Finally made it back to Greece.  Two months later than planned but it was great to be back on Symi.

Up in the mountains, temperatures in the thirty’s, pushing up to 40, very pleasant breeze, minimum of 5 miles every day trekking around the piece of hot rock which is Symi.

The island has an ancient history, some periods of which attract more interest than others.  There are remains on the ground which can only be guessed at in terms of what little is known about life in far-off days.  It’s interesting to try to piece it together.

One interesting route is via Nimborio to what I think is a Neolithic platform high on a craggy ridge.

Nimborio, a corruption of ‘Emborio’, meaning trading place or market, (from which comes the English word ‘emporium’) is at the head of the next bay round from the main harbour of Yialos.  Apparently, it was the main settlement in Roman times.  Boats could beach there and a small quay was built.  My guess is that the stone-paved quay at the northern end of the bay dates back to that time and may be the original construction.

Behind the bay at a slightly higher level is a mosaic floor, not as well preserved as those on Kos but the pictorial representations can still be clearly seen.  Some of the stones and pebbles on the beach are not from local geology.  Some are the black volcanic rock from Nisyros used to make basins, a fragment of one of which can be seen in the castle above Toli Bay a couple of miles away.

From the far end of the beach at Nimborio, a well-marked but rough path climbs, in places very steeply, up towards the tiny church and monastery of Agios Nikolaos Stenou. Before it reaches the monastery, it splits, the left-hand side continuing to the church, the right-hand fork winding around and following the ridge top.  Narrow and unmarked, this path is clear and easy to follow because it’s used by the farmer from the col at the end of it to take his honey by donkey down to Nimborio.

Before dropping down to the farm in the col, in the crags above on the right, are the two features of interest.  On top of the first of the two crags, reachable by scrambling, is a dolman-like structure, similar to but much smaller than the ones found in Wales.  The second has a rock platform built into the teeth of the crag.  The platform can be reached but involves a bit of mild rock-climbing.to reach the top.

Finally, a Symi sunset from the balcony