Cypriot times.

Out of season

2011-01-09T23:03:00.001+02:00

We took a little family stroll along Curium beach. It’s kind of nice this time of year, but the weather can be a bit of a lottery. In fact it was around 20°C, so I suppose it’s churlish of me to suggest it was cold, but with the brisk breeze blowing off the sea, it certainly felt chilly, my god, how soft we have become!

We walked along the front of Chris’ Blue Beach café, all shut up and deserted, but quite a number of locals and visitors were using it as a sort of boardwalk promenade and just setting up their deck chairs to take advantage of some rays, despite the chilly breeze.

We enjoyed our stroll, not withstanding having to keep doubling back to recapture Lara every time she decided to wander! She loves exploring and especially enjoys steps, which since she is not really proficient on them yet, makes for a bit hard work. She always wants to go first up, then down, then back up and often squeals when you lift her up to move on.

Kyle was happily running, climbing and shell hunting and even put in an appearance every now and again with us! We only really made it as far as Chris’ before heading back to the Kourion café, where the car was parked. We had originally only intended to stop there for a drink, but by now I was starting to get peckish and so we had a small bite to eat there, which was very nice indeed.

I had hoped that the wind might have died off a bit, so I could attempt a flight, but it was clearly quite strong, so we didn’t even stop for a second look, but just headed home. In fact I did fly later on, but not from Curium, rather from Kensington, but that’s a story for a different blog! I did however capture the following sunset photo looking straight down our street as I arrived home about 5ish:

Christmas 2010

2010-12-28T08:21:00.001+02:00

On Christmas day we headed down to Curium, Elena running and the kids and I by car. Our vague plan was to do some combination of running, flying and swimming, which we managed, just about. I met up up with Paul there and Elena headed off with Kyle and Lara, back home to finish preparing Christmas dinner. Paul and I had given up trying to extend our flights beyond the 10 minute point, due to the winds not being very strong, so we too headed for home and Christmas some sustenance. A very lovely meal was enjoyed by all and Paul finally headed for his hotel early evening. A lovely day and a very different one for us, as well as different to the one most people would be enjoying in the UK.

Boxing day, we had been invited to spend with Dudley and Lisa and family, so around 10.30 we set out east, bound for Ay Nik. Duds had planned a barbecue and as well as us had invited friends ‘Gilesy’ and wife Lizzie with their two young daughters. We all ate well and drank lots and enjoyed yet another pleasant day of festivities.

On 27th, we set out for Famagusta with the specific intention of visiting the ancient ruins at Salamis.

This was our first visit to these antiquities and very impressive they are too. The area to walk around is much larger than some of the other sites we have visited and the ruins have largely been left unrestored. The attitude to these sites in this country are quite different to in other parts of the world, there never seems to be much budget for restoration or any sort of embellishments and it’s almost as if they don’t believe in the concept. There is a feel to the place, as if it belongs to everyone and there is no attempt to prevent children from getting right down to it and crawling all over the walls etc.

After an hour or two wandering around the site, we headed back to Famagusta and had a quick look in the museum there. Dudley had been trying to get into this museum for some time, but had never quite made it due to some electrical problem or another. Today it was open, so we managed to get in and look around. Set in the ramparts of the ancient city, there are quite a few artefacts and objects, which a worth seeing, but not that exciting really.

Next we came outside again and climbed on the rampart wall and explored a bit. The lack of any kind of a barrier at all make these sort of explorations quite scary, especially with five kids to keep an eye on, therefore after about half an hour, Dud and I decided that the stress levels were too high and we set off, back for their home across the border to Ay Nik.

After a cup of tea for the road, we headed for home with two very tired, sleeping children in tow. We arrived home about 7.30pm and ‘unloaded’ Lara into the house and to bed, while Kyle sat up a while longer with us and watched some TV.

A thoroughly lovely couple of days with good friends – thanks Dud and Lisa! X

Weekend mornings

2010-04-18T10:28:00.001+03:00

With only ten months left on this island these are the times I will miss most here. Weekend mornings, with a coffee and breakfast, sitting on the patio.

The tree in my neighbour’s garden giving shade and the warmth of the day already building. This winter/spring has been exceptionally wet and the garden is looking a mess at the moment, but it will soon start to burn off and all the weeds will die. I am also looking forward to some of the bitey insects, such as the mosquitoes dying out too. Our last summer in Cyprus, with a new family member will be a time to savour I think. We should make the most of it!

Weather

2010-01-18T21:29:00.001+02:00

The weather has been terrible now, off and on for several months. This has been one of the wettest winters here for some time, completely different to last year, wetter yet not so cold. As a result, the water levels in the reservoirs are much higher than this time last year, so hopefully we should not have to suffer the same drought conditions. Driving in Limassol today, we encountered deeply flooded roads along the sea front, great fun for splashing through, but potentially tending toward becoming impassable in some places where the drains had backed up. Kyle quite enjoyed the water lapping over the windscreen as we drove through it, but Elena was a little less happy with it.

This is without doubt the most rain I have seen for a year or more, though Elena tells me that it was this heavy for a week of sustained rain while I was away in Oman.Down by the old port there were some strange figures adorning the roundabout. I have no idea what they were in celebration of, but I think another look is in order in better weather conditions, in order to capture some better pictures.

Cam’s busy day

2009-08-01T00:28:00.000+03:00

We went to Curium and Elena took the kids to the ancients while I flew. They had a lovely time, walking around the ruins and the amphitheatre, Kyle just about running everywhere and Cameron soaking it all up. After that we all went down to the beach and had a long swim out to the buoys together, being very careful to all stay close together, Kyle with his armbands, Cam with the boogie board strapped to her wrist. I think the only knackered ones were myself and Elena, trying to keep up! We all had a lovely day and came home, were we all showered off the salt and sand and rounded the day off with a BBQ, which we almost managed to devour. Very tired now, I must say!

Cyprus-London and back again

2009-07-30T22:13:00.001+03:00

I went to pick Cam up from UK for her first visit with us here. Above is a picture of her at the terminal at Luton on the dreary, rainy, 27th. Four and a bit hours later and things were a tad bit different. Apart from getting the chair that doesn’t recline, the journey was way better than the one out from Larnaca 24 hours previously. I am sure I won’t be flying with Monarch again any time soon, unless there are no other choices. On landing in Paphos, it was a balmy 30 something degrees of typical Cypriot stickiness. That evening about 6pm we were all in the warm Mediterranean happy, but in my case knackered!

Alice

2009-07-13T21:07:00.001+03:00

Last night (12th) was the Alice Cooper concert in Limassol – what a cracker! Mano procured the tickets and doors opened at 1900. We arrived about 1930 and found a beer and a place at front centre. Alice is famous for his ‘shock rock’ shows, full of humour horror, executions, fake blood and all sorts of theatricals and tonight was no exception. They played all the classics, like School’s out, Poison, Halo, No more Mr. nice guy and many more. Mano and I were deep in the ‘mosh pit’, with all the great sweaty unwashed and needless to say we were very sweaty too by the end of it all, but it was brilliant from start to finish. My favourite part would have to be when Alice drives a stake through the heart of a mock baby vampire and is then placed in a straight jacket and frogmarched up the scaffold to be hung. the baby’s mother, played by Cooper’s real life daughter Callico Cooper, throws the lever to open the trap door and drop him! I’d definitely go see AC perform again given half a chance! here are a couple of pictures from the event:

Photos by Mano

Below are some photos by Mike G.K. You can see more of his work by following this link. Thanks to Mike for kind permission!

Fire

2009-06-20T15:52:00.001+03:00

Too windy to fly, but evidently quite a big one at the Aki plantation area!

Great meal

2009-06-20T14:58:00.001+03:00

We went for a meal for Mike’s birthday at the Stonegrill in Dherynia. The food was delicious and the company very good also. A really nice meal was enjoyed by all and Kyle ate his, before moving to Kiddie-land upstairs for a play in the supervised play area, which was free for customers of the Stonegrill, which was a real bonus. I had a really succulent fillet steak with tiger prawns, which were delivered on a pre-heated stone, sizzling away and smelling gorgeous.

The only peculiar, embarrassing thing about the whole affair, was being given a ‘Stonegrill’ bib to wear, which Elena of course found hilarious! Nevertheless, this proved to be not a bad idea at all, as it did prevent me from dropping food on myself and marking my shirt as I would normally do. Mike however, didn’t fare quite so well, since he was wearing white trousers as well, and managed to drop something in his uncovered lap. Oh well, can’t win them all mate – thanks for inviting us, we had a great time!

28th – 29th May 2009

2009-05-30T21:47:00.002+03:00

28th May 2009 We set off from Kyrenia in the morning, driving along the north coast road, with a slight detour via the Pentadactylos range affording stunning views out to the northern shores and southern plains. It is a long arduous road along the north side and I begin to see why people from Kyrenia prefer to use the highway running east from Nicosia and then turn up north again. We arrived in Dipkarpas at 3.10pm and 5 minutes later checked in to our prearranged accommodation at the Oasis, Ay Philon about 5km or so north of the town of Dipkarpas. We were accommodated in one of the more expensive rooms, with en suite shower and wc, set off to one side. These are priced at YTL100 (€45 approx) and consist of a single room with a bed, complete with mosquito net and wc/shower in one corner, basic but fully functional. The cheaper accommodation is YTL15 cheaper and occupants share a communal shower block at the end, probably better for childless couples/singles. We settled in, had a swim on the sandy beach there and then went for a fresh fish dinner, which was delicious. Afterward, we went for a drive to the Golden Sands beach, so that Elena and Kyle could have a sneak peek, before returning to the hotel for a cup of tea before bed.

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29th May 2009 We got up, had a lovely breakfast and went for a walk to a nearby sandy beach. Kyle and dad had a dip there and dad went for a little snorkel, but there was nothing much of great note. Afterwards we went back to the hotel, packed and left for the very end of the ‘pan handle’ of the peninsular. We posed for some pics beside the two enormous flags there and then took a look at the very ‘underwhelming’ St Andreas Monastery. Next we pottered down to Hasan’s Turtle Beach, where we checked ourselves in and set up tent ready for the night, before taking a look at the enormous and beautiful Golden Sands beach, where we swam, snorkelled, sunbathed and even walked for miles. We wandered to the visible end of the beach some couple of kilometres south and up onto a high sand dune which, as it turned out was ideal for rolling down! We strolled back again and collected our belongings from the beach where we’d left them and returned to the campsite, where we had a simple meal at the café. It took a fair while coming, so we were quite hungry before it had arrived, but nevertheless we were satisfied and duly scuttled off to bed afterward. Sleep was a bit intermittent, what with all the wildlife chirruping until the early hours, but some sleep was still had nonetheless.

Exploring the north

2009-05-28T10:54:00.001+03:00

We set off yesterday on our little exploratory tour of the north for a few days. Having rung ahead and booked a night in Kyrenia, staying at the Teacher’s House to the east end of town and our second night booked in at The Oasis in St Philon, we crossed to the north. We had a pleasant day on Tuesday, wandering around the shops and ate a kebap at a little cheap and cheerful restaurant in town. Kyle wanted an ice cream, but Elena said he’d have to wait. When he insisted, she told him, “OK, then you go and get one, we’ll wait here”. He replied, “But I haven’t got any money”. The waiter, overhearing this, said, “What, you have no money? You have to wash up then!” and led him by the hand into the ‘cooking room’ as Kyle later referred to it. He was in there a minute or two and came back out with wet hands, thinking it was great fun! I had arranged to go for a flight with Ozgur and Piers in the afternoon, so at 3pm, after a refreshing dip in the pool, off I went. A pleasant enough start to our little tour – here are afew pictures:

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Evening constitutional

2009-05-17T21:38:00.001+03:00

Just a nice little walk in the bondu before bedtime, followed by a nice bite to eat at the Kourion Beach café and then home. The air was totally still and it was relatively cool – just right for a little walk.

Breakfast smiles

2009-05-17T15:14:00.001+03:00

We thought it’d be a spontaneous and fun idea to create a bit of a special breakfast treat for Kyle. No special occasion, it was just a spur of the moment thing. Anyway, he seemed to enjoy it!

Pancake face with yoghurt and strawberry eyes and grape teeth. We weren’t sure about the blobs of yoghurt, but a little sugar smoothed that over and he woofed it down!

Sweety crawlies

2009-05-17T15:09:00.001+03:00

Kyle enjoys visiting mum in her workplace, ‘The Shack’. He is also very fond of the local wildlife. No, I’m not referring to the 2nd Lancs, but the actual wildlife on the island. He likes the little lizards we find about the place, but he isn’t too keen on setting them free, but rather wants to keep them as pets!

Melander meander

2009-04-25T19:37:00.000+03:00

We went for a walk along Melander beach today. Just a nice stroll along the beach – very pleasant. It reminded us all of almost one year ago, when we had first arrived and we came to this beach and walked from the Kyrenia restaurant to the Melander and the latter was closed. Today, it was very much open and we partook of a drink each and shared a few chips. It’s still not over warm here, but slowly heating up. Give it another few weeks!

Famagusta

2009-04-10T22:35:00.001+03:00

It’s definitely NOT ‘grim’ up north! A day trip to Famagusta included a quick stop in to see Stu and Caroline and their 6 month old baby boy ‘Finley’ What a happy soul he seemed to be. After a cup of tea and some lovely cake in Florentine’s cake shop, we set of through the ‘Black Knight’ crossing into town. A look around the beautiful old town with it’s Venetian walls and then down to Varosha in the ‘Forbidden Zone’. Here we explored the lovely sandy beach area and played with starfish, crabs and all sorts. Elena was very pleased with a particular shell and was set to take it home, until it’s inhabitant (a fairly large Hermit crab) had other ideas and started to ‘leg it back to the sea.We had a wonderful time and a nice meal at a little restaurant called Gingko in the main street near the cathedral. All in all a lovely day and one which I am sure we will be repeating before too much longer!

Rain rain… go away?

2009-04-09T00:06:00.001+03:00

We went for a walk today along the Kouris dam, almost exactly one year since we saw it for the first time. Comparing the water levels then and now gives a pretty good indication of the amount of rainfall we’ve had this past couple of months, good thing it is too!

Taken 6 Apr 2008

Above are the pictures from a year ago, below are today’s…

Taken 8 Apr 2009

Kyle, Elena and I had a nice walk across the dam, looking at the water level and listening to our echoes as we crossed back. Kyle loves this part of the walk. In the picture above, is an old raft, resting at the point where it obviously came to rest at some point when the water level was remarkably higher than it is now. Forecast for the next week? Still more rain. Oh well, no more water worries this year I guess, or a lot or people will want to know the reason why!

Camping trip

2009-04-06T18:01:00.001+03:00

Well, we decided to go on a little camping trip overnighter. The original plan was to go to Akamas and camp wild there for the night, but to be honest, when we got there we discovered a whole lot of not very much. Sure it’s pretty, especially as there has been quite a lot of rain lately, but frankly there isn’t too much to entertain either adults or children, so after a good look around the area we decided to press on over the top of the peninsular to Polis. We found a decent little road going over the top via Ineia and down into the valley the other side. It would have made for some great views, but for the low cloud, which absorbed the top of the hills completely. Once into Polis, we decided to abandon the idea of wild camping altogether and instead, headed for the campsite in town. At only €2.50 per person and €3.40 per tent, it turned out very reasonably indeed. We set up the tent, had some food and then set off for a walk along the beach path to Latchi and back, before some games on the beach and hide and seek in the campsite. We turned in very early, about 8pm, just as the light had gone. In the morning we had a look around Polis, which has a very picturesque town square and main street, then we headed off for home. A pleasant little night out which we all enjoyed.

Party

2009-03-29T22:08:00.000+03:00

At a birthday party in Happy Valley for one of the children, some of the kids had a pony ride and watched a children’s entertainer. One of the parents found a praying mantis and some of the kids took a close up look at it. Kyle was fascinated. So good he’s not afraid of these things!

Home again, home again, jiggety-jig!

2009-02-05T20:18:00.001+02:00

I’m pleased to report a relatively easy journey back to the sunny island. With a delay at Gatwick, to try and clean up spilt fluids from the runway, we eventually got airborne about two hours late. We made up about 20 minutes in the air due to favourable winds, so not too bad really, and… welcome home to 15°C and no traffic! Now I remember there are some things I like about this country, even if it IS becoming too expensive!

As an aside, I went up to Troodos today, for some work’s ‘bonding’ and skied my head off, had a great time, thanks Sam for organising! There may be some photos to follow later.

UK escape

2009-02-02T02:04:00.000+02:00

Not really a Cypriot adventure, but more a Cypriot escape really; we had a short break in UK and visited friends and loved ones.

Kyle – very happy after introduction to AoN

Firstly we were staying with Dudley and Lisa, then on to Newcastle for a day visit to see Martin and Martina (and Sebastian), before heading back south to spend time with Dudley, Lisa and the kids, together with Cameron to complete the family picture.

The finish of the trip was Watford and more friends we hadn’t seen for a long time. What we hadn’t counted on was the snow that fell on our way back to Watford. Will it hamper our journey home? We’ll have to wait and see!

Cypriot fare

2009-01-25T19:03:00.001+02:00

On Friday nobody felt like cooking and we couldn’t decide what we wanted. Neither of us had a great appetite, as we’ve all been ill. In the end, I decided I wanted a steak and Elena wanted pasta. So we set about finding somewhere open… at 4.30pm.

We tried Kolossi, where there is a steakhouse that seemed to fit the bill, but… not open til six! Next, on to Akrotiri, Aphrodite… shut, Ryan’s… shut, then on toward Limassol. At this point we wondered whether it wouldn’t be better to go to the supermarket and go home to cook for ourselves after all, things were going downhill! I decided that an executive decision had to be made quickly, otherwise things would deteriorate into the usual bickering arguments which ensue when everyone is too hungry to bother reasoning. Finally we passed TGI Fridays on the front at Limassol and I said, “That’ll do!” In we went and I promptly ordered my New York Strip Steak, while Elena and Kyle both had pasta dishes.

My steak was OK, nothing special, just OK. Something like a steak should be, just one third the amount you’d expect to get in the US for around the same in $ US. The pasta was… well, pasta really, OK except the pasta was overcooked and the veg slightly overcooked. Never mind, at least we know! We won’t be rushing back there, that’s for sure!

Gathering winter fuel

2009-01-16T12:05:00.001+02:00

It has been getting quite cold for some time now, so we decided it was time to make a concerted effort to find some wood to burn. I noticed, just off the beaten track to Akrotiri, that there was a fallen tree blocking the track and decided to pay a visit with a chain saw if I could lay hands on one. Sean owns one, I discovered, so I borrowed it and went a gathering. We managed to acquire a fair bit of wood to burn, but it was fairly hard work, even with a chain saw, since the tree was not that old and still quite moist inside.

Still, it makes you feel quite virtuous, getting your hands dirty and collecting your own winter fuel, as well as saving quite a bit of money into the bargain. Now I just have to work through it slow time, sawing it up into fire-sized logs.

Troodos.

2008-12-27T11:04:00.000+02:00

We decided to have a day up in the mountains. It was a gorgeous sunny day, but Kyle was reluctant at first, but soon got into it. We all had a go, spent a couple of hours there and at Sun Valley and then had a look at the main square in Troodos, before popping in, just to look at Troodos camp all covered in snow. Finally, we all headed back home for tea. Not surprisingly, Kyle slept all the way back in the car.

Slip Sliding on Mount Olympus, Troodos from Raveydv on Vimeo.

Christmas day.

2008-12-25T18:41:00.001+02:00

We had decided that we would have a swim on Christmas day, just because we could. When the day came, it seemed more than a bit chilly, but we decided to go ahead with it anyway.

Elena was first in and the only way to do it was.. quickly. She ran in while I was still getting changed. I chased after her with the camera, but it wasn't possible to get any decent photos just standing by the shore, the only way was to get in there. I quickly finished changing and took a couple of shots from in the water. It was very cold, but not nearly as bad as I thought it would be. Elena said it was like bath water going back in the second time after coming out for a minute or two. I wouldn't quite go that far, but it certainly seemed warmer the second time around. Actually, I could have stayed a little longer and had a proper swim, but Kyle was looking a bit bored, so we literally stayed just to take a couple of photos then got dried and went home. As we were coming out another couple, seemingly inspired by our attempt also went in. A few other people were around, but just looked at us as if we had all gone mad, perhaps we are, who knows?

Christmas Eve bouncing.

2008-12-24T17:38:00.001+02:00

Kyle's Christmas present was delivered by Santa and erected today,

His good friend Braydon came round with his mum and dad and Braydon and Kyle had a bounce, while the grown-ups chatted over tea and coffee etc.

Kyle and mum had a little bounce later on and dad even had a go too! Seems like great fun and quite good exercise into the bargain. I just hope that the interest lasts, cos it took quite a while to put it all together. May be something on which to burn off some Christmas pounds methinks! Also, it takes up a lot of the garden! Oh well!

Rainy day.

2008-12-23T12:54:00.001+02:00

At last the rain came! Of course, we would have preferred if it had held off just a few more days, but much rain was needed!

It started yesterday and has been falling for 24 hours almost non-stop. It has been accompanied by thunder storms and strong wind. It seems to be settling down a bit as I write (mid day Tuesday 23rd, but it doesn't look too hopeful that it'll clear enough to fly today. Kyle has been fascinated by the amount of rain and is itching to go out in his wellies and play. We'll go down to Curium beach for a look in a short while and watch the huge waves crashing on the beach. I love wild winter seascapes like that! I think that, whilst a help, the island needs much more water than this, but still, this is a start for sure! Just hope we get some nicer weather for Christmas day.

First fire.

2008-11-30T21:56:00.001+02:00

We lit our first fire this year the night before last - Pete's last night here, the 28th Nov, after we had been for a rather pleasant meal at Chris' Kebabs in Akrotiri, paid for rather kindly by Pete - thanks! It wasn't that cold really, but Elena was complaining she was cold, so I lit one for her. Same occurred today, she was feeling a bit nippy, so I lit one again for her. I don't personally feel it's that cold, but we can't have mi' lady chilly now can we?

Fireworks

2008-11-05T21:06:00.000+02:00

We went to Akrotiri to watch the display, since Epi was £5 entry fee! The display was quite good and afterward we headed back home. It made a pleasant change not to be huddled up with coats on, trying to get as near as possible to the fire to keep warm!

Weather.

2008-10-07T06:37:00.001+03:00

It's six thirty am and it's just getting light. The sky is clear and the temperature about 19°C. It's not quite cool enough outside to make me want a jacket. Here are the details:

Yummy!

2008-10-03T21:11:00.001+03:00

Kyle decided that he would like some fruit today, so we went to Episkopi village and bought some of the usual fare. As we were passing Akrotiri I noticed a fig tree and a few of the fruits looked ripe for the picking, so we took a few of them home with us. Once home, I couldn't wait to wash a couple and try them. I persuaded Kyle to have a taste and was somewhat surprised to find that he loved it and immediately wanted another one. We've set the remaining four fruits on a saucer by the window to ripen a little more, but I reckon they will be nice with a little cereal over the weekend. So pleased he's willing to try new things and especially glad when he enjoys the ones that are good for him. What a good lad!

Special helper/Rain day.

2008-09-29T18:19:00.000+03:00

The Huge honour for Kyle at his nursery, is to be 'Special Helper'. I guess all the kids feel the same way, but he really puffs with pride when he gets to wear that sticky badge and tell me, "I was Special Helper today daddy"! He got to be 'SH' last Thursday on his birthday, but of course didn't mind being bestowed the honour again today!

Another special occasion today, was may have been a one-off, OR the start of the rainy season. From mid-afternoon the heavens opened and it bucketed down like we had so far not yet seen on this island! It was very refreshing and where there is normally a road outside our house a river ran for a couple of hours.

I was very pleased that Elena thought to take these few photos to mark the occasion! I'm sure that English people think we are mad, but we are so excited and impressed by rain out here.

Of course, we're hoping it's not like this every day from now on, but it has certainly freshened the air up a little bit and I suppose it must have helped the water situation, even if only a little bit! We are certainly noticing the temperature gradually falling slightly now, almost daily and I, for one am getting to feel the cold in bed at night and find I'm ready for a quilt over me. Soon we will have come one full circle and it'll be time to light a fire in the evening. Kyle will be happy then!

Polis.

2008-09-28T22:32:00.000+03:00

Today we took a little trip up north to Polis, just to check the area out.

Polis is reckoned to be one of the most authentic Cypriot towns, but lately has been slipping under the tide of the tourist industry.

You certainly can see the effects of creeping tourism, but it is still very picturesque and it is possible, certainly at this time of the year to give the tourists the slip if you really try.

We stopped just east of Latchi harbour and had a little swim, but it's not particularly child friendly for non-swimmer little ones, since the beach is quite steep and stony.

It's OK for adults, but a little tricky for youngsters. Hence, Elena and I had a little swim and Kyle a paddle, then a play on the sand, before moving on.

Next we drove west to the Baths of Aphrodite, where we had a fairly unremarkable lunch, before making our way along the track beside the coast. It's a little bumpy and Elena is not a fan of being shaken about in a car, so we pulled in at a suitable little cove. It was disappointing how much litter and general rubbish was to be found laying around up there. Such a shame people cannot show a little more respect for their surroundings. This spoiled it for us a little bit and I decided I did not want to go for a snorkel amidst floating carrier bags, cigarette ends etc, so we just had a bit of a look around and then headed for home. On the way back we called in at the village of Neo Chorio for a drink and then hit the trail back home. All in all a good recce and we'll definitely go back for another look sometime. In particular, I think we could have done considerably better eating in one of the cafés at the side of the Latchi harbour. All part of the learning curve for our next visit!

Snorkelling

2008-09-21T21:28:00.000+03:00

We decided to go along to Cape Gatta, where a friend had told us we could walk on the jetty and feed the fish. Indeed you can and the temptation to get in a do a little bit of video was just too much to resist. Here are our efforts:

Snorkelling at Cape Gatta. from Raveydv on Vimeo.

On two wheels at last!

2008-09-13T22:55:00.000+03:00

On Thursday afternoon I had a driving job, I had to run some people to Larnaka airport, but after I'd returned we went down to Happy Valley with Kyle and his bike, minus the stabiliser wheels. For some reason, he decided he just wanted them gone and so we took him onto the grass area there at first. He got it instantaneously and then insisted that he wanted to ride on the car park, because it would be easier. He must have just known he was ready, because he took to it immediately and, apart from needing a little help at first to get started, he just sped off and didn't want to stop. It was about as much as we could do to coax him off the bike and back into the car to go home. this is a picture of him taken today in the Ermes car park, still keen as ever to show off his skills. It's lovely to watch them develop!

Lonely coffee pot.

2008-09-06T21:49:00.001+03:00

I was forced to have a coffee today without my partner in caffeine (Andrea - AKA Teta Adka). I made a brave face of it, but the cafetiere looked pretty sad and Elenka very supportively joined me for a brew. Ah well, suppose there'll be next year, or possibly later this year if Pete comes to visit (sigh!).

Visitors.

2008-09-05T22:01:00.001+03:00

Aunty Andrea and Michal came to visit, so we have been enjoying playing tour guide. We didn't seem to get an awful lot further than the beaches, but we managed to visit a few of those. They seemed to be fairly impressed with Curium beach and so spent a bit of time there, then Elena and Kyle showed them around the ruins. When I got some time off work we ventured west to Coral Bay and took a little stroll around Paphos, stopping off for some photos at Aphrodite's Rock. We also had a look around Limassol and the local area.

Strangely, when they first arrived it was rather cloudy. Having not really encountered clouds since we first got here back in February, we were a bit shocked at this, but we need not have worried, because everything returned to the normal 30 something degree heat and clear blue skies in no time.

So, we finally travelled further afield, to Nisi Beach, Agia Napa, which turned out to be Andrea's favourite and finally got to visit the Water Park at Fassouri too.

The weather and the beaches proved to be too much of a lure unfortunately, but here's to the next visit and hopefully getting A & M to Nicosia and up to the beautiful north of the island, as well as maybe up to the Akamas peninsular. Now it's just a few hours before our visitors have to return home to Slovakia, where apparently the temperature will be in the low 30s too, so at least they won't immediately feel cold upon their return. It's been nice having family to stay and it'll be sad to see them go, but we'll look forward to next time!

Boy-fish.

2008-07-25T17:16:00.001+03:00

Our little dolphin-boy went to the pool with mummy, Eta and the girls today and mummy had a bit of a play with the new camera. Here are some of the results:

Sandboy.

2008-07-22T21:08:00.001+03:00

Kyle loves the water and he loves the sand. He's not too keen on getting water in his eyes, but then what kid is? He's really taken quite well to the sea and is very persistent in his attempts to swim, so I am sure it's only a matter of time before he gets it.

I couldn't help thinking he looked like 'Riddick' or somebody from a similar science fiction movie in this shot. One of those post-apocalyptic kids that has been surviving in the desert somewhere, living among a colony of hardened survivalist primitives. No? OK, perhaps it's just my over-active imagination then! Anyway, quite a cute picture I thought and an opportunity to show off our nifty new little camera at the same time.

Konnos Bay.

2008-07-20T21:02:00.001+03:00

We met up with Mike today and he played guide, taking us to Konnos bay, where we snorkelled and Kyle splashed happily. Afterwards we went to a little taverna near Protaras and had a nice vilage salad with fries, before taking a look at Kavo Greko near Agia Napa.

A very pleasant day out - thanks Mike!

A family/friends day out today.

2008-07-05T00:46:00.000+03:00

Today we went for a pleasant day at a different beach, other than our norm. We took a trip out with Dudley, our very good friend, to Coral Bay, just north of Paphos. It's a very nice resort, with fine, soft sand, set in a large bay, with rocks either end.

Kyle played with his new boogie board, (a gift from Duds) and thoroughly enjoyed getting under the water with his goggles on. Fortunately, by means of Dud's snazzy new underwater camera, we were able to get some nice shots of the boy wonder in action. We stayed for a couple of hours and then made our way back home for a BBQ.

Goodbye to little friends.

2008-06-28T22:18:00.001+03:00

The last day one of Kyle's best little friends is in the neighbourhood today. He's certainly going to miss Summer-Lou and a few of the other kids! Hopefully, there will be an influx of new little friends soon and he'll find new ones to play with.

The thing is, he gets on so well with little Summer-Lou and he will certainly miss her. Kids are fickle though and have short attention spans, so I'm sure he'll bounce back! I wonder if she'll miss him, when she gets back to England? I suppose so (at first anyway)!

He has enjoyed our first four months here in Cyprus and finding new friends has been key to that. Here's to little Summer-Lou and her family - have a happy time back in UK, and who knows, it's a strange world, we may even bump into you again some time. All the best!

Breakfast.

2008-06-14T00:16:00.000+03:00

One of my favourite breakfasts, I have to say, is '7 Days' croissants and percolated coffee. Add to that water melon (which I personally can take or leave) and Kyle is in seventh heaven! Today, mum was out for a run, so we set out as the hunter-gatherer alpha-males we are to find a nice breakfast. At the Ermes, the b'fast we found was the afore-mentioned croissants. We took them home, set the table, brewed the coffee and - presto! A breakfast fit for a caffeine-phile such as me! Mummy duly arrived and much chomping ensued. It's really starting to get warm now and quite difficult to feel cool in the house. Summer's a comin' and the Neals are lovin' it!!

Update.

2008-06-07T01:13:00.000+03:00

What have we been up to during the last week? Well, let me see, the usual - a bit of paragliding for me and sunbathing and swimming for Elena and Kyle. Then, this weekend we finally bought that much needed vacuum cleaner in downtown Λεμεσος. We are still on the commerce learning curve here, as we purchased a machine for about €200, only to find that it's theoretical price should be about €127. I say theoretical because that's IF you can find one here! We should have learned by now (and yet now surely HAVE learned) that you cannot do anywhere near as well as to order via Internet (Amazon usually), then claim back the VAT and sit and wait for it to be delivered, oh well, never mind! On the flip-side, the whole purchasing experience here is completely different. Here, you the customer, are a VIP in any shop and the assistant is not doing you a huge favour by serving you, as the culture in UK would have you believe. Out here the customer is king! Anyway, we bought it and, aside from a little disappointment over the whole price thing, we are very happy with it, since now our carpets are clean, which makes Elena especially happy!

Today meanwhile, was the fourth anniversary of the Fasouri Flea market, so we thought we'd give it a look-see. Nothing special on there, but we amused ourselves with the usual - the café, the bouncy castle for Kyle and purchased a few odds and sods, then as the wind was so strong we considered the beach to be a non-starter, so went instead to relax beside the pool. Kyle enjoyed splashing about there by way of a change and then Elena went out in the evening with some of her buddies from the nursery. A pleasant enough day and still one more day of weekend left!

Trip to the north.

2008-05-27T22:48:00.000+03:00

We had a long weekend and so we decided to go up to Kyrenia and stay one night and explore a bit. We visited St Hilarion castle, which is a little way off the route from Nicosia to Kyrenia and is very impressive and quite cheap to visit (about €4 pp). It climbs up through 3 levels and is quite a hike to the top, especially for a small child, but we made it and posed for photos all the way up!

After a couple of hours wandering around the castle (and a couple of visits to the cafés) we headed down the hill to Kyrenia/Girne. A very short recce in town secured a very reasonable B&B for the night at about €48 and we were sorted with a little home from home some 500m from the town centre.

One of the useful features of the hotel was the lovely pool, complete with kiddies pool, which Kyle was reluctant to leave. Nevertheless, we did leave and went for a wander into town in search of a late afternoon meal. We found a little place (having been advised to avoid the harbour) and had a reasonable meal for around €30 for the three of us. We then took a stroll through the harbour and out around the old castle, before heading for 'home', at which point we systematically 'flopped', starting with yours truly! The hotel was fairly comfortable - certainly adequate for our needs.

The following morning (Tuesday), we were up bright and early, as Kyle had decided to make an early start (circa 0600). We went along in search of breakfast about 0745 and found it around 0800. After feeding, we went for another splash in the pool and Kyle decided he was a real water-baby, splashing in the kiddie pool and singing at the top of his voice. Clearly, this is a lifestyle he could quite easily become accustomed to!

All in all, a very pleasant stay and enjoyed by all. On the way home we stopped in a Macdonalds in Nicosia, not an altogether genius move, as Kyle has been asking to go there ever since. Ah, kids - the joys!