June 6, 2008

Busy times! Dale has been off having a great time - he had a trip into Istanbul and got to meet up with his nephew Curtis, his wife Itir and their lovely daughter Isabel. Then he was off to Rome and Adam and Jeff were there too, so they had a great get-together. Meanwhile, I am staying put and have such a strong desire to split myself in two, as I have off gallivanting, and I must say, enjoying myself but wished I could have shared in Dale's fun as well.
Tuesday I actually stayed home and worked on my Greek and some mosaics as well, but was saved from being too self-righteous by Hazel coming over for a coffee and a chat. She is from Secret Valley, and we met at the church inauguration a couple of weeks ago.
Wednesday, the Chamber Music Festival was so much better than I anticipated, right here in our village of Kouklia (approximately 700 residents). We started off at Linda's for what she called a light snack (the rest of us would call it a three course gourmet dinner) then this is what the brochure had to say:
The Royal Manor House, Kouklia -
The Gothic Hall of the Royal Manor House at Kouklia, near Paphos, is one of the finest surviving monuments of Frankish architecture on the island and forms a unique atmospheric setting for chamber music performances. The building with its beautiful courtyard - situated next to the site of Aphrodite's Temple - also houses an archaeological museum which records the rich history of human activity in the region from about 2800BC to the present day.
Beethoven's Piano Trio in B flat major "Archduke" Op. 97 (piano, violin and cello) was followed by Tchaikovsky's String Sextet Op. 70 (2 violins, 2 violas and 2 cellos). It was a delightful evening.
Thursday morning I managed to survive my pilates class followed by a couple of us getting together over coffee and snacks to practise our Greek and chat (I think we did more chatting), then off I went with Hazel to join some friends of hers and their walking club for a very vigorous walk/hike in the hills above Avdimou. Three hours later we were sitting at the beach having a very welcome Keo beer (pronounced kay-o - emphasis on the o). I slept like a log!
Today, Friday, I did manage to get to Curves, then I was whisked off by Jeremy and Jan to an Aircrew Association luncheon at Governor's Beach. The past president of Cyprus was being honoured so there were speeches - but thankfully they were not too long and were actually quite entertaining. I had a great time, and again met many interesting new people. And of course the food was superb. I don't think I have had a bad meal since I got here.
Tomorrow I am off with Linda and her walking group to the Akrotiri peninsula. It should be very interesting as there will be an archaeologist telling us a bit about the area. I will let you know what I learn.
Take care and talk to you soon.
Love,
Laurel