Dale & Laurel's Adventures

Farewell's

2011-05-12T12:20:00.000+02:00

As you may have noticed, our time has run out! Maureen and Jonathan did us proud with a mega send off on Tuesday. Here are a few photos from the party including some of 'our band'. Thanks to Ian we sounded pretty good! Good food, good friends, good times - but no Good Bye - we will be back!

Fioni Walk

2011-05-07T18:03:00.004+02:00

Dale and I joined Linda and Maggs and Linda's walking group for a walk up into the hills in Fioni today. The weather was fabulous and the scenery, unparalleled. This has been such a late spring that not only is everything still green, but one can find flowers that would normally be dried up and gone by now. Plus, it was wonderful not to think about packing for a bit, while hiking and earning the right to sit down to a very yummy lunch.

We lunched in Kato Platres where they put on a very tasty meze for us. I may have mentioned before that a meze is a wide variety of local dishes that they bring out, one after the other for us all to share. I have never been to one where they have ever run out of food, and you are bursting by the time the last few dishes come out (but you still want to try them all!).

Meanwhile, counting down the days!

Love,

Laurel

Farewell's

2011-05-06T18:28:00.001+02:00

Thursday after bridge, Mike and Roz organized a lovely farewell for us at our local coffee shop. We do keep mentioning that we are returning in the fall (as visitors), but we are being toasted nonetheless.

Then on Friday we met up with Peter and Linda, Ken and Lesley, and Doug and Barb at the City Cafe where they treated us to a lovely lunch. We are truly blessed with such good friends.

It is so wonderful being able to say Au Revoir and not Good Bye!

Easter 2011 Kouklia

2011-04-26T06:21:00.006+02:00

Καλο Πασκα - Κριστοσ ανεστη - Αλιθος ανεστη!

Happy Easter - Christ is risen - He is risen indeed!

Our village of Kouklia celebrates Easter with the same excitement and tradition of all Cypriot villages. Easter is a bigger celebration than Christmas here. It is truly a wonderful experience to belong and be a part of their culture if only for a moment.

Saturday night is a huge bonfire for the burning of the effigy of Judas followed by the lighting of candles at the church, then a grand display of fireworks. After church on Sunday, there are all the usual sack-races, egg & spoon races, stone lifting (scary) and "fishing apple and candy with mouth". This is followed with live music and traditional dances - including dancing with glasses and a bottle on one's head. We sat at 'Gavriellie's for a great view of the whole village square.

Monday starts early with a sunrise service followed by a bike race later in the afternoon. In the evening the Kouklia youth club (not to mention some older participants) put on a very theatrical play - it is usually a parody of village life. It was hilarious even without the benefit of understanding the words. Tuesday finishes with a treasure hunt and bingo.

I also had the honour of being invited to lunch on Sunday and again on Monday to the homes of some Cypriot friends. The women cook all week and on the day, the men gather around the hot coals and roast the meat on huge long spits. Then 30 - 40 friends and family sit at 3 or 4 long tables joined end to end, and eat for hours. Lots of Zivania- I finally learned the secret to partaking without shuddering. If you put a capful in a glass of 7-Up you can honestly say that you have some and can toast with the rest of them.

I am now ready to stop eating for about a week. I think the fasting should be done after Easter instead of before.

Take care and we are looking forward to seeing everyone in a couple of weeks.

Love,

Laurel

Paris - April 2011

2011-04-10T07:10:00.013+02:00

I love Paris in the Spring time - that is so true - they even wrote a song about it!

Its hard to believe that Dale had to talk me into going with him. I was waiting for him to head off to work so I could start sorting and packing in earnest, but then off he goes to Paris. And the weather was even better than Cyprus. How could I resist?

Then reality hit the minute we landed and he got a call to fly off to Milan!!! Fortunately it was just a day trip and I caught up on my emails and reading. Whew! The rest of the week was very quiet and we strolled leisurely around Paris and took in sights we had missed, not to mention some very specific shopping and even a street market.

I was very glad to have gone online and checked out the Catacombs before we went. They are fascinating but very macabre. Apparently there are 6, yes six, yes 1/2 dozen - million skeletons 20 metres underground, collected from churches and graveyards around the city. The whole tunnel system, including the Metro is around 300 kilometres long.

Here is a site with lots more info and a second sight with great pictures -

http://www.placesinfrance.com/catacombs_paris_france.html

http://www.google.com/search?q=catacombs+paris&hl=en&prmd=ivnsm&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=NkShTYf3B8u4hAfjr7yQBQ&ved=0CCQQsAQ&biw=1227&bih=668

Now on to more pleasant sightseeing. Our hotel was on Rue St. Jacques, which is quite a ways from the Arc de Triomphe, so we decided that we could visit several landmarks just walking around. From our room we could see the Pantheon, the Eglise Royale du Val de Grace, St. Sulpice and the Palais de Luxembourg. It was a glorious day and very fitting to meander through the Luxembourg Gardens with an ice cream.

My last day was a recap of all our visits. We started at the Eiffel Tower and took a river cruise on the Seine, complete with crepes. It was great to reminisce and thoroughly enjoy the beauty of the day. It was also wonderful to be warm in Paris.

The following are some great sites to look up and you will get a better idea of the sights we saw. The photos are great and much better than anything we could capture.

Pantheon - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panthéon,_Paris

http://www.google.com/search?q=pantheon+paris&hl=en&prmd=ivnscm&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=U1ahTZ-qL9SahQe1gM2OBQ&sqi=2&ved=0CDsQsAQ&biw=1227&bih=668

Val de Grace - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Val-de-Grâce

http://www.google.com/search?q=val+de+grace+paris&hl=en&prmd=ivnsmo&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=XEahTZC5NM-2hAed_N2HBQ&sqi=2&ved=0CEAQsAQ&biw=1227&bih=668

St. Sulpice - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Église_Saint-Sulpice,_Paris

http://www.google.com/search?q=st.+sulpice+paris&hl=en&prmd=ivnscm&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=okehTbzBN8GnhAec69SSBQ&sqi=2&ved=0CHIQsAQ&biw=1227&bih=668

Palais de Luxembourg - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luxembourg_Palace

http://www.google.com/search?q=palais+de+luxembourg+paris&hl=en&prmd=ivnsm&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=IEihTcLDN4u5hAfo3NX3BA&ved=0CF8QsAQ&biw=1227&bih=668

Skiing in Cyprus

2011-03-15T20:50:00.000+02:00

We did it - we finally went skiing on Mount Olympus! Whatever you do, don't confuse the Greek one with the Cypriot one!

Mount Olympus, at 1,952 metres (6,404 ft), is the highest point of the Troodos Mountains in Cyprus. A British long range radar currently operates at Mount Olympus' peak. The Mount Olympus Ski resort, Sun Valley and North Face, has three T bars, one chairlift, and seven runs.

So as you see, we were on the smaller of the two. But what a glorious day. It was definitely a spring-skiing day and we were soon divesting ourselves of our usual gear. There aren't many out there who have ever seen Laurel skiing without her toque and goggles!

We started out on the t-bar at the rental shack, but after a couple of runs decided that we were ready for the big hill. We may not have skied in the last four years, but we were bound and determined to master Mount Olympus. A slight peculiarity here - we had to get in the car and drive over to the North Face. However, we were rewarded for our efforts by the 700 feet of vertical, a chair lift and great views. It was lovely.

http://www.skicyprus.com/webcam/

http://www.skicyprus.com/troodos/trailmap/

Kouris River Walk, Souni

2011-03-15T20:40:00.005+02:00

Just a few pictures from our walk on Saturday.

Green Monday - Xapotami

2011-03-08T08:28:00.005+02:00

Yesterday was Green Monday - this is quite a National Holiday here. All the shops are closed and people gather in their villages to picnic and dance. Everyone brings food (no meat), but there is also a 'buffet' of fresh raw veggies, bread, olives, halva and anything and everything you want to drink.

The Residents Committee from Secret Valley also made pancakes (more like crepes) with lemon and sugar or applesauce and cinnamon. Oh yes, and I almost forgot my favourite from the buffet, a local sweet similar to donut holes, piping hot and drenched in honey.

The school kids danced their Traditional dances then dragged as many as they could to join in. Thankfully, no pictures of me when I was dancing!

It was raining when we first got there, but as you can see in the pictures, the sun came out as usual and it was a lovely day.

This last photo is the 'Muktar' or Mayor of Kouklia.

Athens

2011-02-22T16:19:00.007+02:00

Just to fill you in on the last month or so - Dale has been home on days off, but it got extended due to maintenance. We have kept busy with the usual stuff, but he has also fit in some motorbike rides and his favourite - a Jethro Tull concert in Nicosia. I had made plans with Hazel several months ago to meet up with her in Athens while Dale was at work, but since his schedule is so out of whack, he was 'Home Alone - Seniors Version'! Not to worry though, he was well looked after by friends and neighbours.

http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&sugexp=ldymls&xhr=t&q=acropolis+athens&cp=11&qe=QWNyb3BvbGlzIEE&qesig=G22zO2vGngaD9e6pMhkxGg&pkc=AFgZ2tnycDQOvQURp9mdjV2coTQoIhFmFklAUzxjS64Gj8bFpNgnHbvq6gc_ah82C1q9zEY72-bcNQ-pTq4Nq0hAe5r3p5_Bsg&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&sa=X&ei=ledjTZzVGZGs8QOcxrDxCA&sqi=2&ved=0CDsQsAQ&biw=1224&bih=684

http://www.sacred-destinations.com/greece/athens-parthenon

http://www.sacred-destinations.com/greece/athens-temple-of-athena-nike

http://www.sacred-destinations.com/greece/athens-erechtheion-temple

Meanwhile, Hazel and I had a wonderful trip. Athens was great fun and the people were so lovely. We had been told that all we needed was three days there and that turned out to be exactly right. The weather was iffy, so we headed to the Acropolis first. It did take the major part of the first day, as the ticket was also good for several sites apart from the Parthenon (we just had to find them). These included the Ancient Agora, Hadrian's Gate and Zeus' Temple, the Roman Agora, Hadrian's Library plus the Keramikos Museum and Cemetery. As it was, the weather held up beautifully and we had quite a bit of sunshine throughout the day.

We stopped for a late lunch (early dinner) at a restaurant in Plaka called the Armonia Kafe, which apparently had just opened that week. It quickly became our favourite and they treated us to Ouzo and dessert with our very delicious homemade meals.

We were also delighted with our hotel. 'Trip Advisor' was spot on. The 'Classical Baby Grand Hotel' was highly recommended and very reasonable. It was in a bit of a seedy district (Omonia), but we had no plans to be out wandering at night, so it suited us well. It was clean and modern and the breakfasts were fabulous.

Our second day started with a hike up Mount Lycabettus, or Lycabettus Hill to those who haven't walked up to the top. It was well worth the effort. The views were stunning and topped the awesome views from the Parthenon, as it was that much higher and looked down upon the whole of the Acropolis. From there we stopped at Syntagma Square for a look at the Parliament Buildings (very nondescript), then headed to the National Archaeological Museum. Thanks to a very modern, clean and efficient Metro system, we were able to return to our favourite restaurant for another delicious dinner. And being Friday, shops were open late (need I say more?).

http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&rlz=&q=lycabettus+hill&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&sa=X&ei=3MtjTZKsBIOV8QP4n4jyCA&ved=0CEkQsAQ&biw=1224&bih=684

The weather report for Saturday, (our third and final touring day) was not very promising, so we planned to spend a few hours at the New Acropolis Museum. What a lovely museum. It was very pleasant meandering through and admiring not only the artifacts, but the museum itself. We were still done in plenty of time and as the weather was sorting itself out beautifully, we did a lovely walk around Filopappos Hill and grounds and came across a few other interesting sites including Socrates' Prison and the Pnyx, where the Athenians of old could speak and debate legislation. This left us enough time to return to the Armonia Kafe for yet another fabulous dinner. By now we were becoming very familiar with the streets and areas and had a good laugh at ourselves for finding things on our doorstep that we had thought were miles away. Oh well, all that walking was good exercise!

http://traveldk.com/athens/dk/highlight/filopappos-hill

http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&q=new+acropolis+museum&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&sa=X&ei=PuljTdCWBsSy8QPmu-HxCA&ved=0CD0QsAQ&biw=1224&bih=684

And then it was over. Retracing our steps via the Metro to the Airport, then Dale picking me up (what a novel concept) in Larnaca for the drive home to Kouklia. It was a delightful little holiday and one I would highly recommend.

Love,

Laurel

Egypt Crisis

2011-02-04T15:42:00.003+02:00

We have all been watching the news lately as a country that has grown near and dear to our hearts is in the throws of an uncertain revolution and it saddens us to see the hardship and fear that many have experienced. Our children, Adam and Natalie were living there with an apartment in Katameya Heights in Cairo and found it a tremendous challenge, so even before the outbreak their decision was to return to Comox and have Adam continue to commute as he was doing previously.

This last week was especially stressful for them as Natalie’s parents arrived to visit just before the outbreak. Initially worries were small as they were quite far away from Tehrir Square, but it reached a crescendo with them watching in horror as mobs were being chased through their streets with tanks and gunfire ensuing. Thankfully they were all rescued and made their way home to Canada. They are safe and sound but still quite shaken by the events and truly saddened at leaving many residents behind with tears in their eyes.

Dale and Adam’s future work is not at risk at this time and we are all very confident in the operation and the employer. Our friends MJ as well as Jacqueline and her family have left Maadi for the time being, save Neil who remains behind, but is calm and patiently awaiting his return as the Art Teacher at the International School when it reopens. We contact him regularly to get updates and his stoic perspective and positive state of mind is an inspiration for hope.

This wonderful country deserves better and we hope that the people who have been suppressed for generations can finally find their freedom. Please continue to pray with us for a peaceful solution and hope that their voices can be heard without escalating the violence.

Love,

Laurel and Dale

Dubai

2011-01-23T15:12:00.013+02:00

Dale just finished his annual recurrent training at CAE in Dubai. The Renaissance Hotel was lovely although a bit away from all the touristy stuff, so we even had to take a taxi to the Metro (train/subway). The Metro was fantastic; it was the project of my friend Linda's son who is a civil engineer.

Dale did have a heavy course load, so between that and the crummy weather, I did not get to do a few of the things on my list. That being said, we still had a great time. The Metro was a great place to sightsee from. Dubai must be an architect's dream; there are so many unique and beautiful buildings.

The Burj Al Arab is the one that looks like a sail, while the Burj Khalifa is (at the moment) the tallest building in the world - here is a link to some photos -

http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&q=burj+khalifa&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=pT88Tc38Ls6r8APR842cCA&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=5&ved=0CFUQsAQwBA&biw=1222&bih=668

Our first outing was to the Mall of the Emirates, which is where they have the indoor ski hill. We had lunch there and watched the skiers, tobogganers and tubers. What fun!

The next day we visited the Dubai Mall which is connected to the Burj Khalifa, and yes it is tall. I think that it is deceiving in its appearance because of being so slender and tapered. It might look taller if it was more substantial. The Dubai Mall is huge - here is a photo link and a video link -

http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&rlz=&q=Dubai+Mall&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=8z08TfqaNtC08QPT9tmBCQ&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=4&ved=0CEsQsAQwAw&biw=1222&bih=668

http://www.thedubaimall.com/en/section/media-centre/video-gallery?v=P2iGvHz4luw

The Aquarium and Underwater Zoo were excellent and well worth the visit - the following links are great for info and photos -

http://www.thedubaimall.com/en/entertainment/entertainment-section/dubai-aquarium-underwater-zoo.html

http://www.google.com/images?um=1&hl=en&biw=1222&bih=668&tbs=isch%3A1&sa=1&q=dubai+mall+aquarium&aq=0&aqi=g5g-m1&aql=&oq=Dubai+Mall+A

While at the Dubai Mall we wandered around inside and out until we had seen all that our feet would allow. Poor Dale then had to continue on to his simulator training while I got to soak in a nice hot bath!

Even so, he was up for a trip to the Dubai Museum the next day. It doesn't look like much when you get there, but the gallery is all underground and very well presented. The following link is great except for a couple of pictures of a futuristic white building that has nothing to do with the Museum (and you can ignore the car photo too!).

http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&sugexp=ldymls&xhr=t&q=dubai+museum&cp=9&qe=RHViYWkgTXVz&qesig=TZwnSIFM__UZb_ytOdyYKw&pkc=AFgZ2tnCClzhHer8JMNiApUAJHVttMdBxF6T2vRtbkbViWYIGLrw3hbUkcBG8Y8i0eGZdemSN8c8Z4gH5u9awmKPYGk5nfF1nQ&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=GUM8Tb7sHIuq8APC-YnPCA&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=4&sqi=2&ved=0CEIQsAQwAw&biw=1222&bih=668

Our last day was such a treat - well except for the getting lost in Dubai part. We rented a car and drove out to Fujairah to visit with Julie and her family. Julie was a flight attendant with Dale until the recent arrival of Aeva, who is absolutely adorable. Julie's husband Kyriakos works in Fujairah and we got to meet him and Julie's parents as well who were out from the UK for the birth of their granddaughter. We had a wonderful Greek dinner (except for dessert which was Turkish baklava), but the best part of all was cuddling Aeva. We are the envy of the rest of the crew, as Fujairah is in the middle of nowhere and we are the first to visit. And yes, we got lost on the way back as well!

So now we are back in Cyprus for a couple of weeks until Dale goes back to work. The weather here is cool (+18C) with rain in the forecast, but so far mostly sunny - gotta love it!

Take care and bye for now.

Love,

Laurel

El Gouna & New Years Eve

2011-01-14T07:47:00.003+02:00

Here are the pictures I mentioned earlier from El Gouna and New Years Eve.

Happy New Year

2011-01-05T14:52:00.006+02:00

Well, another year has come and gone in a flash. Christmas went by so fast it was a blur. I joined Dale in Cairo on Dec. 20th and we fit in a few golf games at his home away from home, the JW Marriott. David and Jacqueline Seneshen hosted 28 people for dinner on Christmas Eve, so we felt very honoured to be included. It was a lovely evening, but I have to mention the food. Turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, even perogies (etc.). Truly a memorable dinner, topped off with trifle and gingerbread cookies with icing. We also got to go to their church for a carol sing then sat out on their balcony to enjoy the lovely evening.

The next couple of days were quiet then we were off to El Gouna on the Red Sea on the 28th. The weather was very unsettled so we had some time sitting by the pool then it rained and cooled down enough to do some walking around. New Years Eve was another grand affair put on by Dale's client. I had planned on being sound asleep by 12:01, but I think the clocks jumped ahead as they read 2:30 by the time we got the lights out. Due to this time warp, New Years Day was very slow.

I returned to Cairo on the 2nd thinking that Dale was following right behind, but his schedule didn't accommodate our plans and he had to stay put in El Gouna. As Adam was also out and about flying around Egypt, I changed my ticket and came back to Cyprus. No more lazy days by the pool - back to laundry and reality. It has been raining here on and off, but with enough sunshine to keep the spirits up (not quite warm enough to sit by the pool though).

Hope all is well with you and yours and that you had a wonderful Christmas.

All the best for a healthy and happy 2011.

Love,

Laurel (and Dale)

Our Christmas letter

2010-12-14T15:51:00.000+02:00

Merry Christmas!

As always, it is a blessed time to reconnect with friends and family, but also a challenge – especially when we are so faaar awaaay.

But that is coming to an end this May, when we make our final move back to Comox

(in fact it is actually East Courtenay).

*****

The big news for 2011 will be Dale’s final retirement and repatriation to Canada.

(Poor Laurel never gets to retire as she is looking after me all the dang time ;)

*****

So a quick review on 2010. Many cool trips both from work and play.

*****

New Years in Geneva, February in Brighton, Paris in March, Milan in April and our biggest event was in May.

We came home to Comox to share in the wedding of Adam and Natalie. It was spectacular in everyway,

a truly joyous occasion to share in the love and caring of friends and family.

We wish we could have had all of our friends attend but their choice was to be very small and intimate

– and it was. What a celebration.

*****

After the wedding, we house-hunted and found our retirement dream home.

The offer was accepted with a full year later possession date enabling us to plan

our exit from this incredible adventure. (So many adjectives!!)

*****

Back to the Mediterranean, the summer was very hot and in August horribly humid (often reaching +56C on the humidex).

*****

An escape for Laurel to join me in Cannes and Monaco and later our short cruise holiday to Israel

helped to break up our normal local Cyprus touring about.

The last holiday trip we took for this year was to Jordan where we explored Petra

and then soaked in the Dead Sea – (1400 feet below sea level!). A great adventure again.

*****

New friends and old friends back here in Cyprus have really become a bittersweet emotional experience

as we have loved making such close bonds yet feel saddened to leave them for home.

That said, we have come up with a great solution.

*****

We will likely keep our small villa here and visit twice a year in the spring and late fall,

at least for the next few years.

The market is slumped here anyway and this way we can stretch our summers and stay in closer contact

with our dear friends and neighbours on this side of our tiny planet

(although I know it won’t feel that way when we journey back and forth).

******

That is a quick summary of our year and a peek at 2011. We really look forward to hearing everyone else’s news – either by card or email, etc.

Please stay in touch as we think and speak often of our many good friends and family that have touched our lives in so many wonderful ways.

*****

Before signing off, I should give a quick status on kin.

Les and Vera are fine and looking forward to our return. Vera lost her hearing last year and struggles

with hearing aids and new challenges of this debilitating handicap. Otherwise they are both reasonably healthy.

Elsie is very comfortable and feels quite spoiled in her new senior’s complex that she took up residence

in last year at this time, thanks to George and Johanne.

Adam and Natalie are very happily married, living in Cairo now and visiting with us this week.

Adam still loves his music and the flying has been very busy for him this year.

Joel still loves everyday he lives in Vancouver and works from home with different animation gigs.

He is also continuing to pursue his online business and investment studies. We miss him dearly and look forward to moving closer.

Our siblings all seem very well with the usual adventures and challenges that we all seem to travel on our path through middle age and beyond….

*****

Blessings to you all – and best wishes for a wonderful Christmas and a very Happy New Year.

Love,

Dale and Laurel

December 12, 2010

2010-12-12T15:12:00.006+02:00

Yes, we are still here. We have just had a lovely visit with Adam and Natalie for the last 10 days, so we were busy even though we didn't really 'do' much. The first night we celebrated Adam's 27th Birthday as he was working on the actual day. Spaghetti and chocolate cake, what more could you want?

In the morning we popped over to Mike and Roz' for coffee and a visit. We also had a fun night with some friends over for dinner who are really into music. Jonathan brought two guitars and an amp, and Ian brought a guitar from his extensive collection. After dinner, Maureen, Kath, Natalie and I were entertained and Adam was in his element with a guitar in his hands.

And what would a visit to Cyprus be without seeing our windmills up close and personal! Of course you have to take a picture of the goats along the way - not to mention one of the donkey we had to unravel from the tree he was tied to so he could reach his water.

Then out to Agatha's in our village for a dinner with Mike's Greek class, with Adam and Natalie in the spotlight with another group of friends.

The kids had the morning off on Thursday as Dale and I went up to our regular bridge group in Kouklia. They joined us for coffee afterwards and met that group as well, kinda like 'show-and-tell'.

Friday had us all at the gym working off some of our dinners. The weather was fabulous the whole time they were here, so there was also some time for sitting around the pool. No one went in the water though, as it is now too cold even for hardy Canadians.

Adam, Dale and Jonathan had a treat on Saturday as Natalie and I watched them going around the track on go-carts. Apparently they were quite fast as we saw them do a couple of spin outs - well Adam and Dale anyway. I think Jonathan has been practising.

Sunday was supposed to be a major hike, but as we were a bit too slow and 'some of us' worn out from go-carting, we went to the Aphrodite Hills Christmas Fair instead - followed by ice cream at the Pinguino in Paphos. I wonder why I gained a couple of pounds during their visit.

At least we went back to the gym on Monday and Natalie joined me for my pilates class. Later, Adam and Natalie dropped Dale and I off for bridge while they went into Geroskipou to the 'Millefeuille" which is a marvellous French patisserie that they remembered from last time. Then the kids picked us up and we joined a few of our bridge cronies for 'fish and chips' in Mandria.

Tuesday we met Linda and Peter in Paphos at '5th Floor' for a lovely lunch and back to their place for coffee and dessert. Adam and Natalie didn't get to meet everyone we know, but certainly some important ones.

On their last night we took them to the Anarita Tavern for ribs. They had been highly recommended and certainly lived up to our expectations.

Dale and I left the kids to get organized and packed up on Thursday morning as we attended our usual bridge session. After lunch, I took them all to the airport; Adam and Natalie back 'home' to their apartment while poor Dale had to head back to work. He had such a long stint home this time that at least we decided that we could handle retirement.

Anyway, I am back to my usual galavanting while trying to get enough done to keep this place in order. And winter has finally arrived - certainly not in a Canadian way as far as the temperature goes, but enough rain and thunder and lightening to rival storms in the prairies.

In the meantime, I am hoping that I will be able to join Dale for Christmas, but it is hard to plan as he doesn't have a schedule beyond the 20th yet. TBA!

I will post our Christmas letter for a quick recap of the year and again, wish you all a very Merry Christmas and the best of New Years.

Love and blessings,

Laurel

Jerash, Jordan

2010-11-14T22:02:00.006+02:00

OK, time for one more mud bath before heading up to Jerash. This Roman archaeological site is huge, so thank heaven we had almost totally recovered from Petra. And at least we didn't have any major hills to scale. It was well worth the visit.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerash

http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&rlz=&q=jerash+jordan&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=6UPgTLLHFtGe4QaZ65D7Bw&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=2&ved=0CC8QsAQwAQ&biw=1222&bih=684

We spent the night in Amman before heading back to Cyprus - a very civilized idea. Then things got a little stressful. Arriving in Jordan is a much better experience than leaving. We had a huge queue to check in (the self service kiosks didn't work), another queue for immigration/passport control, then of course a very large queue for security. It was a big relief to finally be on the plane for our short one hour flight.

All in all though, it was a wonderful experience and well worth it.

Dead Sea, Jordan

2010-11-14T21:16:00.011+02:00

In retrospect we should have stayed one more night in Petra after our gruelling day. However, hindsight being what it is, it wasn't available to us when we made our plans. That being so, we had a long 3 hour drive up to the Dead Sea. I am sure the scenery was spectacular while we were driving in the mountains around many a hairpin turn, but unfortunately it was too dark to appreciate it. We were delighted when we finally made it to our hotel and had a little walk around the grounds before soaking our weary bones in a nice hot bath.

After a wonderful breakfast on Wednesday morning we ambled down to the sea to play in the mud. First we had a little float in the sea, which is amazing even when you are expecting it. You float so high that it is hard to keep your feet underwater unless you are perpendicular. It is very uncomfortable to float on your stomach as you have to arch your neck too much and yet on your back you can relax and read the paper if you choose. Then it is time to get muddy. They supply buckets of smooth, creamy black clay that is slightly gritty (the shore was covered in smooth stones, so it would have been hard to dig up ourselves). We covered ourselves from head to toe and then let it dry for a bit before heading back into the sea to rinse off. It is supposedly very therapeutic and many people were there because of arthritis and rheumatism.

Unfortunately it did nothing for my very sore muscles after all the walking and hiking from the day before. But our skin was wonderfully soft.

We then took some time off and lounged around on the beach, while I managed a few chapters of my book before fitting in another mud pack and soak in the sea.

At least on Thursday we managed to get to the gym. And we did drive around the area, but realized very quickly that our hotel was in the middle of nowhere. So . . . back to the mud. Heavenly!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_Sea

Petra, Jordan

2010-11-14T11:12:00.011+02:00

We landed at the Queen Alia Airport in Amman and rented a car to drive to Petra. It is about a three hour drive so we stopped at a little kiosk to pick up some water and snacks. Next door we bought a batch of the best falafels I have ever tasted. I should have taken a picture of the little hole in the wall where we got them (most people would never have even gone in, but we get more venturesome as we get hungrier!) Our hotel in Petra was lovely and we had a marvellous roast lamb dinner.

Tuesday we were up at 0600 for breakfast as we were anticipating heat and crowds. By 0730 we were saddling up for the trek to the Siq.

http://www.sacred-destinations.com/jordan/petra-siq

The handler of our horses convinced Dale that we should avoid the crowds and take the back route (supposedly only half the time/distance!?!?).

I was unsure of our decision until we (finally) reached the spot with the view looking down on the entrance to the Siq; then it was worth the hike.

We continued on with our 'guide' to the 'High Place of Sacrifice' as seen on 'Indiana Jones Last Crusade'. http://nabataea.net/highp.html

It was tough going, but once we started down the 700 steps I decided that it beat going up them.

We set off on our own after that to see the Street of Facades and the Theatre; past the Urn Tomb and the Royal Tombs; down the Colonnaded Street to the base of the steps to the Ad-Deir Monastery.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petra

http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&expIds=17259,17315,23628,23670,23945,25646,25907,26761,26849,26869,27126,27365,27404,27445,27520,27582&sugexp=ldymls&xhr=t&q=petra+jordan&cp=6&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=60DgTPJflZHgBvKk8fIP&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=1&sqi=2&ved=0CCsQsAQwAA&biw=1222&bih=684

Dale was definitely not keen on the 800 steps to get there. I finally acquiesced to taking a donkey, as that looked to be the only way to get him there. It was such fun that I can't believe I almost missed the opportunity. My donkey was such a lovely creature. He knew exactly where he was going and I just sat back and enjoyed the ride. The views were spectacular and we probably wouldn't have seen as much if we were climbing, as you would have to watch your step. The donkeys were sure-footed and went at a perfect pace. There is no doubt that we couldn't have made it without our adorable little beasts of burden, especially after our first trek of the morning. At least going down on foot was easy (again).

We were still exhausted though as we started our way out, but of course we weren't done yet! We detoured to see more recent discoveries of Roman Ruins and in such amazing shape. By now we were utterly out of steam and still at the far end of the site. One foot in front of the other, but so much to look at that we didn't focus entirely on our poor feet. The Treasury was still a couple of kilometres away, thank heaven we were mostly in the shade.

Once we were at the Siq we forgot all about our aches. I have been through our 300 photos a few times and have not been able to delete any. What a phenomenal sight.

November 2010

2010-11-07T20:03:00.006+02:00

This week has been lovely. Sunday evening we sat out in the square at Aphrodite Hills to listen to Ian's band jazzing it up. Unfortunately for them it was poorly advertised so there were hardly any people there; but fortunately for us we had great seats and had a lovely time.

On Tuesday we did a tour of Fabrica Hill in Paphos with our Archaeological Society group and got a real education on the difference between an ancient theatre versus an amphitheatre and an odeon. Dr. Craig Barker from the University of Sidney is the dig director and was very interesting and informative.

We also finally managed to be here while our good friend Pat Ellison was in town, so on Saturday we dragged him along to the FxPro Cyprus Rally - www.cyprusrally.com.cy - and then out for lunch to celebrate Maureen's birthday. We were out for lunch again today, so I have had to freeze the yummy pork stew I made as Dale and I are off to Jordan tomorrow. It will be nice to have when we get back.

Take care and I will fill you in on our latest adventure next week.

Love,

Laurel

October - another short month!

2010-10-26T11:17:00.005+02:00

We have been really enjoying Dale's extra time off and keeping very busy. The usual things such as the gym and bridge, plus a few extra lunches, dinners and parties. Friday we finally hosted some friends for dinner. It has also cooled off enough to get back with our walking group, so we headed out to the shipwreck at Akrotiri on Saturday. Sunday was Linda's 60th which we celebrated at the Kyrenia Beach Restaurant near Avidmou. And today we are heading up to the Troodos Mountains for a hike. If only this weather could last forever!

October 17

2010-10-17T21:03:00.004+02:00

Its been a quiet week. Only out for dinner twice. Dale is off flying with Blake as Adam and Natalie move into their new apartment. Saw it through Skype - looks fabulous.

Here is a picture of Dale and Peter at Kyrenia Beach. Dale's kite sprang a leak, but they helped another guy out and got some practise in with his. Lunch was great too.

No complaints with the weather either - it has been part sun and cloud and around+28C. Just lovely.

Take care and ttys.

Love,

Laurel

October already!

2010-10-05T09:43:00.007+02:00

Another week has flown by. We seem to be out much more often with Dale home. We got back from Israel at 8am Monday morning, which gave me loads of time to make it to the 9am aqua-aerobics class! After getting some laundry out to dry we managed to fit in a nap before our usual bridge at Aphrodite Hills at 4pm. Then it was a bit of a rush to join Mike and Roz for fish and chips before heading out to Coral Bay for the usual band at Hector's. Will, their drummer was off to Tenerife (for a more exciting lifestyle!), so they held a farewell party for him. He still had to play of course, just this time there was lots of food.

Tuesday I had to go shoe shopping for the Gala on Saturday. An onerous job I know, but I managed (and very well too I might add). Wednesday we were invited up to the village for cocktails to start off the bridge and Greek lesson season. The quiche was so good I skipped dinner. Hazel also arrived for a visit from the UK. Thursday was our usual village bridge followed by drinks and fruit and goodies at the local Kafenio.

Friday we were out to the 'Get In' in Mandria for Chinese food. It started out as just a Cafe, but the chef from the Timi Village Inn moved over there and now Mandria has more restaurants than Kouklia - good ones too. Then we were over to Hazel's for bridge. She hosted since she is dog-sitting and didn't want to leave them too much.

Saturday we went for a motorcycle ride and met up with Hazel, John, Eileen & Josh, Rosemary and Jane for coffee at the Timi Beach Bar. I had to get out of my gear fast, as it is still very warm here, even with the breeze.

We had to fit in a nap as we were out to the Hospice Gala Dinner and Dance at the Annabelle Hotel in Paphos. It was a very posh affair - Black Tie. Dale managed to borrow a dinner jacket as his is back in Comox and it fit very well. He did have the rest of the trimmings and I was very comfortable in my dress from Adam and Natalie's wedding and my new shoes of course. The dinner was lovely and we did get some dancing in to wear some of it off.

Sunday we joined Peter and Linda at their Church in Coral Bay as we were also joining them for a fund raising luncheon in Peyia. Beverley hosted at her house with all the fine linens and trappings. What a delicious lunch - and it lasted us for the rest of the day, which was great since we had about an hour at home then off again. We picked up Hazel then met Jonathan and Maureen and their company, as well as Tim and Susie at the amphitheatre in Tala. The band was doing a tribute to Dire Straits and did a wonderful job of it. They played everything from the most obscure to the most popular and even did a couple of dance numbers at the end. It was a beautiful venue overlooking Paphos and the sea. It did cooldown quite a bit with the breeze, so I guess now we will have to start bringing jackets with us for evenings.

Monday was much the same as last week except that I also fit in a Pilates class, so we were off to Hector's again after bridge and dinner to see the new drummer. As expected he couldn't compete with Will, but hopefully he will smooth out as time goes on. It is now Tuesday and the most exciting thing today was our dentist appointments, so I now have a bit of time to catch up before we are out with Peter and Linda tomorrow for their anniversary. The boys are going kite-surfing then we are out for lunch and in the evening we are off to Emba to see the play 'The Ideal Husband' (what are the chances?). Then we have Jonathan and Maureen's party on Thursday and whatever we can fit in on the weekend.

Take care and we'll let you know if anything exciting comes up.

Love,

Laurel

Israel - Day 2

2010-09-28T17:30:00.017+03:00

What a difference a day makes. Today started out so much calmer - for starters we didn't have to deal with immigration as our ship remained docked at Haifa. Our first stop at the Jordan River was also very peaceful. It was a lovely setting and we got to dip our feet into the river where Jesus was baptized.

We then visited the Mt. of Beatitudes where Jesus was said to have given His Sermon on the Mount.

http://www.sacred-destinations.com/israel/mount-of-beatitudes

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_of_Beatitudes

Next was a stop at the Primacy of Peter, where the disciples caught the boatload of fish. Time to wash the feet again in the Sea of Galilee. Can you believe that it is 630 feet or 210 metres below sea level (and it is fresh water, so not really a sea)?

http://www.biblewalks.com/Sites/SeaofGalilee.html

http://www.goisrael.com/Tourism_Eng/Tourist+Information/Christian+Themes/Details/Chapel+of+the+primacy+of+Peter++chr.htm

Lunch was served at a local restaurant called St. Peter's Fish. Yummy - and the beer is Golden Star dark lager!

Back on the bus, we passed by an Archaeological Site which they figure was Mary Magdalene's home.

http://www.biblewalks.com/Sites/Magdala.html

We stopped in Tiberias for some to shop, then on to Cana which was where the miracle of water being turned to wine at the wedding was to have taken place. You could buy wine in almost every shop, but we settled for some fresh squeezed pomegranate juice.

http://www.sacred-destinations.com/israel/cana

Then on to Nazareth to the well where Mary received the news from Gabriel.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek_Orthodox_Church_of_the_Annunciation

We made it back to the ship just after it was supposed to have left, but we had no worries as apparently seven out of the ten buses were still out. We had another lovely dinner and were getting ready for the evenings entertainment when we finally set sail, almost two hours late. It seems to be the Mediterranean way.

We had some lovely table mates on the ship. They are Cypriots who have been living in South Africa since the war in 1974. They joined our bus on the second day and were very impressed with our guide. His name is Anton and he is a 75 year old retired school teacher; definitely a wealth of information especially regarding Israeli relationships. Here is a bit from Dale -

What we learned? The complexity and the sadness of the region is palpable when you visit. We felt safe but sensed that there was much behind the scenes. Too many walls and too many guns. An occupied people will not be happy and this news video shows a bit of that story. It was good to travel in the west bank and up to the Golan Heights to see the difficulty that exists in this 'Holyland'.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzXulGX4aMo

All-in-all it was a very informative and educational trip. It wasn't the spiritual experience I had hoped, but it was certainly well worth doing. And on that note, take care and God bless.

Love,

Laurel

Israel, September 2010

2010-09-28T13:48:00.017+03:00

So what does one who travels for a living, do for fun with some extra time off? Why, travel of course! At least we didn't have to get on an airplane. We took a Salamis Cruise from Lemesos, which is only half an hour from our house. Two of the three nights were spent at sea, going to and coming back from Israel. We had two very packed days while we were there and I will try to fit in the highlights. It was a bit of a rough start on Saturday morning as they had to herd 600 people through immigration on the ship before we could get on our buses. The trip to Jerusalem took about two hours. Trust us to pick a holiday to visit. Apparently it was the Festival of Sukkot, when all the Jews visit Jerusalem. Yes, it was crowded.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sukkot

http://www.etz-hayim.com/festivals/docs/sukkot.pdf

Our first stop was The Church of the Holy Sepulchre - claimed as the site of the Crucifixion, Burial and Resurrection of Jesus. This Church was built by Queen Helena, Mother of Constantine the Great in 326AD. See the following websites for more information.

http://www.sacred-destinations.com/israel/jerusalem-church-of-holy-sepulchre

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_the_Holy_Sepulchre

http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&rlz=&q=jerusalem+holy+sepulchre&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=-sShTNWDNs-L4AbFj83AAw&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=1&ved=0CDAQsAQwAA&biw=1225&bih=684

We left the Christian quarter to go to the Wailing Wall in the Jewish quarter which was decorated with Myrtle, Date, Willow and Citrus branches for Sukkot. The following websites are interesting - the first for pictures, the second for more information.

http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&q=wailing+wall&psj=1&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=7eShTOzJHYvU4wa2xJmlAw&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=4&ved=0CD4QsAQwAw&biw=1225&bih=684

http://www.sacred-destinations.com/israel/jerusalem-western-wall

Along the way we passed by the site of the original St. John Hospital.

To leave the walled city we passed through the Leather makers Gate.

http://www.itsgila.com/tipsgates.htm

From there we had a lovely view of the Mt. of Olives followed by a picture of the wall erected by Israel.

Bethlehem was our next stop and the Church of the Nativity which is said to be built over the cave where Jesus was born.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_the_Nativity

Our late start compounded itself all day, but we did manage to get back to the ship before our allotted seating for dinner ended and the buffet was superb. We then had time for a shower and spruce up before the evening's entertainment. It was 90% Greek, but the singers and dancers were very good, so we did enjoy it. Then off to bed for another early start the next day.

To be continued . . .

September in Kouklia

2010-09-22T15:05:00.007+03:00

Hi there,

Just to let you know that we are still alive and keeping busy. Dale and I won (2 bottles of wine) at bridge last week but couldn't pull it off again this week. But thats ok since we haven't managed to finish off the first wine yet. Saturday we were out at Episkopi Station - the British Army Base. They hosted a wonderful event with many exhibitions; unfortunately for Dale, I think it was too windy for the RC planes. The parajumpers were fantastic though, managing to land on their target in spite of the wind. It was still a bit hot, so we jumped into the pool as soon as we got home. We were joined by a Collared Mourning Dove, who sat contentedly on the side of the Jacuzzi while Dale swam about and I took its picture.

We tried a new restaurant that evening with Maureen and Jonathan called the Akava. It was just past the really busy tourist area of Tombs of the Kings and was run by a Scottish lady. The special of the day was T-bone steak, which isn't something that Cyprus is famous for, but we were promised that it would be good - and it was. What a pleasant surprise.

Ken celebrated his 6oth on Sunday with a party by their pool and Lesley put on a wonderful buffet supper. His good friend Derrick came down from the UK to entertain us with some excellent singing and keyboarding. It was a great party.

Last night we drove up to Latsi for an evening boat cruise and BBQ. Tim and Susie did all the organizing, we just had to show up with bathing-suits and snacks. The sea is now warmer than our pool and Dale was thankful that the boat hada freshwater shower at the stern. They anchored at a lovely little bay they call the Blue Lagoon. You can see the beautiful white sand through the pristine water. Afterwards we had a very tasty meal then cruised back in the moonlight. A good time was had by all.

I am now going to sign off as I have a bit to do to get ready for our trip to Israel on Friday.

I will fill you in on that early next week.

Take care.

Love,

Laurel

September 2010

2010-09-11T13:48:00.013+03:00

What a week! The marathon started last Thursday at the Amphitheatre in Coral Bay with a fundraiser for cancer called 'Rave for Dave'. This was a phenomenal event featuring several bands and conglomerations of bands who came out in support of a fellow drummer who died of cancer. Who would have thought that there would be such amazing talent on such a small island. As it was we went with our neighbours Maureen and Jonathan, who are avid music aficionados, so Dale was in his element.

Saturday we were off with Ken and Lesley on a coach trip to Lemesos for the Wine Festival. There was much revelry and great entertainment, as well as many different dishes to sample and of course, much wine to be tasted.

After church on Sunday we met up with friends in Mandria for lunch - Carol and Eric, and Maureen and Phil. They have a fabulous Sunday brunch at the Kentroikon Restaurant. We contemplated just staying there, since we returned about an hour later with another group of friends for supper - Ged and Maggs, Linda, Pat and Ron; but at least we changed restaurants for fish and chips. Dale and Ron didn't accompany the rest of us as we headed into Paphos for 'La Boheme'. It was my first opera and the setting with the Medieval Castle and the sea behind was spectacular. What a delight. The troupe was Slovakian, singing in Italian with Greek and English subtitles on a teleprompter. Truly an international event. And it was very well attended by locals and expats alike.

On Monday we again accompanied Jonathan and Maureen to Hector's Pub in Coral Bay for another great evening with a local band. They also invite other musicians to play with them in a sort of jam session part way through the evening. We were very impressed with the calibre of musicians.

Dale finally got to golf at Aphrodite Hills on Wednesday with Eric. It was still a bit too hot for me and unless things change soon, he is welcome to join Eric and Phil again next week without me. Meanwhile he is off flying with Adam for the weekend, as things are a bit wonky and Adam would have been single-pilot. Because of that, Dale missed Linda's walk this morning to Aphrodite Rock. Linda was so thoughtful and had water, pop and beer waiting for us as soon as we arrived at the restaurant. It is still a bit too warm here, but it will cool down soon enough. I jumped into the pool as soon as I got home and am now cooled down enough to think. So, enough said and now I will add some pictures of all these events. Talk to you soon.

Love,

Laurel

Peter's Swim

2010-08-28T15:38:00.005+02:00

After a rather late night over at Mike and Roz' we were up early to cheer Peter on in his charity swim. It started off a gorgeous morning, but unfortunately the humidity crept in and we were all puddles of sweat, wishing we had brought our bathing suits and joined Peter in the water if not in the long swim. It took him an hour and a couple of minutes to swim around the shipwreck with Linda and the sailing club's safety boat in attendance. Well done Peter.

Formal Family Shots - Adam & Natalie's Wedding

2010-08-24T10:18:00.003+02:00

Due to popular demand - yes you Hilary - I am posting these formal family shots from Adam and Natalie's wedding - as if you hadn't seen enough wedding pictures by now. Did I mention that it was the best wedding ever?!

Love,

Laurel

Cannes, Monaco & Italy!

2010-08-19T16:16:00.019+02:00

Continued . . .

We woke up Sunday to blue skies and 26C. After the usual wonderful breakfast, Dale, Susan and I headed off to Monaco. The drive along the coast was gorgeous. We wound in and around all the little towns along the way and saw some spectacular scenery. We really lucked out in our timing as we arrived at the Palace at 11:50 and got to watch the changing of the guards. It was very similar to most changing of the guards, but the crowds were all straining to see, as did we. Afterwards we took a tour of the Palace, which is still occupied by one of the Princesses, so we were unable to view every area.

We had a lovely lunch down one of the many narrow side streets of the palace grounds then walked through the Saint Nicholas Cathedral. We also took many pictures of the marinas and the buildings on the surrounding mountains. It is a very beautiful city/country.

Then, just to show it could be done, we drove to Italy! We ended up in the small mountain village of Airole, but the only coffee shop we could find was completely full with locals. Back to the beach and the tourist areas to find something open and to watch the huge waves.

After freshening up we met Jeff and Susan and went back to the Cresci for more mussels, pizza and pasta. Tough life.

Monday morning we met with both crews for breakfast at our hotel. Dale and I then did a long walk on the beach then met up again with Jeff and Susan for lunch at the Palm Square Restaurant. We then wandered around Cannes for a couple of hours before heading back to the hotel for a rest. For dinner we all met at a quaint little place called the Gavroche. What a treat. Dale had Steak au Poivre and I had Scallops with Avocado sauce. Everyone's meal was superb. A couple of a bottles of wine later we even managed dessert. Dale and I shared a fantastic Creme Brule - one of the finest meals ever. To top off the evening, Poland hosted a fireworks display to knock your socks off. It was supposed to be on Sunday, but was postponed due to the wind I mentioned earlier. Apparently several countries compete in a fireworks competition and we just happened to be there for the final entry. What a lovely evening!

My last day started as usual, meeting up with the crews for another wonderful breakfast. Today though, I had todo some important errands. I had to find the right coffee for my machine at home! I was lucky and found what I wanted plus a few extras not on my list, so all was well. Dale and I then had our usual long walk on the beach before finding a cute little place for lunch called The Melting Pot. A nap, shower and packing used up the rest of our time before meeting up with Jeff, David and Susan on the roof terrace of our hotel. Jeff treated for drinks and we all enjoyed the weather and the scenery.

The Barbarella was Jeff's choice for dinner and it was a very good choice indeed. We ate far too much as the food was so good. Our starter was warm tiger prawn spring rolls. Dale then had roast lamb and I had stuffed Quail with a couple of Pate de Foie Gras on toast. I even had some of the wine it was so good - Saint Emilion Chateau Bellerose Figeac, Grand Cru 2006 - how's that for a name? There were far too many choices for dessert, but we all managed very well.

Wednesday morning I was wondering at my sanity in having such a late night as I was up at 4am for my flights back to Cyprus. Oh well, you only live once and I had to fit everything in that I could!

Ttys, Love,

Laurel

Info on Barbarella Restaurant -

http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=fr&u=http://www.barbarellarestaurant.fr/pages/index.php&ei=4D9tTMlp6o3iBt-p7OUK&sa=X&oi=translate&ct=result&resnum=9&ved=0CEUQ7gEwCA&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dbarbarella%2Brestaurant%2Bcannes%26hl%3Den%26prmd%3Dm

Info on the Palace in Monaco -

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince's_Palace_of_Monaco

Pictures of Monaco -

http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&rlz=&q=palace+monaco&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=C0NtTPO5Ht6I4ga4wuz-Cg&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=12&ved=0CGMQsAQwCw&biw=1222&bih=684

Cathedral -

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Nicholas_Cathedral,_Monaco

Cannes

2010-08-19T16:06:00.007+02:00

Thursday was a write off. The first flight from Larnaca to Amsterdam was just over four hours and the second flight to Nice was just under two hours, so that wasn't too onerous; but the six hours between added to the drive to Larnaca, the check in etc. and the drive to Cannes, all added up to a very long day. Was it worth it? Absolutely! I may have mentioned the intense humidity in Cyprus over the last couple of weeks. Well at first I thought that I would be meeting Dale in Cairo and even that seemed like a break; but this was definitely better. At least here the humidity is in the form of thunderstorms that pass, so you grab an umbrella and expect to get wet. In Cyprus you can take a towel with you and never be able to dry off.
So Cannes won by a landslide. Dale has been a bit busier than expected as his airplane had a glitch that he and Yves have had to work on, but we have still had plenty of time to walk the beautiful beaches, swim and take in the fabulous sights and sounds that is Cannes. Last night we went to the Cresci Restaurant that I remembered from before and again indulged in one of their specialties - mussels, or the Moules Mariniere that they are famous for. Thank heavens that the memory works when it is really important. Who needs to remember appointments as long as one remembers where to get the best Moules Mariniere!

After dinner we walked around the marina as Dale loves looking at all the boats, or I guess I should say yachts; and there were some spectacular ones. There was one in particular that obviously had a party going on in full swing and people on the dock were hanging around just watching the comings and goings. Talk about being a fish in a fishbowl.

We kept going along the seawall and got a great view of Cannes all lit up. There was a rock concert going on - sorry I forgot who was playing, but it was loud enough to make me glad that I wasn't inside! And out in the square in front was a large crowd that we joined for a bit to watch some excellent street dancers. All in all, a very entertaining evening. And when we walked back to our hotel - 1835 - The White Palm Hotel - the line-up at the Cresci Restaurant was even longer than when we were there. Everything was still hopping when we turned in.

Saturday morning Dale and Yves went back to the airport to meet the mechanic that came out from Zurich. It was a good day to stay in as the heavens opened accompanied by lots of thunder and lightening. Dale came back to take me for lunch, then I went back with him as they finished up at the airplane for the day. By around 8pm the rain had stopped, so we went out for crepes and ice cream since we had had such a late lunch. Yum.

To be continued . . .

Kourion walk

2010-08-11T13:46:00.008+02:00

Sorry - no photos from Michael Flatley's 'Lord of the Dance'. But what a spectacular performance. I had only ever seen it on TV so was delighted to see it in person in Lemesos. The coach also stopped at the Carob Mill restaurant for a wonderful dinner beforehand. What a great evening out!

Today I went for a walk in the Kourion area with Linda, Geoff, Doris, David, Jenny and Helen, followed by lunch at one of the beach tavernas you can see in the photos. What a fantastic island for walks. Everywhere is so diverse and scenic in its own way. The first picture is of some Ptolemaic tombs and later on we passed several Roman tombs cut into the rock along the path. I didn't take a picture of these as we see so many of them everywhere. The last picture is of a geo-cache that Geoff showed us. If you are interested, the following is a site for some Cypriot history:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Cyprus

The Duke of Lancaster Regimental Band

2010-08-01T20:23:00.004+03:00

One of the advantages of being in an ex-British colony is that they send over their bands on a regular basis for some practise and R&R. While they are here they do fund raising concerts for a reasonable entrance fee. One of our favourite venues is the amphitheatre in Pissouri. We shared a picnic with friends and thoroughly enjoyed the evening.

The Last Castle, Akamas Peninsula

2010-07-29T13:35:00.007+03:00

Another lovely venue for lunch in Cyprus. The Last Castle is only open from 10:30am to 5pm in the summer. There are three choices on the menu - chicken, pork or both! - with a salad and a choice of baked or roasted potatoes. You also get fresh watermelon at the end or whatever fruit is in season. It is worth the drive up just for the view and the cool breeze, so it is a bonus that it is delicious too. Linda and Mags are friends of ours from Kouklia.

On a much sadder note, our very dear friend Geraldine from here in Cyprus, passed away on Saturday. Geraldine moved here from South Africa and became a Cypriot citizen as soon as she was able. She was very active in the Church and the Hospice Society and was always looking after people - even if she didn't know them. Her three daughters are lovely people and they held a service on Wednesday that Geraldine would have thoroughly enjoyed. She was a wonderful lady and will be greatly missed. Rest in peace Geraldine.

Love,

Laurel

Millomeri Falls

2010-07-24T14:43:00.007+03:00

Firstly, had a great time at Peter and Linda's housewarming party yesterday. Lots of good food and lovely people. And our group won the quiz - the best part being 'name the pub sign'. It was actually very easy as most of the signs were straight forward i.e. a picture of a red lion - my kind of quiz.

Saturday started off at +31C withpalpable humidity. So, off we went to the Troodos Mountains, which is a very Cypriot thing to do. Millomeri Falls is very beautiful, but you don't get the hike. We drove very close then walked just a few hundred metres. The temperature difference is phenomenal. It had to be at least 10C cooler and not nearly as humid even with the mist off the falls. Notice the sweater at lunch!

http://www.triptocyprus.com/blog/2008/04/millomeri-waterfalls-in-platres-near.html

We then drove the rest of the way to the Troodos Square for lunch. As the thunder started getting louder we meandered back to the car for the drive back down. And what a lovely drive in the torrential downpour! Apparently this has been the most unusual July as it has rained several times already and the reservoirs are still nice and full. It was a wonderful and very fresh trip.

And back home for a nap and a dip in the pool. Hard to take!

Kalidonia Falls

2010-07-22T15:29:00.007+03:00

We have made another discovery on this lovely little island of Cyprus. Up in the Troodos Mountains at Platres you can find Kalidonia Falls. It is a lovely 2km hike beside a fast running stream in the lush forest. Apparently you can go up another kilometre and get to the square in Troodos, but we only went to the top of the falls. Here are some websites to fill you in.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troodos_Mountains

http://www.cyprustop10.com/platres.htm

http://www.travelpod.com/travel-photo/scurle/cyprus_2005/1119014580/img_6808.jpg/tpod.html

Afterwards it was lunch at the restaurant Psilo Dentro, at the bottom. I highly recommend the trout!

Love,

Laurel

July 2010

2010-07-22T08:29:00.009+03:00

First you don't hear anything as there is nothing going on. Then you don't hear anything as we are too busy to sit. Here is quick recap of the last couple of weeks.

Natalie was over for a visit on her way to see Adam, whose schedule kept changing - usually after Natalie arranged her flights. As it was, she had a few days here before heading off to Cannes. Here is a picture of Natalie coming with Dale on the motorcycle over to lunch at Barb and Peter's - and a couple photos at the windmills in the hills of Kouklia.

Then off to Cannes for what was supposed to be 10 days which kinda shortened to three nights. So we got to celebrate Natalie's Birthday here with her instead of Adam, but we had a lovely day. We went to the Ocean Basket with Peter and Linda for lunch, had a walk up to the top of the old castle in the harbour, then had a swim and did up our toes. We did manage to get an ice-cream cake here to top things off.

Natalie got to sleep in on Saturday as Dale and I left at 0730 for a walk with Linda and Mags and Jeff and Sue, with Geoff and Doris's walking group. We had a great walk and a tour and talk about the British Bloodhound Camp where they do a decompression camp for their soldiers returning from Afghanistan. There is quite a history to the camp.

Monday we were back to Larnaca with Natalie as she was going to try and meet up with Adam in Cairo this time. He ended up being about 26 hours late for that one but at least he made it. Hopefully things will settle down when they try again in September.

Meanwhile, Dale is still home for another week and after I get this out, I will fill you in on our little hike.

Love,

Laurel

A quiet week in Cyprus

2010-07-04T14:32:00.012+03:00

Just to let you know that it has been a relatively quiet couple of weeks. Dale was here for a few extra days while the plane was in maintenance so I managed to drag him along to a few of my regular events. He really outdid himself at our Monday bridge group with us coming in first place. He hadn't played in so long, I am amazed that he even remembered how to. We also had Peter and Linda as well as Ken and Lesley over for lunch on Peter's birthday.

One of the Regimental Bands from the UK was here, so we went with John and Rosemary to seethem atthe Harbour. What a lovely venue - and the weather was perfect too; just brought along a light sweater for later.

We also went to the Village Inn in Chlorakas for a BBQ and an evening of Irish singing. Our friend Phil was the entertainment. I have also included a couple of pictures of Phil and Jim playing at the Beach Bar in Mandria.

We have our place up for sale now, so took a couple of pictures to go along with that. We have also listed with one realtor, but should do another one or two. It would certainly be nice if they had MLS here and then one wouldn't have to deal with more than one agency.

Dale has gone back to work and I have resumed my usual schedule with an added afternoon of Mahjong thrown in for good measure. We hope to get in a visit with Adam and Natalie in Cairo while they are there this month too. Other than that, just enjoying the sunshine and lovely temperature. Today is a bit humid, but the rest of the week should be fine - around +30C.

I was hoping to skip over my birthday unscathed, but got too many good wishes and kind thoughts to have it go unnoticed (thank you all). Linda took me out to 5th Floor, which is a really nice place with a great buffet. So it looks likeI will have to count this one after all.

Dale should be back at the end of the week, but he has such a bad cold that I think he will just have to sit around and take it easy. Poor guy, I know you will be thinking of him whilst he lounges around the pool recuperating.
Take care and ttys.
Love,
Laurel

Adam & Natalie's Honeymoon

2010-06-14T14:34:00.008+03:00

Not too much exciting happening for Dale and I lately, so I thought I would post some photos from Adam and Natalie's honeymoon in Hawaii. The helicopter ride was a gift from all the groomsmen and the submarine ride was a gift from Natalie's brother. It all sounded very fairytale and a lovely way to start married life.

Comox, May 2011

2010-06-04T17:15:00.009+03:00

So you have probably all been wondering what has been happening lately.

Well, Dale is back to work and I am back in warm sunny Cyprus (+28C).

We had such a great time back in Comox and are sorry as usual that we

didn't fit everyone and everything in. The good news for our family and

friends in Comox is that we bought a house and are planning on returning

in May 2011. The bad news is that we will be leaving our wonderful friends

and this lovely island of Cyprus. It continues to be such a delightful place

and we are so thankful for such good friends and neighbours here, who will

always be welcome in Comox as well.

Anyway, here are some pictures of the new house, as well as some pictures

of the views. Both are lovely and will help make the transition easier.

Hopefully we will still have a trip or two in the next year to add to our list

of adventures and we will keep up the blog to the end.

Take care.

Love,

Laurel

Kitchen & looking from kitchen to living room

Bedroom & office

Downstairs Media room & bedroom

Comox Glacier & Mt. Washington

Even More Wedding Pictures

2010-06-04T17:03:00.006+03:00

These wonderful pictures are thanks to our nephew Chris.

More Wedding Pictures

2010-05-28T04:45:00.005+03:00

At the church - Adam, Joel, Jeff, Blake & our Joel

Natalie's Dad, me, my sister, my aunt, Natalie's brother & girlfriend - and you know who

Dale, his brother & Mom - My Mom & Dad and Bernice

Maggie, me & Auntie Lydia - My Mom & Dad

Dale, me, Shelley & Bernice - Adam, Joel & Dale

Wedding Photos

2010-05-21T07:11:00.009+03:00

I know, I know, this could get to be too much - but these are fantastic. They are a sneak preview from the photographer. Enjoy!

And here is the photographer's website - http://gillianottaway.blogspot.com/

Adam & Natalie's Wedding

2010-05-18T06:22:00.010+03:00

What a fabulous wedding! It is definitely the best wedding I have ever been to. And apparently I wasn't the only one to shed a few tears when Natalie came down the aisle! I just wish I could remember all the wonderful things that were said and all the delightful feelings and emotions. The ceremony was truly inspirational with so much thought and caring put into it by our Reverend Maggie. All in the wedding party looked so sharp - and young! The music was beautiful - with a very talented soloist and two equally talented pianists. Wow!

The cars were such a treat on loan from a very special person. And we are anxiously awaiting the photos from the official photographer. In the meantime, these will have to do.

We went directly to the house after Church, where most of the guests got to relax and enjoy the scenery and some very delicious appetizers while the wedding party and the families had photos done. And then came the champagne, which continued for the rest of the evening along with the lovely soloist and her accompanist.

Afterwards we were all seated in the Marquis for a very special dinner.

Click here to download a copy of the menu

I would also like to say a huge thanks to Burt for the use of his lovely home and the exquisite view, which was such a wonderful background for the decorations and all the beautiful flower arrangements that were done by Natalie's Mom Elizabeth. Hopefully you can see some of them in the photos.

The speeches were all so wonderful and from the heart. Dale's was excellent, but hats off to Adam for his. Between them and Natalie's Mom and Dad, tears were again flowing freely. It was delightful. Then of course the cutting of the cake and just in case you had a sweet-tooth, you could belly-up to the chocolate fondue. Yum!

Next on the agenda was Adam and Natalie's first dance then Natalie with her Dad and then we all got our turn and got in a couple of good hours of dancing and partying. After all the guests had left, a few of us including some of the wedding party, sat around and polished off a few more glasses of champagne for the road. All-in-all, it was a great wedding.

Sunday was lovely again with most of the wedding guests joining Adam and Natalie for brunch at the Kingfisher. Another gourmet feast. All the dieting to get into the dress - out the window! It was a great venue for many of the guests to say farewell to Adam and Natalie as they headed home - both near and far. I also found that it was a nice way to slow down after the busyness of the day before.

So now we are catching up on some much needed rest and Adam and Natalie are getting ready to head off on their honeymoon. Thanks for all your greetings and good wishes.

Take care and ttys.

Love,

Laurel

Pre-Wedding

2010-05-16T19:25:00.008+03:00

Hi all,

I meant to get this out sooner, but have been too busy enjoying the preparations and visiting pre-wedding. We are so thankful to have arrived as planned, with the ash clouds stopping flights in Ireland and Scotland while we were still in Heathrow. After that we were still saying our prayers as Jeff still had to get here from Cairo via Amsterdam, Nicole from Switzerland and the rest of Natalie's relatives from the UK. As it turned out, everyone made it except for one Bridesmaid but that was because of a family crisis.

We started on the social circuit as soon as we arrived, catching up with friends and relatives and doing what we could to help out with wedding preparations - which wasn't much as Natalie and her Mom Elizabeth had everything under control. Dale got the Motorhome out and cleaned up then putting the wings on his airplane was his next priority. I did get down to Nanaimo on Friday with Adam and Natalie to get her a cute little outfit for their honeymoon, as well as a purple satin guest book and a few other last minute items, while Dale got his first flights in.

We are still under the effects of the time change, but the good part is that I am up and at the gym by 6:30am every other day with Mom. We are also getting in some early morning walks. It has been a bit chilly for me, but at least that does keep one walking quickly to keep warm.

Mother's Day was lovely. 10 of us went to Monte Cristo's for lunch after church to celebrate, including of course Dale's Mom and my Mom and Dad, Auntie Lydia and Uncle Mac, Bob and Adam and Natalie.

Monday had Adam and Natalie and Dale and I out on the golf course. You would never believe that they were getting married on Saturday - Natalie was so calm. My Dad picked Joel up at the ferry and we all went out for Sushi again - the Ichi Ban being a favourite of Adam and Natalie.

Tuesday was practise day for my hair while the guys hit the golf course. Amazingly my hair held its curl for two days, so I had no fear of it falling out on Saturday. Since I was downtown I just dropped into a couple of favourite stores and came back with a few things that I probably didn't need, but it was lovely to find clothes that fit and suited me.

Thursday we toured the local brewery with several of the out-of-towners and sampled a couple of their brews. Afterwards we were in fine form to head over to Burt's to set up tables and chairs for the wedding. The rehearsal went well on Friday (after the guys managed to fit in yet another game of golf). As soon as the processional started I got a bit teary, but I think I will get through it well enough. We went out to the Black Fin Pub afterwards with the whole gang. There were too many of us to fit at one table so we had an adults table and the kids table - that would be all those under 30. Jeff ordered champagne all around as usual and kept us all in fine form.

Things were very calm for us on Saturday with Mom and I getting our hair done and lots of time to get ready for the big event. I had Dale's Mom's outfit all pressed and ready for her to wear and the staff at the nursing home were wonderful and got her all ready for Bob to pick up.

And now I will leave you in suspense about the wedding as I await a few pictures to send . . .

Kouklia

2010-05-03T11:13:00.007+03:00

Such a busy week. Spring is such a wonderful time for walks and spring flowers. I remember to bring my camera on most walks, but I am still unable to name all of the flowers we have found. Anyway, here are a couple more pictures for you to enjoy, including a couple of the Asprokremnos Dam, which has a lovely amount of water in it at present.

We did have an adventure the other day in the town of Paphos. As you may know from previous commentaries, it is the largest centre near us - some say approximately 60,000 people. Much bigger than Kouklia, which is around 700 souls. So, apparently there is a cinema in Paphos. But it is a well hidden little gem and unless you know the approximate whereabouts, you will not find it. What you must do is get close to where you think it is according to all the very confusing directions you get from the locals (no expats have found it yet), then sneak up on it. As it was, the heavens had finished emptying their buckets for about an hour when we started our search. We were able to circle the block and get as close as we could by car, then off we started on our trek. There were a couple of small signs outside the building, but not by any visible means of entry. When we finally got almost the whole way round we decided that the big awning labeled 'Luna Park' must at least lead to it or to someone who could give us more directions. Tah dah! There at the end of a corridor that housed little shops and cafes, was 'The' cinema. We were finally going to get to see 'Alice in Wonderland' with Johnny Depp. (We were originally going to go to Lemesos, but it disappeared off their website before we knew what was happening. At least Paphos is closer, but sorry Norma, no 3D) Our next concern was that since it was an early show, the theatre would be packed with children. Had I thought about how difficult it was to find, I would possibly have thought that of course, no one else had found it - so sure enough the five of us sat 20 rows away from the other five tweens that were there. It was a good movie, but a bit dark - do not take any young children as there were a couple of nightmare inducing scenes. And of course, lots of time to get more popcorn during the intermission.

Sunday brunch was also worth mentioning. Mandria is a little village about five minutes away from us with several good restaurants. We have been to this one in particular before, sorry - too long a name to remember - and it has always been good, but Sunday brunch was fabulous. It was a real mix of English and Cypriot food and the best Yorkshire Puddings I have ever had. It was a well stocked and very fresh looking buffet and included several lovely desserts as well. On the way home, I decided to finally drive up through Kouklia to Archimandrita, to finally get a close-up look at the windmill farm they have been installing as of late. Truck loads of enormous parts are always passing by, so I was most curious as to which section went where. The name of the company is Vespas if you are interested. It was well worth the drive.

You are now caught up. We are looking forward to seeing everyone soon. We are so excited about Adam and Natalie's wedding and crossing our fingers that no more volcanoes erupt between now and then, so everyone makes it. Wish we could have everyone there, but the kids have decreed that it is to small and family only. Feel free to email any thoughts and wishes though, as I am sure they would love to hear from everyone.

Take care and bye for now.

Love,

Laurel

Milan - April 14 - 21

2010-04-18T12:27:00.011+02:00

What started as a simple trip up to visit Dale while his airplane was in Milan - turned into a huge logistical sideshow. I was booked to return to Cyprus on Monday, but what with the volcanic ash spreading quickly, I rebooked to leave on Saturday. The good news was that Dale and his crew and airplane were stuck too, so at least I had company and a roof over my head.

At least the first couple of days were stress free. This web site shows the Duomo way better than our photos. Where they have cleaned the stone is so bright and colourful. We even climbed the 251 steps up to the roof for a view of the city. From there we spotted a roof-top cafe that we headed to afterwards. The sun was shining, the food was delicious and the company delightful. What a lovely day.

http://www.sacred-destinations.com/italy/milan-cathedral

Breakfast at the hotel was fantastic again, but by this time Dale was glued to the phone and the computer trying to sort things out. We did manage a quick visit to Castello Sforzesco later in the afternoon, then met up with Rod and Julie at the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II for pizza (of course), and to celebrate Julie's Birthday.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castello_Sforzesco

http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&q=Castello+Sforzesco,+Milan,+Italy&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=AOjKS67yOKGJOKah9NkF&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=5&ved=0CC0QsAQwBA

http://www.flickr.com/photos/andra_mb/4154566857/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galleria_Vittorio_Emanuele_II

Saturday had me on the train out to the airport, only to receive a text from Dale saying that it was closed. Since I was almost there, I went to the counter and sorted out my ticket for the next available flight. I was dismayed to find out that I now couldn't get out until Wednesday. Not only that, Greece was planning on a Civil Servant's strike. This is about when the trip lost it's charm. At least I was very lucky to have a hotel to return to. So many people were already just sitting there with resigned looks on their faces. What a nuisance. So back I went to the hotel and Julie and I headed out on the tram and subway to find an 'outlet' that was advertised. What a disappointment. It wasn't even a very big room let along a mall as we were expecting. Oh well, we saved a fortune, but I wouldn't have minded just skipping the whole day.

Sunday was a very slow day. The weather wasn't great and being slightly out of town, it was too much of a bother to do the trip. I managed to escape for a while to the very little gym while Dale was stuck on the phone and the computer again, then caught up on some reading (which is always a treat). Dinner at the hotel was lovely - Sea Bass and spinach - yum.

Monday had us changing hotels to the Marriott in town. I helped Julie at the grocery store with her list for the airplane then we all piled into a cab for the big move. The Teatro alla Scala was on my list of things to see, so once we were settled in we headed out for a walk. We couldn't get inside, but we were informed that there was a Symphony that evening if we wanted to come back. But of course! However, they failed to mention that the concert was sold out. Fortunately there were scalpers! Unfortunately I wasn't willing to pay 85 euros each for a ticket. After a few more offers of hugely inflated prices we decided to give up. On our way out a lovely older gentleman was selling his tickets for the same price he paid. With a bit of sign language and gesticulations we did figure out that they were in the nose-bleed section, but hey, what do you want for 5 euros each. At least we were getting inside - and that is exactly what we got. The first two rows in front of us could see the orchestra, but we were one row too far back. When the concert started though we followed the crowd and stood up in the aisle in front of us so we could watch. Most unusual, but again - what do you expect for 5 euros! Anyway, the music wasn't my taste, but the sound and the theatre were well worth it. However, after the intermission things took a turn for the worse. The conductor was apparently famous and obviously well liked since it was sold out, but the words - discordant cacophony came to mind. I mentioned to Dale that I had certainly got my money's worth and since no one there would ever see us again, could we sneak out? I felt like a little kid tiptoeing from the gallery and down all those stairs, especially when we stopped for gelatos on our way. It wasn't long after that the rest of the patrons (all with our programs in hand) stopped in as well - probably wondering how we managed to beat the rush! It was well worth the giggle.

http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&rlz=&q=teatro+alla+scala&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=7KDSS-i0M46angPQ6dXADw&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=5&ved=0CCoQsAQwBA

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Scala

Tuesday was again a morning on the phone and computer, so we got another late start on sightseeing. Just as the subway was arriving Dale got THE call. We immediately turned around and headed back to the hotel so he and the crew could pack up and leave. And then there was me. All I could hope for was that my flight would still leave the next day. Things did look promising though and Dale was optimistic, so I crossed my fingers and packed up.

As it turned out, Wednesday was the first day most airlines were operating, so I ended up being very lucky. So here I am, back in Cyprus and so thrilled to be here. The sun is shining, it is a glorious +25C and the birds are singing their hearts out. My laundry is hanging out to dry and now I can start to plan for our trip to Comox in May. Dale is in Nice at the moment, but I turned down his invitation to join him (go figure). Enough of airports and airplanes for a bit - May is coming soon enough.

Hopefully this finds you all well and happy and we are looking forward to catching up with everyone in a couple of weeks.

Take care.

Love,

Laurel

Pissouri Jetty Walk

2010-04-10T16:44:00.008+02:00

Hope you all had a Happy Easter. Our wonderful little village of Kouklia was teaming with activities for the whole weekend. On Sunday we finally managed to catch a couple of things. We sat at our favourite Kafeneio savouring the local brew to watch the kids having egg and spoon races, potato sack races etc. The fireworks later were superb.

Monday we were invited to a Cypriot neighbours to have a feast with some of the family - only 30 were there as Loukas and Nikki were back in Canada for a visit and others could not get enough time off to make it. Dale got to hang out with the men drinking Zivania as they barbecued the souvla, chicken and pigeon (and you are supposed to eat the bones and all). We were so stuffed after all the local delicacies we could barely manage the home-grown fruit and the fabulous desserts. A wonderful time was had by all.

Tuesday we were out for lunch again at Linda and Peter's. What a treat, everything was so fresh and tasty.

Wednesday had our village bridge club taking on the village of Pissouri in a rematch. We still came second, but held our own - way better than last year. So, maybe next year. Dinner at Secret Valley was great and we got in a bit of dancing too.

Now I am beginning to figure out why I was knackered on Thursday! We had our usual bridge here in Kouklia and almost everyone was dragging. I guess the 30 hands of bridge on Wednesday wasn't as relaxing as it seemed at the time.

Oh no - I had to cook on Friday! Thank goodness we had visited Lefteris at his new seafood shop in Paphos. Yummy scallops and fresh local vegies - gotta love it.

I drove Dale to the airport today then rushed back to join our walking group. It was a gorgeous day with a few clouds to keep us from getting overheated. The walk along the cliffs at Pissouri Jetty was spectacular. The scenery was breathtaking and the wildflowers were out in great profusion. As you can see, I finally found the orchids too.

So now, back to reality. Unfortunately the house didn't clean itself all week nor did the laundry, so I have a few things to get done before hosting bridge on Wednesday. Dale has booked himself a golf game or two in Cairo so no need to worry about him.

Take care and ttys.

Love,

Laurel

Spring Flowers

2010-03-30T14:54:00.007+02:00

I have been trying to capture some photos of the local wild flowers, but it has been very breezy lately. Here are a few and I will try to add to them later. I have also included a couple of sites to see what else is out there that I have missed. This is such a prolific time for flowers and the weather (+20C and sunny) has made walking very pleasant. Also, things are still quite green from the winter rain, but won't be for long. The large stone building is the Manor House in Kouklia and our house is on the other side of it. There is also a picture of a dig that has just started - most of the land around Kouklia is under UNESCO protection and must be checked before being built on.

http://www.thesussexwildlifer.co.uk/cyprusflowers.html

http://www.flickr.com/groups/655852@N21/pool/

Paris - March 12 - 17, 2010

2010-03-20T19:06:00.013+02:00

'I love Paris in the springtime'. . .
Well actually, we missed spring by a few weeks, but it was still a great trip despite the shaky start. It was one of those busman's holidays, but after I bought my ticket the bus changed routes! It worked out in the end by Dale changing onto the other airplane and hanging out with me after all. I arrived the day before him so had time to go to the gym then walk around Place Charles de Gaulle and the Arc de Triumph after a wonderful breakfast. When Dale arrived we went for a walk that turned into a marathon, as it seemed like just around each and every corner was another beautiful building worth investigating. We started on the Champs-Elysees and had lunch at Chez Clement - the pumpkin soup was fabulous. We then wandered over to the Grand Palais, Le Pont Alexandre III, the Petit Palais, Place de la Concorde - with the famous Luxor Obelisk - to Saint Mary Magdalene Church and Saint Augustin Church. If you followed our route on a map, you would see just how far we strolled.

Several hours later we met up with Jeff and the crew from another airplane for dinner and to celebrate Jeff's Captaincy. Several hours and several bottles of Champagne later we ended up back at our hotel for a nightcap. I was done in so we left the rest of them finishing things off and solving the world's problems.
We were warned that Sunday is a very busy time for all venues in Paris as the locals use this day to sightsee themselves. Not wanting to give in entirely we headed over to Le Sacre-Coeur in Montmartre. From this famous and gorgeous church is a lovely view of the city. We then headed over to the Catacombs but the line-ups were so long we went for lunch then hot chocolate at Amorino's - a lovely ice cream and chocolate shop.

We took a bus back so we could see the sights along the way, including a stop at the Opera & Academie de Music. Supper was at the Brasserie Lorraine near our hotel. I had the hazelnut-encrusted cod on a bed of spinach after the complimentary comfit of tomato and red peppers - yum. We were very full, so we had to share a Grand Marnier Mousse.

Monday was set aside for the Louvre and yes it can be done in a day - if you don't stop and admire each and every piece. We did of course spend a bit more time at the Mona Lisa and dragged Jeff over to see the Venus de Milo before he called it a day. And the building itself was certainly worth more than a cursory glance. The introductory tour wasn't very informative, but it did help us find our way around, including a couple of sections that I had missed in our initial wanderings. Very glad to have had the whole day, although my feet were definitely complaining at the end.

The next day we were off to Versailles, which was a quick train trip away and again, well worth the visit. We were there within 45 minutes of leaving our hotel. I couldn't believe the crowds since we were off-season. I don't think it would be good to do in the summer heat with even more people - although we did miss seeing all the fountains. Other than that, they had a good audio guide and there was a tremendous amount to be seen.

I had to be up early and off to the airport on Wednesday, so no gourmet breakfast for me. The flights were uneventful; mind you I only had my carry on luggage since they misplaced my luggage for the whole of my last visit to Paris. So, back at home now and the usual social routine. Dale made it back on Saturday and has a couple of weeks here before he is off again. We'll let you know if I get to go somewhere exciting with him again next month. It does make his job way more fun.
Take care and bye for now.
Love,
Laurel

Brighton, February 2010

2010-02-22T16:47:00.016+02:00

I can sure see why the English love Brighton; such a beautiful country and seaside. The only downside would be going there in the summer - which is of course when the weather is good - but the tourists would be wall-to-wall. However, as Dale had to do his annual training in Burgess Hill and February is when he is due, then February is when we went to Brighton. As it was, it was a very busy place with no sign of any recession.
We stayed at the Una Hotel in Regency Square. What a delightful place. Our room overlooked the square with a view of the water, which was still beautiful in spite of the cold (4C). The hotel staff were lovely. We really enjoyed talking to them and they were so helpful in recommending great restaurants. And the breakfast in the hotel was gourmet too - my favourite being the Eggs Benedict with smoked salmon and fresh squeezed orange juice every day - yum. The rooms are all unique - we stayed in the Danube - it was lovely.

Rain was in the forecast for the entire week, but did not interfere with my mission of finding a dress for Adam and Natalie's wedding. As a matter of fact, we even had a couple of days of blue sky and managed a bit of sightseeing - after the mission was completed of course. I had been told by all our British friends that if I did not find a dress in Brighton, then I never would. So, with that in mind I started out first thing Monday morning. Lucky for Dale he had two days of ground school and couldn't accompany me. By the end of the first day, I had tried on every dress in Brighton and had a few options that were OK - not IT, just OK. But I was not daunted yet.
Our first dinner recommendation was for the Sabai Thai Gastrobar - http://www.sabaibrighton.co.uk/
Definitely somewhere I would recommend as well.
The next day I took the train to Eastbourne as I had found a couple of dresses there online that I wanted to try on. It was a lovely half hour train ride and even though it was pouring when I arrived, it ended quickly and I tucked away my rain-gear into my bag and carried on. When I entered the store, I felt that I was in dress heaven. There were so many choices that I was sure that I would have infinite options. Wrong! Three malls, 10 miles and umpteen shops later I was thinking that I would have to pick one of my second choices, when I happened upon THE store. To make this long story a bit shorter, I found my dress in the last place I looked. They even had shoes to match, but I wasn't crazy about them, so figured I would find the right ones later. I thoroughly enjoyed the train ride back to Brighton.
Dinner was at the Casa Don Carlos - a Spanish Tapas restaurant - http://www.restaurant-guide.com/casa-don-carlos.htm
Another good choice.
Dale had to do his first simulator on Wednesday morning, so I thought I would try the local shops again - this time for shoes. It didn't take long. As a matter of fact, I found a pair I liked at the second store that would do - but they weren't completely comfortable. So seeing as it was a lovely sunny day, I just kept wandering around 'The Lanes'. The next store had my shoes and a bag to match. I was back at the hotel in time to meet Dale and head off for some sightseeing.
We drove up the coast and stopped at the beautiful cliffs for a walk along the seashore. Then back to the Brighton Marina for a late lunch at the Karma Bar which was recommended by a friend who lives near there - http://www.karmabrighton.co.uk/

After visiting several of the local shops we were still full from lunch, so we picked up a salad and a few munchies to take back to our room. Dale had to get up again at 0500, so no nightclubbing for us!

By Thursday, my shopping was winding down. I just thought I would wander around and see if I could find a nice matching piece of jewellery to go with my dress. Things were definitely falling into place, and I didn't get near the walk that I did on the first couple of days. So now when Dale got back we decided to continue our traipse eastward. By the time we arrived in Alfriston we were more than ready for lunch. The Moonrakers Restaurant was my number one favourite of all. Here is a review that touches on the experience.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2009/may/24/jay-rayner-reviews-moonrakers-alfriston-east-sussex

From there we drove back through Lewes and caught a glimpse of the Castle.
http://www.castleuk.net/castle_lists_south/198/lewescastle.htm

Back at the hotel we were advised on yet another fantastic restaurant for dinner. The Melrose Restaurant in Regency Square just 2 minutes from our hotel served the best fish and chips that we have ever had. And they didn't even come close to the fantastic pot of mussels we had. http://www.melroserestaurant.co.uk/
Friday Dale had a reprieve from simulators as it broke down and we had to do some fast juggling of flights. Unfortunately, I was unable to change my flight, so I was still scheduled to go back to Cyprus on Saturday, while Dale changed his to Sunday to accommodate the cancellation. It did give us time to hit the local highlights. The Royal Pavilion was waaaaay better and more than we expected. The audio guide was included and really enhanced our visit. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Pavilion

Afterwards we walked down to the Pier, which is an entertainment on its own. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brighton
Here are some pictures -
http://images.google.com/images?source=ig&hl=en&rlz=&q=brighton+pier+england&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=psGCS9XvItCD4Qa2q9mKBw&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=5&ved=0CC8QsAQwBA

Dinner was at the Riddle & Finns - http://www.riddleandfinns.co.uk/
It's sister restaurant 'Due South' was recommended by a friend, but Paul, our host from the hotel said that it wasn't getting the rave reviews that it had in the past. He hasn't been wrong yet.

And so here we are, back in Cyprus. What a delightful change in weather. +20C and sunny. So much easier to take than cold and rain. But again, Brighton was certainly worth the visit. And if you are into shopping (which ordinarily I would avoid like the plague) you will love it.
Dale gets the rest of the week here, so we are catching up with friends and bridge and outings. No rest for the wicked.
Love,
Laurel

Cairo - January 2010

2010-01-21T19:20:00.004+02:00

There you go. I have been back in Cyprus since Monday, and the weather has been very Comoxy. The rain has been coming down in buckets and when those buckets have been emptied, they found more buckets. Our pool has overflowed twice this week and there is rain in the forecast until Monday. I know that I am always saying how much Cyprus needs the rain to fill the reservoirs - but enough already! Or at least spread it out over a week or two. What is amazing is how much sunshine appears between downpours.

Anyway, just thought I would mention a bit about the week before in Cairo. Dale was on call, but all was quiet on his schedule so we managed to get several games of golf in. I even took my own clubs with me this time, and it was amazing what a difference that made - in a good way! We also had a lovely visit with MJ and Neil and another set of their company from the valley. Here are some pictures from our Felucca ride - which MJ is so famous for hosting.

And then it was off to a quaint little place in Ma'adi for dinner. A great time was had by all.

Our next sojourn will be in Brighton in the UK in February, as Dale will be taking his annual recurrent training in Burgess Hill. I am hoping to get a little shopping in and look for a dress for the wedding. Wish me luck - I do need it.

Take care and I'll let you know how it all went.

Love,

Laurel

Dale's Birthday - January 9th

2010-01-11T11:39:00.003+02:00

Had a lovely day. I gave Dale a new hybrid fairway club called a Cobra Baffler. We tried it out at Secret Valley driving range. It was the first time we have even used our clubs in Cyprus. It seemed to work, so Dale is pleased. He will be taking his new club to Cairo where it will get more use. We had dinner out with some good friends and now Dale is back to work again for the rest of the month.

January 2010

2010-01-04T14:29:00.007+02:00

I am back. I know I left you hanging, but all is well now that I am almost over my cold too. I did take a couple of days to get the laundry done and the house cleaned, and now I can sit down and fill you in on the last week or so.

We were in Geneva over the New Year. The best part had to be the breakfasts at our lovely little boutique hotel which was called the Eastwest Hotel. Everything came in little glasses including fruit salad, smoked salmon, cream cheese, orange compote, etc. while the scrambled eggs came in cute little ceramic pots with lids, or you could order an omelette if you preferred. There was a choice of fresh orange juice or a mix of grapefruit, raspberry and orange. They had the best fruit/nut bread as well as pumpernickel and several other kinds. And then of course there were chocolate croissants among the variety of other pastries. To fill things out, there were several choices of cheeses and prosciutto, and did I mention the cappuccino? If we weren't so full, I am sure we would have stayed there all morning drinking cappuccino.

Not that that is all there is to do in Geneva. The hotels give you a bus pass that took us everywhere we wanted to go. From the United Nations and the three legged chair that was designed as a monument to ban land mines, to the Red Cross Museum. We also found St. Peter's Cathedral in the old town as well as the Maison Tavel which has been turned into an historical museum. And shopping galore! If I didn't know name brands before, I certainly do now. Geneva is very expensive and caters to the very rich - we did a lot of window shopping. This is a good site for some highlights - http://pgoh13.free.fr/geneva.php

We did manage to get tickets to Cirque Eloize - Rain. It was a very bizarre and much smaller version of Cirque du Soleil, but certainly entertaining (even in French). Here is a youtube clip if you are interested - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4a9nvmjzePY&feature=related

Our New Year's Eve was very tame. We found some delightful goodies at a very posh grocery store, which we enjoyed with Jeff when he arrived. After a little walk around the old town we called it a night. There was no chance of missing midnight though with all the noise in the streets. It was hard to believe that we had been out there just minutes before when it was so quiet.

So that is it in a nutshell. I hope everyone has a healthy and happy 2010.

Love,

Laurel

Cairo - December, 2009

2009-12-26T15:42:00.004+02:00

December 21 - while Adam and Natalie and Blake and Janelle were off doing their sightseeing marathon, we got in some gym time and some R&R. Later in the afternoon we met the kids at the Khan and showed them some of Dale's bargaining prowess, as he bartered for some scarves for the ladies. Back to the JW for a quiet evening.

December 22 - a great day for golf. Janelle walked with us as Blake, Dale and I managed to hit a few golf balls around the course. Adam and Natalie came out and walked the last couple of holes with us and then joined us for lunch. We met up again with them in the lounge where all three plane crews were hanging out. The party was well on its way with Mel and Nikki mixing drinks for David, Robin, Rod and Yves. We squeezed in enough chairs for the eleven of us, and joined in the merriment after which we left them for a quiet dinner with the kids.

December 23 - Natalie was up early for her flight back to England to spend Christmas with her Grampa. We were sorry to see her go, and were even hoping that will all the snow storms in the UK that her flight would be postponed for a day or two - but no luck. We finally buckled down and answered a few emails and got caught up with things. In the evening we went out with Blake and Janelle to catch the famous Giza Pyramid Sound & Light Show. Seems like we spent a bit of time in the 60's with the entertainment - but the venue was awesome!

December 24 - the boys had a flight out to El Gouna, so we met Janelle in the lounge for lunch after a lovely game of golf. Hard to see it as reality when one is golfing on Christmas Eve day. We again met up with all the crews in the lounge before heading down to the very festive buffet downstairs. It was great fun, with the girls bringing out all sorts of Christmas hats for some very goofy photos.

December 25 - Merry Christmas. We were not moving at top speed this morning, so decided to take it easy before heading back to Cyprus. We met Adam for breakfast then took our time packing up. Definitely a slow day.

December 26 - Back in Cyprus for one day of mega loads of laundry and catching up on the computer. Dale is off to work tomorrow, so will fill you in on all that later.

Take care, and hope you're not exhausted after reading about our hectic adventures.

Merry Christmas and lots of love,

Laurel and Dale

Luxor - December 2009

2009-12-26T14:32:00.012+02:00

December 19 - Luxor - another 6am breakfast so that we can pack it all in again. Off to Valley of the Kings and went inside the tombs of Ramses III, Ramses IX and Queen Hatshepsut. Again, having Ahmed as our guide was so much more interesting and informative.

The info site - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valley_of_the_Kings

The photo site - http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&q=valley+of+the+kings+egypt&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=sgE2S9DtLqeI4ga6spGqCA&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=4&ved=0CCUQsAQwAw

The next stop is the Al-Deir el Bahri Temple - Queen Hatshepsut's Temple - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deir_el-Bahri

Having a guide is always worth it - even if he takes you to an Alabaster factory. Dale had to be ruthless with his bargaining skills, but we found out later that he did well. After lunch we ended up going into a Government Store, where there is no bargaining, and no hassles. We talked to one of the Professors from the University, and he gave us an education in fake vs genuine artifacts, and there we found out that Dale got a fair price for our little pieces of Onyx and Basalt - in spite of the fact that our guide was probably getting a 50% commission.

December 20 - we got to sleep in until 7am as our tours were to start at 8:30am. We did have to pack up and leave our suitcases in the lobby as we were flying back to Cairo at 5:40pm. This gave us plenty of time to visit Karnak and Luxor Temples as well as the Luxor Museum where there was a fantastic display of some sculptures recently unearthed at Karnak. Luxor is also rebuilding the Avenue of the Sphinxes which was a 3km path from Karnak to the Luxor Temple.

Here are some great photos of Avenue of the Sphinxes - http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&q=avenue+of+the+sphinxes&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=Rws2S-XHLsPU4Qay-4iqCA&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=1&ved=0CBIQsAQwAA

Plus some for Karnak Temple- http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&q=karnak+temple&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=ows2S4T8LcvQ4gbO9ayqCA&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=1&ved=0CBIQsAQwAA

And some for Luxor Temple - http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&q=luxor+temple+egypt&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=SQw2S4byJ9Od4QbZu62qCA&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=4&ved=0CB0QsAQwAw

The info on Karnak - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karnak

And the info on Luxor - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luxor_Temple

And off we go to the airport and back to Cairo, where we met up with Adam and Natalie at the JW. They had big plans for the next day to see the Pyramids at Giza, the Khan el-Khalili, City of the Dead and Garbage City.

To be continued . . .

Photos of Beau Soleil - Nile Cruise - December 2009

2009-12-26T14:27:00.005+02:00

Nile Cruise - December 2009

2009-12-26T13:51:00.007+02:00

December 18 - we set our alarm for 6am as we only had from 7-8:30am to see the Kom Ombo Temple. We happened to go ashore the same time as an American family and were invited to join them and their guide to the temple. Ahmed was very enthusiastic and knowledgeable, and he managed to fill the time with loads of info and history. We joined them again downriver at Edfu to see the Temple of Horus. We took a very rickety horse-drawn carriage to the temple and had a lesson on reading hieroglyphics. Back on the boat for tea and lots more discussion with Ahmed, followed by a very necessary nap (one needs to digest this much info). A very interesting day - and dinner was as excellent as the night before.

Here is the info on Kom Ombo - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple_of_Kom_Ombo

And a great photo site - http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&q=kom+ombo+temple&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=W_s1S8bHA4Oy4QaZpr2qCA&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=4&ved=0CB4QsAQwAw

This is the info on Edfu Temple - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edfu

And again, a great photo site - http://images.google.com/images?source=ig&hl=en&rlz=&q=edfu+temple+egypt&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=Kfw1S6i7DpOA4Qbwp6mqCA&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=5&ved=0CCkQsAQwBA

To be continued . . .

Aswan - December 2009

2009-12-26T12:03:00.013+02:00

December 16 - Aswan - we hit the ground running. We were met at the train and whisked to our hotel (Marhada Palace Hotel) for a quick stop then on to the sightseeing. Our first stop was a granite quarry of the Unfinished Obelisk. We got the amazing story of how they quarried the obelisks at a later date. Our next stop was the Philae Temple. This historic temple was moved to its present island to save it from the flooding of the Nile when the Aswan Dam was built. It was a major project taken on by Unesco and Egypt.

This is a good site for the story - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philae

Here is a great site for photos -

http://images.google.com/images?source=ig&hl=en&rlz=&q=philae+temple+egypt&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=_eI1S4PcJZP-4Aba_uXKCw&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=4&ved=0CCMQsAQwAw

We were then taken to see the new dam - it was interesting, but could have passed.

Here is some info on that - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aswan_Dam

Unfortunately the winds didn't favour a trip to Elephantine Island, which I had wanted to see, but it was still a lovely Felucca ride. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elephantine

We did get a great view of the Nubian Village.

Here are some great internet photos of Feluccas -

http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&q=felucca+on+the+nile&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=UOU1S6abIZCu4Qax2OCqCA&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=4&ved=0CCYQsAQwAw

Bedtime was early as we were expecting a wake-up call at 2:30am for our trip to Abu Simbel.

December 17 - We were picked up at the hotel at 3am for a rendezvous with a convoy of other buses and cars for a police escorted trip across the desert to Abu Simbel. Unfortunately, the convoy didn't even leave until 4:40, so it was an interminable time in the bus. We found out later than one could fly to Abu Simbel! My recommendation - never mind the price difference - it would be worth it! Don't forget, one still has the return journey in the bus. However, having made the journey, it is another truly remarkable feat of monumental moving.

Here is a great photo site -

http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&resnum=0&q=Abu+Simbel&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=PfM1S4etHIvS4QbZg8iqCA&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=1&ved=0CBQQsAQwAA

And of course the usual Wikipedia site - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abu_Simbel

We arrived back at our hotel at 1pm and were taken to the Beau Soleil - our lovely cruise ship, where a very welcome lunch awaited. We got unpacked and still had a couple of hours to wander around the markets in Aswan before setting sail during dinner at 8pm.

To be continued . . .

Cairo - December, 2009

2009-12-26T10:53:00.007+02:00

December 1 - 12 - Christmas parties abound in the first couple of weeks in Cyprus as many of the ex-pats return to the UK or wherever home is for Christmas. Unfortunately, Dale got called out last minute for some CRM training in Zurich from the 7th to the 11th, so he missed a few.

December 13 - Since Dale was supposed to be home for almost two weeks, the idea was to take a little vacation before Christmas. Imagine, going to Cairo on his days off when he practically lives there the rest of the year. But we had plans.

December 14 - After breakfast with Adam and his good buddy/co-pilot Blake, we rushed downtown to get our train tickets for the next day. We didn't quite make it by 2:30 which is when the office was supposed to close, but being Egypt, there was no problem. We then gave MJ Crouch a call, and popped in for a visit. A couple of hours later and after a lovely dinner (Neil made it home too), we dropped in to David and Jacqueline's to help with their annual packaging party. 160 gift bags for Sudanese children - double last year and I believe double the goodies. And everyone there was Canadian plus one American. What are the odds? I wonder if we can make it again next year! What with all the fun and goodies and good works, it is worth a try.

December 15 - After breakfast with the boys it was time to get out onto the Golf course. My lessons from our last trip to Cairo seemed to still be helping, but there was no keeping up to Adam and Blake and Dale. By the time I had a nice relaxing hot-tub, it was time to pack and catch our train. I am so glad we gave ourselves some extra time - the traffic - even by Cairo standards was horrendous. We hit bottle-neck after bottle-neck to the point of distraction. Thankfully we still arrived in plenty of time, plus apparently and certainly unbeknownst to us, the train is usually late!

The train itself is another story. Back in the 60's it was certainly First Class and quite luxurious, but at least nowadays it is still comfortable if a bit tired. Dinner and breakfast left a lot to be desired as well, but we had been eating too much anyway. As it was the sleeper train, we got all tucked in and comfortable in our bunks for the 12 hour ride.

To be continued . .

Malta - Nov. 29, 2009

2009-12-01T19:31:00.015+02:00

Sunday -

After a lovely swim in the nice heated pool we managed another huge breakfast before catching the bus into Valletta for the Sunday Market. The Markets over here are quite similar in that they are very large and well attended - with everything from soup to nuts with the kitchen sink thrown in for good measure. I found a couple of nice Maltese Cross pins for my collection.

We were finally able to go inside St. John Co-Cathedral since it was Sunday and open for services. It is a beautiful church, but still not quite as ornate or lavish as the Church of St. Paul's Shipwreck.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._John's_Co-Cathedral

With a little help we also found the St. John Hospitallers Museum that I had looked for on Friday. I got some great pictures of the period costumes and scenes depicting their life and work. It was well worth searching out.

http://www.imalta.com/travel/attractions-malta/valletta.htm

Since the gate of Valletta is home to the bus terminal, we jumped on a bus to Mdina. Again our 47 cents got us there in about half an hour. Mdina was the capital of Malta in medieval times and housed the aristocracy in their ancestral homes and palaces. The Citadel there is another beautiful walled city with very impressive streets and gardens in and around it. We also traipsed afar into the suburbs of Rabat which is part and parcel of Mdina.

http://www.maltavista.net/en/list/photo/496.html

http://www.maltavista.net/en/list/photo/516.html

Thank goodness for comfy walking shoes, or we would never have seen as much as we did. Another successful day.

Monday -

Another visit to the gym before breakfast, then a wander around St. Julian's where our hotel is situated. We found a lovely beach five minutes away, which shouldn't have been surprising, since the Malta coastline has the most bays and inlets of any island I have ever seen. I am sure that every citizen has a view of the sea. Our flight home went smoothly and included another lovely lunch. All in all, a wonderful little holiday.

Love,

Laurel

Malta - Nov. 28, 2009

2009-12-01T13:36:00.010+02:00

Saturday -

The hotel has a great gym, apparently the best equipped in the country. What a good way to justify the huge breakfast included with our room.

The long expensive bus ride (45 min., 1.16 euros) took us to Cirkewwa to catch the ferry to Gozo. Another shorter bus ride to Victoria (20 min. and the usual 47 cents) and we were at the Citadel. Everything is made out of the same golden stones, which are very impressive, not to mention beautiful and again, so clean. After visiting the Cathedral and its museum we walked around the streets and ramparts. These offered great views of all the outlying towns and villages, each with their own massive churches.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victoria,_Malta

Here is a lovely aerial view -

http://www.planetware.com/picture/victoria-citadel-m-gozcit.htm

Having missed the hourly bus to Ggantija, which we were assured was a very important stop, we decided to grab a taxi and then bus back. This is the one and only time we felt done in. We wouldn't have minded the 8 euro taxi fare had it not been for the 8 euro entrance fee. Now I do realize the historical significance of the Ggantija temples, but after all the historical sites we have visited since being over here, this was by far the most expensive with the least to offer. This youtube video makes it look way more impressive than in real life.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYswsAtXRfY

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ġgantija

They did throw in a visit to the local windmill which they have done up into a lovely little museum. It explained the importance of olive oil, bread and wine to the region and to the local surrounding islands, including Cyprus. Very interesting.

Before catching the bus back to the ferry, I did manage to taste another local rice dish made with peas, beans and tomatoes. Delicious. That and a lovely swim at the hotel and I was done in for the night.

To be continued . . .

Malta - Nov. 27 - 30, 2009

2009-12-01T11:35:00.010+02:00

I had one day at home before heading off to Malta with Hazel. We had decided that if we could find a nice little package holiday there, that we would do it. As it was, the fantastic deal Hazel found while I was away ended November 30. But that didn't stop us. Not only did we fly with Emirates, which is a bit of an upscale airline, but we also stayed at the five star Intercontinental Hotel. The package also included transportation to and from the hotel as well as parking in Larnaca. So all in all it was well worth the rush.

Now to tell you a bit about Malta. What a lovely place. Not only was it exceptionally clean with no litter or graffiti, it was inexpensive as well - at least compared to Cyprus. They also have a marvelous public transportation system that only cost 47 cents per trip. The longest journey (about 45 minutes - it is a small island) out to catch the ferry to Gozo was still only 1.16 euros, and the ferry itself (a 25 minute crossing) was 4.65 euros return. There is no reason not to visit the whole island - well, unless you run out of time as of course we did with only being there Friday to Monday.

Friday -

But we did get lots in in our short time. We arrived, unpacked, had a quick cup of tea (you must remember I am traveling with an English person) and were on the bus to Valletta by 3pm. Valletta is a walled city built by the Knights of St. John when they were deeded the island in 1530 by Emperor Charles V. Indeed there are many signs and references to the knights throughout the city.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valletta

In our rambles we came across the Church of St. Paul's Shipwreck which rivals any church in Rome, and apparently the treasures in this church surpass any others in Malta. Unfortunately no photos were allowed, and I could not find any on the internet either.

http://www.christusrex.org/www1/ofm/pope2/malta/SPmla01.html

On our way back to the hotel we tasted a couple of treats from the local street vendors just outside the gate of Valletta. The chicken crepe was marvelous, but I absolutely love the imqaret, which is a Maltese date filled snack that they were selling for 20 cents. Yum!

To be continued . . .

Cairo - Nov. 18 - 25, 2009

2009-12-01T11:19:00.003+02:00

Hi all,

Just catching up on a very busy month. Dale and I had a great week in Cairo - mostly golfing. We took a couple of lessons and I think we may even have learned something. Tried to replicate everything out on the course - maybe it will be better next time.

Had a lovely dinner over at Neil and MJ's - we always have such a great time visiting with them.

Unfortunately we will probably miss seeing them at Christmas as they are off on their travels when we are planning on being there.

No photos on this little update, but wait - more is coming!

Love,

Laurel

Abandoned Turkish Village

2009-11-16T21:06:00.003+02:00

Just out for another jaunt while the weather is still holding up at 25C with a few threatening clouds, but no rain. Good for the walk, not so good for everything else. I have posted some pictures of this abandoned Turkish Village before, but that was when we drove to it. I found out today that it is only about one and a half hours walk from Kouklia. Mind you that also means one and a half hours to get home again! Hazel and I and the dogs (Spike and Millie) started in the hills of Kouklia and came home via the Diarizos riverbed which is still dry, but will change soon when the rains come in earnest. One of the photos shows the clay in the riverbed that is layered like paper. It is also very hard so would make a great pot. We are still scouting out a walk to take our walking group on, but this one was a bit long and arduous for a few of our members, so we will keep searching.

Saturday, November 14, 2009 - Souskiou, Cyprus

2009-11-15T10:14:00.004+02:00

After attending the Archaeological Society lecture on Friday, Linda, Pat, Hazel and I struck out to get an up close look at the digs in Souskiou. Souskiou dates back to 3000BC and is right on the outskirts of Kouklia. Here are a few pictures from our walk.

Nov. 10, 2009 Cyprus

2009-11-10T10:28:00.003+02:00

Another fine walk on this lovely island. We went to Foinikaria just north of Lemesos. It was a bit of an endurance test as you can see in the photos, but a gorgeous day and of course, lunch afterwards. Again, the pictures do not do it justice. You have to come and see for yourself.

October 26, 2009 Cyprus

2009-10-26T11:39:00.006+02:00

Here are some pictures of the last couple of days. Another fabulous walk, this time at Episkopi with lunch at the Kava Taverna. Then a motorcycle ride up to Anoiyra to visit the Olive Oil Museum. We also finally met the new Priest at church this Sunday. He is from Fredericton, NB, so his Canadian accent was very obvious.

Dale has another week off, which is most unusual since he is normally asked to go back to work a day or two earlier than expected. So, he gets a quiet week at home, since I didn't know he would be here and didn't plan too many events. At least this way he can recover from all the activity before work.

Hope all is well there and you get some sunshine soon. It is raining here today (good news) but still 26C.

Take care.

Love,

Laurel and Dale

October 21, 2009 Cyprus

2009-10-21T17:13:00.005+02:00

Aphrodite Hills Performance

Hi there,

Just a quick note on life in Cyprus. We have kept up a remarkable pace the last couple of weeks since Dale has been home and he has had to catch up with friends and events to last him when he goes back to work. Actually, I think he will be going back to work to relax.

Besides being invited out to lunches and dinners, I have dragged him to a couple of dance lessons, bridge games, walks, a wine tasting at the Linos Winery, a variety show at Aphrodite Hills, the Nicosia Horse Races, and an archaeological lecture. And it doesn't look like it will slow down quite yet.

Nicosia Horse Races

I will probably send along some photos after our next walk on Saturday. It has been good though, as these events get us out and about and seeing more of Cyprus, not to mention learning more of its history.

Linos Winery view

So, needless to say, we are enjoying ourselves and especially the weather. It is hard to wish for the much needed rain while we are gadding about in shorts and sandals, but we do know that it will come eventually. Meanwhile, sunscreen anyone?

Love,

Laurel and Dale

5th Floor Restaurant - Tuna Salad

Laneia Walk - October 10, 2009

2009-10-11T06:48:00.004+02:00

Grape Arbor & Olive Press

These pictures don't do it justice, but it is worth a try to show you the gorgeous walk we were on. Our walking group has started up again after a hiatus over the summer; most people find it too hot to walk in the summer (us included). Laneia is about 20 minutes north of Lemesos, which is about half an hour east of Paphos. It is on the way to the Troodos Mountains, up in the hills. The weather has still been fantastic - around 29C every day, with hardly a cloud in the sky.

We usually stop for lunch at a local taverna after the walk. The Laneia Taverna was a lovely spot framed in greenery looking out over a quaint little artisans' shop. As a matter of fact, the entire village was a quaint, cosy little place and we loved traipsing around after lunch. The meze (a buffet of many local dishes) was also wonderful and the beer was cold. What more could you ask for?

View from the top

Laneia

Sept. 17th - 26th, 2009 - Italy - continued

2009-09-28T16:08:00.015+02:00

FLORENCE - FIRENZE

Why do they change the name in different languages? You would never find Florence on a map or on a road sign, so why doesn't the rest of the world just call it Firenze? Good thing we did our homework since the trains only went to Firenze and we would have missed the best part of the trip otherwise. Speaking of maps - may I recommend one for Firenze as well. We walked right by our hotel, but fortunately on our way back, the doorman at the Savoy (right next door) spoke english. I always wondered what lay behind those massive wooden doors. Our hotel used to be a bank, and was renovated into a delightful bed and breakfast with only about 10 rooms.

We were so lucky with the weather for the whole trip. Rain was in the forecast before we left, but we didn't see a drop. Wandering around town our hotel (Il Salotto di Firenze) was minutes from the famous Ponte Vecchio which is chock-a-block full of jewelry shops - bank to bank on both sides of the bridge. We were just looking of course. From there it was only another 15 minutes or so to the Piazzale Michelangelo for a lovely view of the whole city. We also went to a concert at the Basilica di San Lorenzo. So what if you don't speak Italian - the choir was magnificent and a few of the selections were accompanied by a superb organist. The acoustics were phenomenal.

The next day was the highlight. We took a bus tour called 'The Best of Tuscany'; and it lived up to it's name. Siena was a lovely village that Dale had read about and actually wanted to stay at, so I was really pleased that it was on the tour.

The next stop was a farm called 'Fattoria Poggio Alloro' where we had a fantastic lunch and tried several of their wines. They also run cooking classes and made everything that we ate except for the cheeses - yes they grew the vegetables for the salad and the Bolognese, made the pasta, made the salami and the prosciutto, made the biscotti and of course all the wine.

Thank goodness we only had to walk as far as the bus then we went on to the medieval village of San Gimignano. Most of the buildings are still in use, and you really felt like you had stepped back in time. What a lovely place - and the best Gelato in the world (according to our tour guide, so we had to try some and she was right). The last stop was Pisa. It wasn't something that I thought I would see on this trip, so I was delighted. It is definitely more amazing in real life than in pictures.

http://www.walkaboutpass.com/nqcontent.cfm?a_name=bestoftuscanytour_homepage

Thank heaven we only planned a couple of things for our last day. The main attraction was visiting the Academia museum to see Michelangelo's 'David'. The rest of the museum was pretty good too, with a very interesting exhibit on musical instruments through the ages. We also took in the Duomo, especially since it was so close to our hotel.

http://www.sacred-destinations.com/italy/florence-duomo.htm

I should have taken notes as we were going along, as I feel that I may have missed one or two things. The pictures don't do it justice - especially the countryside and rolling hills of Tuscany. If they had had a painting or poster that did it justice, I am sure that I would have lugged it home. It was truly a memorable and believe it or not, a relaxing holiday. Our feet were sore, but we loved every minute of it.

So now back to reality. Dale is back at work and I am catching up here at home.

Hope all is well with you and yours.

Take care and bye for now. Ciao.

Love,

Laurel

Sept. 17th - 26th, 2009 - Italy - continued

2009-09-28T14:06:00.016+02:00

The trains in Italy are fantastic. They are on schedule and fast. What a pleasant way to travel. I especially liked that you didn't have to go through security and take off everything but the bare minimums.

VENICE - VENEZIA

Our hotel was supposedly only 10 minutes from the train station, so why did it take us half an hour to get there? Do not, I repeat, do not venture around Venice without a map! And even then you are really taking chances. However, the lovely proprietor of our hotel (Alloggi Marinella) supplied us with a map, directions and recommendations of what to see and do. And once we dropped off our luggage, it didn't matter that we got lost a few times. The pizza was great and the Gelato even better. What a treat to walk around and feast our eyes on everything.

Besides the churches and the Ponte di Rialto, the Doges Palace in the Piazza San Marco was the main attraction. The palace was the Duke's residence and the center of government. Apparently they had a system of governing that rivaled the Romans. The rooms were lavish in their decorations as art was and is still prized by the Venetians.

There are many other islands surrounding Venice and we were fortunate to visit Burano and Murano. Burano is the smaller of the two, but the most popular. As you can see in the picture, the houses are painted up in very bright colours and the shops and restaurants are small and intimate. We spent a very pleasant couple of hours after lunch just meandering and of course a little shopping. One must buy a small piece or two of glass, si?

Murano is where all the glass is manufactured. We watched a fascinating glass blowing demonstration and afterward were invited into their gallery/show room. We were bedazzled. Unfortunately, our favourite pieces ranged from 9000 to 30000 euros. Not quite in our snack bracket! But thrilled to have been able to see it.

Definitely a peaceful and romantic city. It exceeded any expectations I may have had.

To be continued . . .

Sept. 17th - 26th, 2009 - Italy

2009-09-28T09:56:00.014+02:00

I have just put Tuscany on the top of my list of places one must see. Dale and I actually took a real vacation and popped over to Italy. We flew direct from Larnaca to Rome and spent the first three days there.

ROME - ROMA

I recommend the Roma pass for the buses and Metro (subway), plus entrance into a couple of venues. The maps were pretty good and we only got on the wrong bus once, but didn't go too far wrong as we got off at a Metro station and found our way again.

The first day we just got our bearings and did a couple of sights on the check-list, including the Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps, our first Gelato of many, the Castel Sant'Angelo etc.

Day two we had a marvelous guide take us through the Colosseum. He did a very good job of keeping things light while we visited a place of ferocity and brutality. We got a very interesting view into the life of a Gladiator and of a lion. In the afternoon the tour continued in the Roman Ruins on Palatine Hill and the Forum. Afterward we popped into the Musei Capitolini for a peek at their collections of paintings and sculptures; it was very worthwhile.

The next day was our trip to the Vatican. This is something that you absolutely need a guide for, otherwise you will spend half the day in the line-up. Not to mention that it would take another lifetime to see all there is to see in the museum. Our guide kept us going non-stop for four hours, including the Sistine Chapel and ending at St. Peter's Cathedral where we finished up at our leisure. After a much needed break and lunch, we found our way to a very famous coffee shop at Sant Eustachio - for one of many Cappuccino's - and a quick visit to the Pantheon. Just walking around is wonderful. The side streets are narrow and quaint, with lovely shops and boutiques.

This is an interesting site for more info.

http://www.rome.info/itineraries/

To be continued . . .

Comox, July 20 - August 12, 2009

2009-08-16T09:03:00.022+03:00

So how did we get from July 3 to August 15 so quickly?

Things were pretty uneventful until we left for Comox on July 19th, and then of course, we didn't arrive until the 20th, and picked up Joel in Vancouver on our way. (Good thing my Mom and Dad have lots of room.) Then we started hopping. First we bought an old Honda Accord (1994) which Dad will store for us, and got the motor-home ready for George and Johanne. They were there for the first week, so we had a great visit with them and were busy sorting out things for Elsie who is still enjoying being at Berwick. We also celebrated Elsie's Birthday for the first of three times since George and Johanne had to leave.

And of course, Dale got his airplane up and flying, and we had our annual trip out to Cowichan Lake at Paul and Cheryl's. Shelley and Jim hosted their annual 'Big Chill' weekend, and thanks to the fantastic weather, we managed to fly in to theirs as well. I think I was the only one basking in the +30C, since it had been +34C in Cyprus for weeks.

Next on the agenda was a trip over to Vancouver for Rita's surprise 50th. It was fabulous. We had a wonderful reunion with the Winnipeg gang including Sheldon and Suellen, Laura and Derek and Lisa. Not to mention meeting up with Jake and Johanne and of course, Rita's family. What a great party. I think we enjoyed it as much as Rita. Joel and Adam and Natalie joined us as well, and we were all delighted to catch up with Mike and Jenny and Adrian too. Adrian did such a fantastic job organizing that all we had to do was eat, drink and be merry!

Back to Comox again, and many thanks to all including my Mom, for so many lunch and dinner invitations. I am just sorry that the time went by so quickly that we didn't manage to see everyone. We are truly blessed by such good friends and will have no trouble repatriating in the not-too-distant future. We also had the second of Elsie's Birthday celebrations, since it was actually the 3rd.

Her third party was shared by my Dad's Birthday on the 7th, in the lovely private dining room at Berwick. I finally remembered to take some family photos, which you can see.

The next day was the 5th Annual Bocce Ball Tournament hosted in Merville by Frank and Barb, and Peter and Melodie. There were 94 people participating this year with at least 12 courts marked off on Frank and Barb's lawn. It was great fun, followed by a marvelous supper of spaghetti and sauce, garlic bread, salad and goodies. And they raised over $4600. for Breast Cancer. Fantastic event! Wish we could make it every year but 3/5 isn't too bad.

And then came the big rush to pack up the plane, the motor-home and the car. Not to mention some last minute shopping for necessities to take back to Cyprus, and a few more visits with friends.

So, here I am back to our +34C and Dale has already left for work. He almost had to leave the same day we arrived, but thankfully, managed to get a 24 hour delay. I now get to do the unpacking and laundry and getting some of the dust out that accumulated while we were away. No complaints though as I will also start re-connecting with friends here, although many are still away because of the heat. Also, everything shuts down here in August, so no chance of getting very much done.

Bye for now and take care. Hopefully I'll have something to write about sooner than later.

Love,

Laurel

Ladies Only

2009-07-03T18:35:00.004+03:00

We celebrated the day with a marvellous lunch at Secret Valley Golf Club.
Hazel, Roz, Linda, Linda, Jen, Lesley, Eileen, Rosemary, Maureen and me!
The scenery was almost as good as the food.

Protaras - June 29-30

2009-07-01T18:42:00.005+03:00

Hi all,
Just a quick update. Dale is away at work, so I am keeping busy here. I just spent two lovely days in Protaras, which is a couple of hours east of here near Ayia Napa (the party centre of the island). We were there in January last year, but it is much nicer in the summer.

I went with Hazel and Rosemary to meet someone Hazel knew from a previous trip to Turkey. She was there with her three lovely daughters and we had a great time. I also went in the sea which, as many of you will know, is most unusual - but the sand was pristine and the water was clear so you could see everything (and it was also very hot). The pictures don't do it justice.
Other than that, keeping busy with the usual stuff. Have had time to read a couple of books, but the rest of the time the social calendar is quite full.
Looking forward to seeing everyone in July.
Bye for now,
Love,
Laurel

Kid's visit Jun 2009

2009-06-12T07:46:00.004+03:00

A visit by Adam and Natalie landed in the nicest time of the year if you like sunshine and moderate heat. The flowers were amazing and suntanning was available 15 hours a day. Needless to say we watched Natalie's tan transform before our eyes.
The visit was highlighted by our trip to Northern Cyprus where we once again showed them the
amazing St. Hillarion Castle, Kyrenia Fort and some nice restaurants.
.
Adam treated us to a unique dining experience for us at the Stone Grill which uses a searing Lava stone tablet to cook your own steak.
Very delicious as we enjoyed many laughs, great food and a cooling sunset.
Besides the trip to the North, we had many days at the pool, lunch and dinner at friends, and great evening where we hosted 15 guests to meet our ‘kids’.

(Our purple robes were courtesy of the Kykkos Monastery we visited on our way back from the North in the Troodos Mountains.)
The visit was fun and we feel very blessed to have occasions like this to catch up with family and show them a bit of our crazy adventures.

Photos from Cairo

2009-05-25T14:17:00.004+03:00

May 10 - 14, 2009 - Cairo

2009-05-19T08:44:00.005+03:00

Well, you know how quiet things can get around here - me neither!
I was home for almost a week when Dale called and was finally on the ground for a bit.
So, off I went to the JW Marriott in Cairo - home away from home. Adam was there too. Ordinarily I would have said that we dragged him out golfing, but in this case, he was more than keen, and now I know why. He has been practising! All that time he and Jeff spent in Cairo at the JW was not wasted. I even coerced him into giving me a couple of tips, but I'll never catch up at the rate he is going. The last photo is from our room, when I left them to do the rest of the 18 holes.
All in all it was great fun, and Dale and I even did a trip back to the Giza pyramids to see the 'solar boat' and get a closer view of the Sphinx (not to mention climbing several flights up to go inside the pyramid). I think that may be enough of pyramids for me - although I haven't been to Luxor yet!
Back in Cyprus, I hit the ground running with more parties and lunches etc.. Dale is due back in a couple of days, and next week Adam and Natalie are coming out. We are really looking forward to their visit and have a few things planned, although I know they like their pool and beach time too. I will fill you in on all that later.
Bye for now.
Love,
Laurel

Munchen continued

2009-05-05T17:31:00.006+03:00

The next day we saw castles. Ludwig II of Bavaria was the region's own fairy tale King. Inheriting the throne at 18, he tended to ignore the responsibilities of his position and spent most of his energy on the creation of three castles. First we visited Schloss Hohenschwangau which King Ludwig inherited and where he spent a large part of his childhood. From here he built Schloss Neuschwanstein in its beautiful, romantic mountain setting. An inspiration for past Disney classics, it was here that he was dethroned in 1886, shortly after which he died in mysterious circumstances. We only got to see the finished parts, which were still remarkable. Afterwards we visited Schloss Linderhof. This was the only palace Ludwig II completed and actually lived in and comes complete with the Venus Grotto.

http://www.tompgalvin.com/places/de/bayern/koenigschlosser.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_II_of_Bavaria

And, seeing as we were in Bavaria, we decided to check out some cuckoo clocks. Here is a lovely website.
http://www.mycuckooclocks.com/hones.html

And then for some darker history. The next day we went to the Dachau Memorial Site. It wasn't as horrific as I had imagined it would be - instead I would call it educational. We spent four hours there and came away exhausted with much food for thought. It is well worth the trip.

http://www.scrapbookpages.com/DachauScrapBook/

But one cannot end one's day on such a somber note, so we visited one more castle. Schloss Nymphenburg was the summer residence of the Bavarian electors and kings. It was here that Ludwig was born on 25 August 1845. The grounds and gardens are extensive and absolutely gorgeous as is the palace itself. One would need a full day to walk the whole thing.

So, now I am back in Cyprus, and Dale is off following the airplane around the world again. Hope this finds you all healthy and happy and we are now looking forward to Adam and Natalie's visit at the end of this month.

Take care.
Love,
Laurel

Munchen - May 2009

2009-05-05T13:54:00.013+03:00

How much can one pack into three days?! Poor Dale - no rest for the wicked! Even I was wondering if I was crazy by the end of the first day. We thought we would do a walking tour of the city, and managed to fit in two plus whatever else caught our eye. So much to see, so little time.

We started off at Marienplatz 'the square which marks the true heart of Munich', where one also finds the Neues Rathaus mit (with) Glockenspiel (more about that later). There we also found a sightseeing bus that took us to many sights which we felt we wouldn't get to see by just walking. It was well worth the trip as it had an English audiophone. Though afterwards, I think we did manage to walk to most of them as well. Here is a list for which we have photos - I wonder if I should make a game and see if you can match the names with the pictures.

St. Peter's Church - where we climbed the tower for a lovely view of the city. Heilggeistkirche - Church of the Holy Spirit. Asamkirche. Sendinger Tor - one of three remaining gates from the old city wall. Karlsplatz (Stachus as it is known to local citizens) - second gate. Isartor - third gate. Justizpalast - Palace of Justice. Damenstiftskirche - Collegiate Church of St. Anne. Burgersaal. Michaelskirche - St. Micheal's Church largest Jesuit Church in Renaissance style north of the Alps. Frauenkirche - Church of our Lady (a masterpiece of German Gothic art). Theatinerkirche - Theatine Church. Residenz - Royal Residence. National Theatre. Alter Hof - first ducal residence. Try this website for more photos and explanations.

http://www.muenchen.de/Rathaus/tourist_office/sehenswuerdigkeiten/129345/Uebersichtsseite_sights.html

With of course a stop inbetween for some local brew at the Hofbrauhaus - the most famous gasthaus (pub and restaurant) in Munich. A much needed respite.

And back to the Marienplatz. Being May Day (Labour Day there), the square was full of people waving placards and a stage for speeches. The air was charged with fervour, so in spite of the many police on duty we decided not to hang about for too long. However, later in the afternoon things had changed and there were several bands taking their turns on the stage, filling the square with music. All went quiet at 5pm though, when they started up the Glockenspiel. The bells pealed followed by the dancers, jousters and courtesans of old, up in the tower of the Rathaus. It was charming.

to be continued . . .