Forthcoming trip to Cyprus

[CaroleF]

Our meal last night was an interesting experience. It was in a very small taverna very near to our house. We knew it would be very traditional and it was. My sister-in-law and I chose Grilled Chicken, my brother-in-law pork on a skewer and John Peppers stuffed with pork mince and rice. Michelle and I shared a half litre of Rose wine, John and Alan both had a small beer. The first thing to come was a plate of very nice chips, then a huge bowl of salad beautifully dressed. We weren't sure if the chips were with the salad or were they for our main course. Then four beautifully ripe Avocado halves dressed with olive oil and something else we couldn't decide appeared. So we ate the avocados and the salad - with an occasional pick at the chips! Then our main courses appeared - all beautifully cooked. After all this was cleared away the owner's wife appeared with plates of some Pomelo - we'd never eaten this before and she showed us the best way to get the flesh of the fruit from the very thick pith - a bit like a grapefruit but not so tangy, really nice. Then plates with an orange tasting sweet - a bit like crystallised fruit but so soft and tasty. At the end of the evening the owner appeared with two Pomelos for us to take home. Neither the owner nor his wife could speak much English. The bill for this little feast was 36 Euros - including wine!

Today we went to meet friends in Paphos itself - a very busy place compared with the peace of our little village in the hills. We took a roundabout route to get down to Paphos and saw some amazing scenery. We stopped at a Winery as John had been there before and wanted us to see it. It had a new Visitor's Centre with restaurant and an amazing patio looking out over the sea in the distance. I'd like to go back there for lunch one day. We met our friends by the harbour in Paphos and had lunch in one of the harbour side restaurants. We then went back to the villa where they were staying - one in a group, white concrete, marble floors, very stark. This was just the sort of place I didn't want for our 5 weeks here so it was interesting to have the comparison. The next two days are predicted to be wet so not sure what we'll be doing. Next week, however, looks really good!

Carole

[Whynd1]

You sound to be having the most lovely time.

I am really enjoying breading your most interesting reports.

Lindsey

[CaroleF]

The last two weeks have been, as promised a lot better with many more sunny days. For the last two days it's been what I call hot during the day. I'm not a great one for sitting in the sun - I like sitting in the shade in the sun if you see what I mean. Today it was forecast to be 25C and I'm sure it was earlier in the afternoon. It's now 5pm and still warm enough to sit outside. We have noticed that the garden has really responded to the increased sun and there are some roses about to burst into bloom. The grape vine over where the seating area is has started to shoot and I'm sure in the forthcoming weeks will provide a wonderful shaded arbour. We have been having a really good time with John's brother and wife, the two men often setting off with maps and bottles of water to go and find nature trails. Today they've been on a second leg of a trail they found a few days ago but someone forgot to put sun cream on his face and now looks a bit like a beacon! That shows how hot the sun has been.

A few days ago we discovered a really lovely restaurant in Polis. I'd read about it but hadn't worked out where exactly it was but eventually we found it and decided to try it. It's called Moustakallis, run by a family headed by Papa Moustakallis who has the most wonderful moustache I've ever seen. It's been brilliantly thought out, a mixture of blue and white with yellow napkins on the tables. I think the sides of the restaurant open up in the summer so it would be a lovely place to be on a summer evening. At the moment it's still dark when we go to eat and there was a lovely fire going last night to take the evening chill off. The staff consists of Papa, his son and grandson plus a grandaughter who runs the kitchen and has a degree in food science. It's not expensive and the food is great - a mixture of really Cypriot dishes together with more European dishes. My brother-in-law had a pork chop which was huge - very tasty he said and he managed to eat it all - so the waiter brought him a quarter carafe of wine as a prize! We've been there twice now and each time it's been buzzing, Greek music and lots of very happy customers. If anyone is anywhere near Polis it's certainly worth going to.

I've just been looking at pictures John had taken of the abandoned village he and Alan found today. It's got quite a history
It's called Evretou and was the home of some Turkish Cypriots but after the troubles the people living there either escaped or were escorted to safety by the UN. If you look on Google Streetview you'll see what an amazing place it is. John said that a lot of the buildings on the pictures on Google are now underwater.

Yesterday we visited the Adonis Baths - not a trip I recommend, certainly not the route we took which scared me to death. It was travelling along what I suppose was a road but not what I'd call one. The route was signposted to the Adonis Baths and said - Suitable for all vehicles! Well maybe if you had a four wheel drive it might be ok but in our Toyota Auris it was not a sensible thing to do. Once we got there there were a large number of very unsteady steps to climb to see the Baths - and they were charging 9 Euros to go in. Well some people might think it was worth it but I didn't, especially as the only way out was the hair raising route we'd been on!

Hopefully the fine weather is set to continue until we leave for home next Wednesday. Would I consider Cyprus again for a winter get-away - no not really. The evenings in February and the early part of March are cold, often wet and long. I think April and May would be a good time to come when the flowers and trees really would be worth seeing. We have a few days to go yet and my brother-in-law and his wife go back home on Sunday so not sure what we'll be doing for the last couple of days - no more white roads that's for sure!

[Kenmo1]

've just been looking at pictures John had taken of the abandoned village he and Alan found today. It's got quite a history
It's called Evretou and was the home of some Turkish Cypriots but after the troubles the people living there either escaped or were escorted to safety by the UN. If you look on Google Streetview you'll see what an amazing place it is. John said that a lot of the buildings on the pictures on Google are now underwater.

Thank you, Carol, for your detailed reports.

What a difference it makes when you have time to really explore a place instead of the few hours you spend in a place from a cruise ship.

Maureen

[CaroleF]

That's true Maureen but take it from me five weeks self-catering with people coming and going and all the planning of food etc. is exhausting. Even with eating out quite a lot there's still things to get for breakfast, lunches etc. Days like this morning are lovely - we've just had breakfast sitting out in the garden in the sun. I am really looking forward to our week away in May on Arcadia when I don't have to do anything!

[Whynd1]

Although ts lovely to entertain family and friends it's always a lot of work for the hostess.
The planning and shopping etc.

Enjoy the rest of your stay Carole.

Lindsey

[CaroleF]

It's now just over two weeks since we returned home. Looking back over the whole holiday is it something I'd do again - no. I really enjoyed seeing that part of Cyprus and the area around Polis and Latchi is beautiful and well worth visiting. It was really only the last two weeks that the weather really had a great improvement and we were able to sit outside most of each day until about 5-6pm when the temperature really dropped and it was dark by about 7pm. We knew that the early weeks we were there would not be good weather wise and weren't expecting warm, sunny days. I think if we were ever going to do it again - which we won't - I would make sure that the property was big enough inside to make sure that it was spacious enough to enjoy evenings spent in. We did find that a property which would be absolutely delightful in the summer months was somewhat crowded if there were 6 people in the winter months. The final two weeks when there were only 4 of us was much better.

As I think I said previously to have 5 weeks self catering in the winter time is hard work when you can't spend all day outside in the sun using the bbq. We did use the gas bbq quite a bit in the final two weeks. I hoped after that that John would be open to the idea of buying a gas bbq but no he's really traditional and prefers the charcoal one. I said that we would use the bbq much more if we would just turn it on to bbq a couple of steaks for example. The time it takes a traditional one to be laid, lit and come up to temperature, seems ridiculous when the steaks would only be cooked for perhaps 3 mins each side.

This holiday hasn't put me off having a self catering summer holiday in say a lovely villa in Majorca for example, we've done that several times. I don't regret the holiday in Cyprus and I did really enjoy getting acquainted with the country and the specific area. We had some lovely meals in the various restaurants I've mentioned previously - well apart from the Burnt Omelette one! The couple who owned the property couldn't have been more hospitable, it was lovely to meet them and hear about their lives. They were so kind and took us out to lunch at one of the local restaurants the day before we left. The holiday was an experience. I'm not sure what we'll do next winter, John doesn't want to do another Caribbean cruise so we'll have to see what comes up!