Nick Jenkin - Nick and Nancy Take a Trip

Nick It was about a year ago that we decided we needed a form of transport to get around the island.

You see, a year before that, in 2015, against all advice, Nancy and I sold up shop in England, bought a house in Greece and moved to live there, lock stock and barrel. We chose the island of Symi.

It is a beautiful little island, set in the blue Aegean Sea, in Southern Greece. The people are as warm as the sun and made us feel especially at home. We took lessons in Greek and when we tried out our fumbling sentences on them, it was the source of much amusement, but the fact that we had tried really seemed to help.

Nancy Why Symi? Well, I met Nick there 12 years earlier and the island holds many strong feelings for us of discovering a soulmate, falling in love, holding hands for the first time, that first kiss; and it was all wrapped up in sunshine, sparkling blue sea and happiness.

Nick I am sure it must have had something to do with all the wine that flowed. It was a singles holiday. Can you believe it? I cant. I was single and so regularly went on holiday with a mate of mine. He was terribly good company but this time he decided he was going to California to drive the coast road on a Harley.

As a single man, I find it very difficult going on holiday on my own. Im not much of a joiner. In the tavernas and restaurants, everyone feels sorry for you, and as for lying on the beach, well you are a pariah, a predatory male with a 30-foot space around you.

And as if anyone meets a soulmate on a singles holiday! One look at all possible options and you know you are doomed to 2 weeks of solitary misery. But the advert for this singles holiday sounded different. Twelve people, over 25, who stay in a big house, on a hill, overlooking the harbour and all you had to do was eat evening meals together that were especially cooked for you. The clincher as much wine as you could drink, thrown in free. For the rest of your holiday, you had no obligation to spend time with anyone else, the day was yours to do with as you pleased.

But there she was, standing on the ramp to the ferry, looking shy but intelligent, self-contained but sociable.

Nancy Nick told me later that he saw me straight away and, when the ferry was underway, he went around and introduced himself to everyone on the holiday just so he could stop and talk to me. How flattering!

I didnt think that I would meet anyone either, but Nick was funny, interesting, kind and seemed to like me! We married a year later, to the month.

But then jump 10 years to our anniversary and we decided to return to Symi just to see what it was like. We had very low expectations because, of course, islands develop and the magic dies but it was as if we had never left. No towering skyscraper hotels, no dreadful discos beating into the night, just the same Symi. We went back to the place where I had lost my camera, because we couldnt stop kissing and had got all dizzy, but it wasnt there! Then we visited the spot where we first held hands and I thought immediately, we could make a home on Symi.

Nick Actually there had been some building developments on the island but the regulations are so strict that we couldnt tell. Any new houses looked just like the ones that had been there for years, centuries.

Symi is an irregular shape, like a large hibiscus flower that has floated down from the sky and settled on the sea. It is about 8 miles east to west and 5 miles across, with most of its 2,500 people located at the eastern end in a village, on top of a mountain, which then tumbles down into the sea.

Our house is in a quiet bay called Pedi. It faces the sun and dangles its feet in the sea but here is the draw back. To go to the shops, to a restaurant or simply for a glass of wine, it is a mile up the mountain to the old village and then another mile down to the more bustling harbour.

In summer, our quiet bay boasts 2 tavernas, 2 shops and a small hotel and there is an hourly bus service which serves us well but in winter everything closes. The bus takes a siesta in the afternoon, stops at 8 in the evening and on Sundays it is only active till midday, just long enough to transport the faithful to and from the churches.

Hold on, you might say, there is a kiosk for emergency supplies. Yes, Giorgo is very long suffering and sits there all day waiting to sell you cigarettes, alcohol, biscuits or sweets, which is wonderful if you want to smoke or drink yourself to death but not if youve forgotten the milk.

In winter, the beach reverts to a boatyard and the locals stop fishing for tourists and start fishing for fish. It is wonderful because all the tourists have gone home, and the island reverts to being itself. The only drawback is that forgotten carton of milk. Then it is a mile walk up to the shop or a wait for the bus. Woe betide you if you fancy going out for an evening meal. Then you have to break off at 8 for the last bus or face a walk home, up and over the mountain.

Hence, after the first winter we decided we needed independent transport and thats when the fun started. What kind of transport?

I was all for a scooter, the more common means on the island of getting from A to B.

Nancy I wanted a car. There are fewer cars on the island but in the depths of winter it would keep us warm and dry and we could offer a lift to our friends and neighbours. Nick wanted a scooter so he could pretend he was a Greek man and show off around the island.