Day 15: the Way Home

It was the usual early alarm call to get us up for the bus to drive down to the ferry.

All went well and we had a chance to watch the sun come up over the harbour.

All the boats starting to get underway.

The boat was away on time. And as we sailed towards Rhodes we had a wonderful view of the east coast of Symi bathed in the early morning light.

Rhodes was full of cruise ships.

When we got to the hotel we found a sun longer and slept and relaxed until the pick up for the airport.

Flight got away on time very full so no space to spread out. Did get a window seat but window froze over so no great views.

Landed on time collected all our missed calls found the taxi and got home to fall into bed. Our holiday over for the year!

Day 14: Last full day and an adventure or two.

Well today was the last day on Symi. I was woken at sunrise and got my last sunrise over Pedi for this holiday.

Then it was a quick breakfast and a walk down the Kalistrata.

Because today we had booked to get the bus to Panormitis which for us was a big adventure. Especially when we saw how many icon images the driver needed.

Anyway we got to Panormitis safely and had about 45 min to look around.

The museum was quirky as we had been told.

The church was beautiful inside and once the day boat had left much more peaceful.

We then got on the bus back, and after arriving safely had a walk around the harbour and something to eat.

And then watching the very important delivery of the Moet Chandon. Just hope it traveled well.

After a slow walk back up the Kalistrata we did our packing and V had a rest. I had one last walk out.

No idea where I was going, just generally going uphill.

Ending up right at the top of Horio and looking back down got some fantastic views of the windmills.

So after getting on the main road and walking back to the apartment for a quick shower it was of to dinner at Zoe's, then back for an early night as the next day would be long.

Day 10 Around the town

Yesterday V had a couple of really bad Mozzy bites and was feeling a bit fragile.We had planed to go out to Nanu but it soon became apparent that we were not going anywhere today.

V returned to bed and I set out to walk the Kateractis.

On the way round to the top I redid some of the pictures from yesterday with the light better.

Then it was down the path. Very different from the Klistrata. Also I found it much harder. No shade rough and always on a slope or steps.

By the time I was at the bottom it was time for a drink and a snack.

Anyway by the time I got back and had a rest V was feeling better and we went out for a walk up the road to the cemetery.

Day 3 at St Nicks

This year the main aim for our holiday is relaxation. For many different reasons it has been a hard year and doing very little except reading and swimming was the aim for the day., and most of the holiday.

It was with this in mind we walked down to pedi and picked up the boat to St Nicks. As we almost the first to arrive we had pick of where to sit. Finding the lounger we had last year that gave enough shade for V, we spent most of the morning buried in books and sleeping.

After lunch at the taverna on the beach it was back to more of the same, until we got the last boat home.

As we had not done much exercise during the day we walked back up to the village and sat watching the sun go down before going out for some food.

We ended up at the music night at the Secret Garden. getting home just after midnight.

Day 2. First full day on Symi.

As always on the first day of a holiday we were up and out relatively early. The weather was beautiful, with a hot sun and a slight breeze.

This year V wanted to do more walking than last year, so we started by walking up through the lanes and steps that make up the 'streets' of Horio.

One of the targets for the trip was a walk up to the Castro with its church on the top. As no maps exist of Horio and all it's maze of paths, we were lucky to find arrows painted on the walls indicating the route to the Castro. We followed these and sooner than we expected we came out to the church on the top of the Castro.

We wandered around and were treated by a magnificent view of the harbour, made all the more special by the cruise ship, Club Med 2, lying off Nimborio.

After some time resting and taking pictures we set off back down to the meet up with the tour rep. As we came down we got a great view down the Pedi valley towards the sea.

After the meet up we went back to our apartment and packed the bag for the walk down to the beach at Pedi. As you come down to the pier you have the choice of turning left and right. Go left and after 100 yds there are about 6 sun brollies and some loungers these are free to use. If you go right the loungers and brollies are charged for.

After a swim and a lounge we walked back up to the apartment.

We had a rest and in the evening we walked down the Kalistrata to look for somewhere to eat.

It was a shot like this that I ran into the main problem regarding the compromise I had made with my choice of camera. With my 'big' camera I could increase the ISO gain and with its faster lenses I could have shot had held much longer than I did. But I knew this was the compromise I had made.