| Monday, October 9, we started the 135 nautical mile trip south to Marmaris, Turkey, anchoring enroute off the islands of Kalymnos, Gyali, and Symi. In Kalymnos, we spent a delightful evening on Telendhos, an islet just off the coast of Kalymnos. In Symi, we anchored off the fishing village in Pedi Bay. Both Kalymnos and Symi had had a long tradition of sponge-fishing, but during Ottoman times Symi was granted special privileges and flourished both in sponge-fishing and shipbuilding. At the beginning of the 20th century Symi had a population of 22,500, and its main town Gialos was the capital of the Dodecanese. Regrettably with the Italian occupation and the arrival of the steamship, Symi�s prosperity declined. Now only about 2500 people lived on the island. Before leaving we visited the town of Gialos. Many of the 19th century mansions still flanked Gialos harbor, but sadly quite a few were abandoned. |
