November 28, 2007

Nov 28th, 2007

Home now for a few weeks. Life is taking on a new dimension as the fall season brings new opportunities to see the island. Touring is more pleasant – fewer crowds and daytime highs of 20C make anytime suitable for walking in the sunshine. Motor biking is also terrific as it is easier to don the protective gear without heatstroke! The places we have yet to discover in our backyard are calling us and we are heeding the call. A hike and bike tour behind our village reveals the monument of 5 pillars where National Guard soldiers perished in a Helicopter accident several years ago. See this link below for more details.

The bike performed brilliantly in the gravel and rough roads even with both of us on it, although we felt a little uneasy at first. The photos show the orange groves and the dry riverbed beside Kouklia. In the same valley on a different walk, we tried to remember all the different varieties of trees we could identify (mostly by the fruit still on them). Here is a list of most of them – figs, dates, walnuts, pomegranates, oranges, lemons, grapefruit, limes, olives, apples, nectarines and peaches.

Also locally, a very sweet Cypriot lady that Laurel met earlier this month, has opened a small restaurant in our village. So, of course, we had to go and try it out with our neighbours. What a treat. We had heard that she is a very good cook, and we were rewarded with a marvelous traditional Cypriot meal. The Mousaka and Sheftalia were delicious and she does take out. We may never cook again! We are very lucky to have three other great places to eat in Kouklia, but Agape’s is definitely a favourite.

Yesterday, we had a great day with our friends, Peter and Linda. An early start to Pissouri and eastward, we enjoyed the spectacular site of the Apollo Sanctuary, an ancient Greek stadium, an Odeon theatre where Laurel and Linda sang a beautiful rendition of the Sound of Music for an audience of …. say two? We had such a good time that I felt almost embarrassed at our antics in such an austere location. Hopefully the Romans and the Phoenicians had as good a time. Check out the Kourio site below.

Closer to home and to today’s works of art, Laurel proudly presents her first pieces from her mosaic lessons. A simple flat square project, a curved halved vase with a Gecko and our Maisonette name plaque for our street front (not quite finished – still needs grouting). All done in a few short weeks. I think Laurel was afraid of being bored while I was away.

Tonight we look forward to seeing Adam as he flies over to Paphos. Unfortunately he has to head right back to Egypt as he flies to Italy the tomorrow but he will return on Friday for a few hours when hopefully we can sneak him away to see his folks home away from home. More photos later but for now, enjoy Laurel’s artwork and the artwork of those that lived on this island many years ago.

Love,
Dale and Laurel

National Guard helicoptor crash Memorial
http://www.kouklia.org.cy/users/site/english/museum.shtm

http://www.fototravel.info/cyprus/e_cyprus_kourio.php

Last weeks trip in Cairo also included a great day with the Crouch's and their friends. We are shown here visiting The Khan el-Khalili, What a great day exploring the Mosques, watching the bartering around the shops and enjoying a tranquil meal in a lovely restaurant tucked inside the market like an oasis. So much to see in Cairo that we enjoy every visit. See below for more of Laurel's visit to Cairo.

16 November 2007

Well we are together again. After a gruelling few days of long haul flying, the plane is resting as well as her crew back in Cairo and it seemed like a good time to fly Laurel out for a visit to her old summer place. First the flight work. Dale flew to Macau last week and required 10 overflight clearances from all of the countries enroute. The city leaves a bit to be desired and all agreed that Hong Kong had more charm. Nevertheless the fact that the Portugese have made such a significant imprint on the area is fascinating. There are only two languages at most places and one isn't English. The casinos are popping up in grand Las Vegas fashion. All the big names and even bigger buildings yet somehow the Chinese gambling culture seems a bit more serious and the city still hasn't captured the animated entertainment that it is seeking. I took a side trip across the border to China where I had good fun bargain shopping. A fine set of golf tools have been added to my collection, still no help to my game but they look perrdeee. The return flight took us up north as the routing was quite bizarre. You wouldn't think flying from Macau to Barcelona would require a stop in Riga Latvia up on the north coast but we were compelled to fly that way and after 13.5 all nighttime flying hours, we made haste to our boutique hotel in Spain for a short rest, walk thru the city and off to Egypt once again. So now we are here and Laurel has flown in to enjoy the weekend with our Cairo friends. The JW Marriott treats us so well here. When they found out Laurel was coming, they prepared the room with rose pedals - even on top of the poured foam bath, and delivered, fruit and a cake which made me look like a saint. Next morning we golfed in the most glorious weather. Since we had been in Cairo over the smoggy hot summer, we never appreciated the fine November weather they enjoy. Clean air, mild breeze and 25 degrees. Tonight, we leave for the Grand Cafe on the Nile for dinner and drinks with coworkers and friends. We hope to see Neil and MaryJean Crouch tomorrow. They are the fine folks from Comox that emigrated here after Neil finished teaching Joel his Highschool Art Classes. We'll let the photos say the rest.

6 November 2007

6November 2007

The phone has arrived and now we have dial up internet. Yes, just pick up the phone and dial and behold you can surf the web, you just have to realize that the waves are pretty small and you need to paddle like the dickens. Laurel is whipping into shape with thrice weekly trips to Curves along with her Greek lessons, Mosaic Classes, overseas Book Club, and weekly bridge, she has not too much time to miss me or even conspire to make my job jar too large. In fact she even tackled the wire octopus behind the entertainment centre for me so man I feel lucky. My job at work is still great fun with wonderful people, great airplane, cool destinations and challenging management issues that demand creativity and diplomacy. We are quite proud of what is happening with our corporation as well as the fantastic new people that are coming on board.

Back in Cyprus, the weather is still outstanding and the locals are worried that we need more rain soon. I have found a website called flickr and typed our home town. I leave it for you to see some great photos of our area - The sanctuary, churches, and the exotic Golf Resort - all part of our village and community. Click on this and enjoy....

http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=kouklia&s=int

November 1, 2007

It is definitely time to catch you all up on what’s been happening. Dale may have posted something since he has internet access, but that story is coming. I believe the last bit was about our forays in and around the area; trying to find interesting places for our guests to visit. There is obviously no shortage if you like history and archaeology, but if that’s not your thing, it’s just the average run of the mill lovely vacation spot with pebbly beaches, sun and (presently) 25C. Apparently there are some sandy beaches (notably in the Turkish occupied zone) which we will research when it gets warmer again. Did I really say that? I guess with it being November already, beaches don’t seem to be a priority. One really adapts quickly to one’s environment. At least I know the pool is too cold to go in.
We have progressed considerably in our quest for internet. We now have a land line for the phone, which has only taken 2.5 months. A lovely older gentleman came out to hook-up the phone and when I pressed him about the broadband connection, he said “maybe tomorrow”. I got so excited I called Cytaphone only to be told that we were on yet another waiting list. “Maybe tomorrow” is the Cypriot term for “Insha’Allah” – “God willing” but it really means “good luck”.
I started my Mosaics course last Wednesday. I must have been concerned about being bored or something, and now I am overcommitted as usual. My Monday Greek lessons are requiring more and more studying, and Sharon, my Mosaics instructor has three projects for us to complete in six weeks. That means starting it in class and doing the rest for homework. Then we are ready for the next step, which we again take home and finish. It is a bit of a marathon, but at least when I am done the course I can work at my own speed (which will be considerably slower).
Then of course I have to be sociable. I play Bridge on Tuesday evenings, go to Curves three times a week, go to Church on Sunday (still attending different services), and try to fit in a coffee or two with friends. That means that the laundry, dishes and cleaning are very low on the priority list. At least my washing machine and I are getting along better these days. It is a combination washer/dryer, which I have decided is not the way to go. Most of you will probably know that I am not fond of ironing (understatement of the year), and this machine tries very hard to set the wrinkles so that I have no choice but to iron them out. With much experimenting, I have finally found a program that isn’t as bad, and a gentler spin cycle (from 1200 to 600 rpm). I didn’t realize that laundry would be the biggest culture shock!
Everything else is coming along nicely. There is minimal work left to be done on the house. I am finding my way around town quite easily now, and can usually even figure out when I get directions from someone. That is because directions are usually given by landmarks, not by street names - they are unpronounceable.
Hope all is well in your world. Keep in touch – we will get internet eventually.
Love,
Laurel