The joys of the little Greek island of Symi are documented exquisitely in Jon Ryan’s photo diary detailed in the Central Somerset Gazette. The rocky island lies 25 miles North of Rhodes in the Dodecanese and boasts of “a single town, one road, a few dozen monasteries and a handful of excellent beaches – and some goats – rising out of the Mediterranean to a height of 2,024, and blessed with one of the most beautiful natural harbors on the planet.”
The journalist documents the island’s history and then goes on to gush about its charms:
I envy you that. I can never see it again for the very first time. A tumble of pastel-shaded houses reach from high up the hillside to the curve of the harbour wall and the blue water. Above, the mountain is studded with trees and bare rocky soil in shades that vary from white to golden brown, depending on the time of day and the season. You can see, if you look carefully, the remains of mile upon mile of dry-stone terracing, some of it constructed almost impossibly over slopes that would daunt a goat, legacy of when the island was thickly populated. How old are the walls? Impossible to tell. There is evidence of habitation going back at least three thousand years. Around the harbour are boats. Small blue-and white fishing smacks, daily supplying the restaurants and kafenions, probably a few Gullets, the attractive twin-masted holiday charters from Turkey. Single-masters from France, Italy, Germany, USA, the UK. Perhaps a multi-million pound super-yacht or two, leading to gossip as to whether Mike and Cathy-Zeta are paying another visit, or perhaps it’s a shady oligarch, here to hold secret meetings with…well, it’s a secret, but there are plenty of rumours.
The writer then meets the people who know and love Symi the most – the locals as well as those who keep coming back:
Jenine Woodhall from Dorset came to Symi for a holiday and stayed on. She then married Ian, another English ex-pat, had two boys and opened a small restaurant/kafeneion,tea-room before moving to a bigger site that is now The Olive Tree, the number one restaurant of Symi
Nicky Hann came to Symi on a daytrip with her parents from Rhodes and she fell in love with the little island and has been returning ever since. She even brought ten friends on her hen night and still keeps coming back with her husband, Tris, and daughters.
Writer James Collins and his partner, photographer Neil Gosling (pictured), run SymiDream, and celebrated their tenth anniversary together on the island. They also organize photo walks and wine nights.
Symi, the movie –
Symi, during an underwater dive –
And now for some photos
Much of Symi’s charm lies in the rigorously enforced rules that ensure all buildings conform to a neoclassical style
Nanou Bay
The photo, taken from “Adriana’s Symi Blogspot” was taken during the blog author’s daily walks through Pedi valley. She writes “the wild oregano is in abundance and the aroma as my feet brush against it is both exhilarating and intoxicating.”
Barry’s cave on Symi, with Adriana on one of her blogger’s adventures
The Water of Life monastery is a great place to hike to
The deserted village of Gria
The island also has ancient monuments
The monastery of Panormitis is situated on Panormitis Bay and draws people from around the country during its festival on November 8
