RHODES - weekend was on an island that is a painting of beauty and harmony. Always my love this island even if I had not create friends there. In the beginning I was only enough to see before me the greatest neoclassical Greek settlement with 2,000 homes beautiful.
The «eyes steer» exist even in hotels. The «Opera Chaouz» is a newly built settlement based on traditional architecture within a olanthisto garden
It is located very close to the Asia Minor coast, is only five nautical miles from Kavos Alopo of Asia Minor and around 23 nautical miles from Rhodes. For those who do not understand refer to the Symi, an island that does not show the kalli at all, but only those who persistently flertaroun. And when the love Symi and Symiakoi know and reward their friends generously ...
I spoke to traditional homes. Graphics dipata and tripata with keramidenies roofs, balconies with lites sideries, kamomena of stone the color of ochre in conjunction with other bright colours (such as brown, purple and green) reflected in the tranquil waters of the sea and the bright reflected light of sun.
Yet a few years ago the Symiakoi looking at their homes on the island said: « 'A tochame da Athens!». Now tourists who go to Simi seeing this painting beauty and harmony heard to say in their own home: «To tochame in Simi ...». Moving in the Gulf of Doridos, after the island Nimo and Koutsoympas end, the ship araxe in Gialo, the port of Symi. The first visitors ekstasiazetai by the spectacle facing. The goiteftikotero aspect archontospita are skylights, magically «eyes steer». Others are ventilated, open and closed and others have their roots from ancestral care of the Greeks in front of the fear of bad minds.
Kampanaria, right and left, the staircase in the middle of Lirenou and a tower with roloi which was built in 1880, to measure the time it rolls so quietly near the surf. Next to roloi the building of the police, a residue of architecture from italokratia, mail and all sorts of shops with friendly people they welcome visitors. The breeze moschomyrizei by thalassinous food restaurants. The Symiakoi psaromezedes particularly famous: spinialos, octopus, lobster cooked on charcoal, red psilo garidaki, mackerel, bass, tsipoures.
The island was named after the princess Simi. According to legend the Glafkos known erotiaris karavokyris season, seized from Rhodes and brought by force in the arid desert island and the daughter of the king of Ialyssou. The mythical king of Symi Nirefs, gyios of Charopos and nymph Aglaias, was one of the suitors of Helen. He participated in Troiko war with three ships and murdered in Troy (according to the encyclopedia «Papyros Larous Britanika). Indeed Homer describes the Nirea that was «the evmorfoteros of Danaon», after Achilles. That such listen to the guided tours touristries and persistently searching to find the island today «evmorfotero of Symiakon», and hoping that nowadays there may be a continuation of that tradition.
Much of acne which has sometimes Symi, when its population reached 25,000 residents and, due to the government enjoyed the long centuries of Turkish territory. Paying tax lump men kataginontan with the navy, while the island in bringing women ride. A monument in GIALOS reminiscent of the signing in symiako territory Protocol delivery of the Dodecanese to allies, 8 May 1945. In Simi signed by German General Otto Wagner surrender of German forces here Eastern Aegean and ended by World War II.
It is interesting to see «Spetsaria», the old Community pharmacy. It had surgery and clipboard, indicative of advanced social care that existed for years on the island. These days our current health problems are better than ever. The odontogiatros Charalambos Volonakis is 23 years on the island and his free time painting with tempera exclusively Symiaka landscapes. The pediatrician Loukas Loukaidis three years in Simi has agapithei by all residents. The Hariklia Charisopouloy, director of the Center for Health and Evana Papatoukoy, rural doctor do our utmost to serve the patients.
H Simi highlighted important artists, mostly painters agiografous and laymen. According to the archaeologist Elias Kollias, there is a painting workshop on the island since at least the first half of the 18 st century. The Reading the «Egli», founded in 1872 and is the oldest of the Aegean. It is now deserted and closed. We must do our utmost respect to xanaleitourgisei.
If you attempt n ascend the 357 steps of «Good Stratas» will be presented with closely, sometimes equal to fit a man to pass. Putting our trip in an unusual setting decline, with the silent melancholy of vomvardismenon archontikon around us, we approach a person over Symiako. We talked about the «chalata» where today only live goats, «methyres» and fragkosykies. Now they belong to the past. What matters is the present and the future of the island.
And to move forward the island would do well to non-flyaroun unorthodox municipal leaders of the majority and minority. The elections ended and some gentlemen do not understand. Even dealing with conflicts and so disturb social harmony and smoothness of the island. The people are very polite and filoproodoi and they deserve to become more the island.
