As my second week in paradise dawned, and feeling every bit the local, I'd found a lovely little bar within the back streets of the town - "Meltemi"; I'd been attracted by its ad - " sometimes we're open - sometimes we're not " etc. I was too shy in those early days to sit at Vapori or Harani as they looked so lively and I wasn't. Every evening I always had my book with me when I went out to eat, and it was lovely to find this cosy little bar where I met Michaelis - a lovely Symiot man with big hair and a big beard and a big personality to match; he named his bar after "The Meltemi wind" which blows famously in August (I think), and I developed a taste for Metaxa *** and loved the Greek Blues that he played and the locals would dance. His friend and fellow bar-tender Derek (who had retired to Symi from England) played Jazz tracks so I was well happy.

One night I was going on about Symi and all its beauty and how I wished to go to St George bay again, and Derek then told me about his own boat which he had built on Symi with the expertise help from Michaelis ( he had written a little book about the experience which of course I immediately purchased), and that he was happy to take me to St George on his little boat - I couldn't believe his generosity as I had only just met him! So we arranged to meet in Pedi the next day and along with his friends Mike and Ann, regulars of many years to Symi, we met by the little church and was introduced to Derek's little hand-built boat - lovely.

We sailed around from Pedi to St George and once again that dramatic sight came into view. This time we sailed to the shore and wandered around the silent beach and looked at the stunningly beautiful church set back a little way from the bay. Here there was the sort of peace and tranquility that is hard to imagine in today's superfast world. Everything about St George is spectacular; the sea is very very deep and still and deep turquoise blue, the shingle beach a dazzling white, the caves and boulders around the bay seem older than ancient, the view out across the Aegean to Turkey is something to be seen, and the vast and dramatic sheer cliffs behind give a deep sense of earthly wonder. Such a special place and only enhanced with absolutely no facilities whatsoever.

Derek said he would treat us to afternoon tea on our return to Pedi via St Marina, so getting to experience another beauty spot in the same afternoon was a damn good bonus. St Marina is very very pretty, and we moored out on the little island off St Marina beach which is easily swum to and has the lovliest little church built high into the rocks. After a lovely swim Derek took us to the shore and moored again. We enjoyed a lovely snack and tea at the taverna there as we gazed upon all the beauty around.

Being on the sea in a small boat really thrilled me and being caught in the big beautiful waves of a passing ferry gave me the giggles. The sea salt was well and truly trapped within my other Symi memories now and when we landed back at Pedi I was yet again overwhelmed with joy!!