A Big French Greek Wedding and Holiday

NOTE: Photos by Adrian Leeds and Erica Simone.

When my daughter, Erica, asked, “Do you want to go to a wedding in Greece on July 14th,” I quickly said “YES!” We had given up our Greece vacation a couple of years ago when Covid-19 made it near to impossible, so passing this up was not going to happen. Her French friends from high school (who she hadn’t seen in a long time) planned their wedding on the island of Symi and even though I’d never heard of it, it was a perfect replacement for the trip we missed in 2020.

Normally and traditionally, I host a picnic on the Champ de Mars for July 14th—Bastille Day, France’s Independence Day…but not this year. I have missed other years, mostly due to my mother’s birthday which was July 13th. So, there were many occasions when I was in New Orleans to celebrate that. While I definitely missed being on the Champ de Mars and watching the greatest fireworks display of all time, Greece turned out to be a welcome retreat.

Symi, alternatively spelled as Syme or Simi, is both a municipality and a rocky, mountainous Greek island. It encompasses a charming harbor town along with an upper town called “Ano Symi,” and various smaller localities, beaches, and historically significant areas. Located within the Rhodes regional unit, Symi has a rich heritage tied to both history and mythology.

Another view of Symi

I learned in advance of arrival that in the past Symi’s economy revolved around shipbuilding and the sponge industries, which led to a peak population of 22,500 inhabitants. However, the primary industry on the island shifted to tourism, resulting in a decrease in the permanent population to just 2,500 residents, although during the summer months it swells with tourists and part-time residents. Symi is renowned for its distinct variety of shrimp known as “Symi’s shrimp.” These small bright red shrimp are pan-fried and typically consumed whole, including their shells. I did that our very first evening.

Symi’s famous pan-fried shrimp

Getting there wasn’t overly complicated but took some engineering. We took a direct flight from Paris Orly Airport on Transavia direct to Rhodes. From the airport in Rhodes, we hopped in a taxi and took a 30-minute/30-euro ride to the port where we had booked a ferry to Symi using Sebeco Lines. I timed it out and booked it all in advance. It went like clockwork.

The ferry was filled with the wedding couple’s friends—obvious by the French they spoke, their ages and their general look. When we disembarked, the bride-to-be was waiting to greet all of us. That was the first time I had ever met her. Then Erica and I dragged our luggage along the port’s edge to find our rental apartment.

Of the entire travel day, that part was the most challenging and tiring. The ferry dock was entirely on the other side of the port, which meant circling the U-shaped port from beginning to end. By mistake, we went way too far past our destination, dragging our luggage along the cobblestones of the waterfront. All of this was in the bright sun and intense heat. It was tough to stop and take in the beautiful sights of the island under the circumstances…until we located our hosts and climbed a tiny steep staircase into a duplex just above a souvenir shop on the quay.

The apartment was large, and while poorly appointed and equipped, it had a sweet little balcony with a table and two chairs, overlooking the port and the yachts moored just in front. That made it charming, in spite of any shortcomings, of which there were many. I’m spoiled. When we once managed about 35 rental apartments in Paris, it was my goal always to ensure the apartments “were missing nothing.” I found that most landlords don’t have a clue about how to arrange and manage a really good rental apartment. They just do the cheapest job they can, charge as much as they can, and do not really care about the quality. Sad, but true.

Our first evening was just what one might expect in order to get acquainted with the town…wander among the shops and talk to the shopkeepers; maybe even buy a few things along the way. There are sponge sellers galore, stacks and stacks of straw hats, lots of women’s dress shops filled with light cotton smocks, and a few very elegant women’s boutiques of extraordinary quality and price. Souvenir shops are abundant, naturally, but in the mix are some lovely bio/organic product shops and artisan shops with very unique handmade things. What’s strangely missing are all the accoutrements for a great beach vacation: rafts, noodles, water sports equipment, etc. In fact, you won’t find anyone on the beaches with them, either…but I’ll save that for my beach critique further on.

It was early evening when we took a table portside for dinner because we were hungry and tired from the long strength-testing day. You can almost guess what we ordered for our first meal in Greece in order to dive right in: Greek salad, Symi Shrimp, Aubergines à la Parmigiana, and “Grandma’s Meatballs.” The restaurant was one of the town’s most well-known and largest, right on the port, touting its fresh fish.

On the port restaurant, Manos

Thursday, before the wedding events were to start, was the perfect beach day. From the center of the port, there are tons of water taxis you can hop on for a small charge to go to any of the beaches on the island. We had been advised to try St. Marina Bay, aka Agia Marina, about a 15-minute boat ride away. It’s a small beach with green waters that slightly deepen until a rocky island at the end of the gulf. It was beautifully “manufactured” and had a very nice restaurant and bar as well as lounge chairs and parasols for rent, which we did.

Agia Marina

It was not a traditionally sandy beach and for me, less than perfect, but lovely, peaceful, and comfortable with crystal clear water. Little did we know then that it would be the scene the next day for the wedding party, after the religious ceremony, that was to take place at a small chapel on the same cove, known to be popular for weddings.

Relaxing on the beach at Agia Marina

The yachts, catamarans, and sailboats moored in the bay fascinated me as I pretended to be a lizard on the “transat” (lounge chair). Ships like these cost a pretty penny. When you travel to ports all over Europe, one cannot help but wonder how so many people have so much money—enough to support such luxurious toys—but they do. One enormous yacht, the Optasia, a 279 foot monstrosity, was moored in our tiny harbor the last night, blocking all view of the lovely little town.

The super yacht, Optasia

Wedding cocktails and dinner were the first events on the weekend agenda, at a modern and beautiful tavern on the other side of the port from our duplex apartment. Just before leaving, once fully dressed and ready to go, Erica got wind that we were supposed to dress in all white…but of course, we were in exactly the opposite—black. It was information that for some reason we had never gotten, so as we walked in it became very obvious to everyone that we were not in form…we stood out like sore thumbs. Even if we had known earlier, dressing in white would have been nearly impossible for us at the last minute with no single white garment in our luggage. Maybe we could have scrambled to find something to wear in town…but it was way too late for that.

I knew no one at the party except my daughter. She knew no one at the party except her friend getting married and me. And there we were, dressed in black and gold, against a sea of white. Not only that, but it was also a sea of mostly French, mostly mid-30s-to mid-40s, plus a few of the older family members, who were looking homogenous in their all-white outfits.

Wedding guests, a sea of white

This got us talking as we stood on the sidelines about the strikingly French cultural stereotypes. Part of our game became who we thought stood out from the crowd—someone we wanted to meet. There was one chap in a white and gold flower-print jacket, with wild curly hair and beard, sporting little round sunglasses, who stood out as more interesting than most. Other than us, who was inappropriately dressed entirely, he stood out as everyone else was white cookies cut from the same cutter…or so it seemed, since we didn’t know these people at all and our critique was purely superficial.

One young woman stood out garbed in a particularly adorable white dress trimmed in black and gold, her hair long and blonde, her eyes blue-blue and just about the prettiest woman at the party. I struck up a conversation with her by just blurting out, “Great dress!,” that broke the ice. She was American living in France, so we met one person with whom we could immediately relate and communicate. After further discussion, we discovered she lived steps away from us in Paris, too.

Nonetheless, Erica and I clung to each other in a corner since we were sore thumbs without a lot of things to find in common with the other guests (or hadn’t yet discovered it) and didn’t want to drink too much alcohol or go off our diets too badly.

Bastille Day was a non-event in Greece, but we chose to go to a different beach our second day—Nikolaos—another small sweet cove with lots of chairs and parasols, a bar and a restaurant. It was lovely and perfect for a few hours. As the heat rose, we knew we would need some time to rest and get ready for the wedding, which was to begin early evening, so we boated home early afternoon and took our time in our air-conditioned apartment to prepare for the event.

The beach at Nikolaos

We were instructed to meet at the dock where we would board boats to take us to Agia Marina for the ceremony and the party. There was no way to avoid sweating under the intense sun and heat, but the hosts had provided fans and water so we would survive the ceremony. The chap, who had been at the cocktail party wearing a white and gold flower-print jacket, got on the boat and sat near me, this time looking almost as sharp as the night before. Wearing something entirely different of course, I couldn’t help but blurt out, “You win the prize for best dressed,” which naturally started a conversation. As it turns out, he and Erica have some friends in common. That now gave us a second person with whom we could relate, particularly for Erica, since these two new friends were both more age appropriate to her than me. They knew each other, too.

The entire wedding party disembarked from several boats and gathered on the hill of the chapel to witness the ceremony…as we suffered from the heat. We knew it would be that way from the outset, so the expectation didn’t disappoint us. Once the sun had begun to set, it started to cool off and we embarked once again to head to dinner just a short boat ride away.

Site for the wedding ceremony

As luck had it for Erica, she was seated at the same dinner table as her two new-found friends. I had been forewarned that we had been separated for dinner and that I had been placed with a group of older international folk with whom I’d be able to speak English. I was hoping that I’d find someone at the table to spark my interest, but the odds didn’t look good as I was placed at the far end facing away from the action in the center. Interestingly, the people at my table had known the bride and her family for many years, as their families had spent their summers in Symi and they had come to know each other this way. There were Germans, French, Americans and Greeks among them. There was one American couple, children of one of the senior couples at my table, who had recognized me from House Hunters International, but other than that, my role as part of the wedding party was limited.

Setting up for the wedding dinner and party

Once or twice, I wandered over to Erica’s table to have a shot of young energy that was missing on my side of the “room.” The party went on all night, but along with others my age, chose to catch the 12:30 a.m. boat back to Symi and call it a night after way too much champagne, leaving Erica to embrace the moment with her friends. It was a funny situation for both of us. But we knew that attending the wedding was our opportunity to have a vacation in Greece, attend a happy event involving families’ love for one another, and that while we wouldn’t be in the center of activity, it just didn’t matter.

The bride and groom dancing on the dock at the chapel

Saturday we were at another beach, this time with the wedding party to “Nanou,” where they had a big brunch served for everyone. The beach itself is made up of medium to large pebbles, much like the Baie des Anges, so water shoes are almost a necessity. Because of this, it’s less popular for families and kids. It was here that Erica and I noticed how few beach accessories we saw…not the usual rafts, noodles, paddle balls, etc. Where they were and where people were who enjoy using them? We didn’t know. It was very odd.

View from the restaurant at Nanou

That night there was a closing party of which I opted out entirely—no offense to the adorable bride and groom and all of their friends…but I needed a bit of quiet time to myself…and here I am writing away at that moment.

Our last day in Symi was not part of the wedding events. We took it upon ourselves to book a boat tour that takes you all around the island in one day with a special lunch. The Poseidon has been sailing the waters around Symi for 30 years. We were told that the daily trip all around the island is something not to be missed.

The Poseidon tour boat

On the Poseidon tour

It was all that it was cracked up to be—an absolutely perfect day stopping at five different beaches to swim: Maroni Bay, Seal Cave, Agios Vasilios Bay, Seskli Island, and Agios Georgios Bay. We had lunch in the shade of the trees on Seskli Island…a seriously delicious meal of local specialties, with chicken grilled right there on the spot. These were some of the island’s hidden gems. We also had the chance to swim in their crystal clear waters that can only be reached by boat. For 50€ each, it was a major bargain.

The Seal Cave

On the Poseidon tour, Agios Georgios Bay

View from the Poseidon tour boat

This morning we head to Athens for a few days of visiting important sights in the ancient city. The heat may kill us—but stay tuned for more to come!

A la prochaine…