Symi Island, Greece (June 2017)

I made a day trip from Rhodes to Symi Island, which is about 1.5 hours away from Rhodes by ferry, to the north. The island is quite small, only ~23 square miles in size. It is known for its beautiful harbor and its well-known monastery, Panorimtis. People travel to this monastery from all over the world to pay homage to Michael of Panormitis, believed to be a healer. The economy of Symi was traditionally based on the shipbuilding and sponge industries. The latter industry is still alive - there are many sponge shops throughout the island and the sponges do seem to be higher quality than in other parts of Greece. Symi is only 14 miles from Datca, Turkey, which you can see in the distance on a clear day.

More pictures from my June 2017 Greece trip can be found here:

COUPLED 2017 conference: https://irina.smugmug.com/COUPLED-2017-Conference-Rhodes-Island-Greece/
Rhodes Old Town and Mandraki Harbor: https://irina.smugmug.com/Rhodes-Old-Town-Rhodes-Island-Greece/
Filerimos Monastery: https://irina.smugmug.com/Filerimos-Monastary-Rhodes-Island-Greece/
Lindos: https://irina.smugmug.com/Lindos-Rhodes-Island-Greece
Western Rhodes: https://irina.smugmug.com/Western-Rhodes-Island-Greece
Athens: https://irina.smugmug.com/Athens-Greece-June-21-2017/
Cats of Greece: https://irina.smugmug.com/Cats-of-Greece/