Mediterranean

November 18, 2007, Sunday

I've arrived in Limassol, Cyprus...gorgeous here with temperate weather about 25 degrees on average.

I had supper of Mixed Dolmades (stuffed vine leaves) on the beach under starlight and draping eucalyptus trees the first night I arrived. The Famagustus Nautical Club is where I ate the first night I was here….you have to imagine the dark and the stars.

I'm staying in a lovely light and airy apartment with my friend Helga and her roommates (Andy and Shirley) until she and one of them leave for England, then staying on with one of them. It has these amazing metal shutter like things that keep the light out (made for ferocious storms), but fabulous for sleeping.
















It's amazing to see lemon, orange and fig trees along the streets, with the fruit dropping to the ground for the taking. (Fig tree)


They sell really good fresh cheap products in the marketplaces here too.

Thursday, November 22

I rented a car today and Helga and I drove to Pafos for a couple of days, where she left for England on Saturday.

I'm driving on the left hand side of the road again, but at least I had plenty of practice this past summer in the UK. No problem driving the car, except for at first when I the windshield wipers started every time I went to signal for a turn. Soon straightened out which side of the steering wheel the signal was on (force of habit to use the left hand). The drivers are maniacs here and they park wherever they want, but I'm getting along fine.

We toured along stopping at Aphrodite's birthplace...the large rock off the coast in the photo.

We stayed at a great hotel in the tourist area of Pafos. The dining room faced onto the swimming pool.

And we walked along the Mediterranean Sea to the harbour and an old sea fort.

We had a wild drive Friday heading up the western coast to a little place called Lara, where hundreds of turtles migrate. We missed the turtles, due to bad signage but had one heck of an adventure driving my rented Suzuki Swift over really bad one lane gravel roads, up and down mountains with severe hairpin curves and switchbacks with gouges sometimes missing in the roads.Some places seemed only suitable for mountain goats, but with nowhere to turn around, we just kept going wondering if we were ever going to come back to civilization, then headed for another adventure into the mountains.

Back in Pafos, I did an excursion to an large excavation site, called the Tomb of the Kings, which is right in the city, along the coast.

Driving back to Limassol, I stopped at Kurion to see an ancient Roman stadium where they'd held sports events, including chariot races, then on to a large amphitheatre, and a huge Roman residence with incredible mosaics.

I've seen plenty of other ancient sites, including the Limassol castle, monasteries, and Greek mythological places. I've gone to a variety of pubs, taken part in line dancing (not my thing), "quiz go's" (quiz nights at the pub-not my thing either --- too much smoking everywhere here and most of the questions are UK oriented). I've done regular dancing at a hotel, and eaten all kinds of traditional Greek fare. (Yes there are fast food places here, but I've avoided them like the plague - Pizza Hut, MacDonalds, KFC, Burger King). There are so many wonderful places to eat here with fabulous fresh produce, and freshly squeezed orange juice is a given everywhere.

I've met a psychic lady and her healer husband, who clears people's chakras. I've spent time on the beach, and in the old market area, absorbing sights, sounds, and the culture here. Although plans fell through for me to go north to the Turkish area, I still hope to go there before I leave Cyprus, though I'm not allowed to drive there with my rental car and it's too dangerous for a person to go on their own. Plans for an organized bus tour will have to do, if I can swing it before I leave for Egypt.....beautiful sunny days here, though we did have an evening when we had a typical Cyprus rain --- a hard downpour...they need rain as the water shortage is becoming crucial. The history is incredible here, and I'm finally relaxing and enjoying myself.....I’ve also been doing lots of walking and with the high humidity here I’m sure I must be losing weight….I feel better for sure...having a blast!