house and spent a couple of hours relaxing on their balcony and watching the donkeys coming up and down – they did at least 3 trips whilst I was there.

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The Symi Tours mini bus was waiting at the bottom of the steps by the Secret Garden shortly after 2 and dropped me at the clock tower with plenty of time to catch the 1500 Dodekanisos Express to Rhodes. I sat on deck and watched as Symi disappeared in the distance.

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I couldn’t find anybody from Olympic to meet me when I arrived in Rhodes so rang the Olympic office to find out what was happening. They’d sent a taxi for me and the driver drove through the gates as I was on the phone to the Olympic office. He’d said he’d already been inside looking for me but when there are lots of other people and vehicles milling around it’s not easy to find each other. The driver dropped me at the Anixis Apartments in Ixia where I could wait until the airport transfer at 2120. After Symi, Ixia was a real shock to the system and not my cup of tea but at least I had somewhere to wait and leave my suitcase whilst I had a walk round and something to eat. Another taxi picked me up to take me to the airport in plenty of time for my flight. I know Olympic sometimes get a lot of slating but it would have cost a lot more to travel independently and on the whole everything worked out very well. The airport was very quiet when I arrived with no queue at check-in or security – there are some definite advantages to not travelling on the usual Olympic transfer days of Wednesday and Saturdays. The flight left on time and I was at home within an hour of landing – one of the advantages of travelling from my local airport.

Another lovely Symi holiday has come to an end.
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