Friday April 12, 2013
We were both up early and ready to leave for the ferry by 7:30. We had to wait until the Cat next to us (also heading to Symi that day) was ready to leave in case we had fouled his anchor when we came in. We were relieved to see him depart safely and off we went to catch our own cat - a high speed, 50 minute ferry to the island. There was the usual collection on the quay in the little town of Symi when the ferry arrived - guests being picked up by their hotel, relatives coming for a visit, residents coming home and a smattering of tourists like us. There was also merchandise and food which arrived on the cat –flowers for the florist, meat & vegetables for the market and wire for the hardware store. We exited the commotion and headed north toward the edge of town by the only road. Passing the boatyard (the island was previously famous for boatbuilding and sponge diving) we watched several boats being repainted for the season using bright orange which seems to be the predominant local colour. Out of town we enjoyed the peace and serenity as we followed the road to its end 3 km away at another small settlement.
Returning to town we watched the Belgian cat that departed Rhodes pull in and took a shortcut through a hillside church with one of the prettiest freestanding steeples we have ever seen. The town of about 5000 rings the harbour and spreads up the hill on either side. The Grecian architecture was all very well kept and reminded us in a way of a little town in Portugal called Obidos – too perfect to be real. Walking through the town, we browsed a few small shops that were just getting ready for the start of the season. We are lucky to be here when the weather is perfect (low 20s) and mostly populated only by the locals. In a few weeks it will be jammed. The cruising guide said to beware of it at high season. We had a wonderful lunch outside between the water and the street with Greek salad followed by stewed octopus and mussels in Roquefort cheese with white wine – spectacular! For dessert we were served a house specialty – semolina grain flavoured with honey and chocolate – both white and dark.
Having overeaten and suffering some blisters from the morning’s hike, we found a shady bench and napped, read and generally watched the small world go by. We had time to check email and have a video chat with Jan Sloane before the return ferry at 6PM brought us back to Rhodes. It was a more conventional ferry which took longer but also dropped us off in the commercial port – quite a hike home. An early night after a very satisfying day on Symi.
Brian on board Necessity, Rhodes, Greece