Although it's taken two months to post, I want to share my staycation adventures with you all. From Dec 28-Jan 8, I explored a lot of the awesome things that cyprus has to offer. And there really is a lot to offer, such as:
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The chamber orchestra with both Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots
playing together |
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| outside of a nunnery in the Troodos mountains |
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the most Cypriot picture ever: a cat, sunshine, and
an Orthodox religious icon |
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| the nunnery close |
My friend Eleni adopted me for New Year's Eve. That meant joining her extended family for dinner- I think we were 25 people total. Every family member brought a dish to share, the hostess (her aunt) made about a dozen dishes, and there were 3 tables set up throughout the living room. We were at the "kids table" with all of the cousins (everyone was in their 20s and 30s). At midnight, we cut the Vasilikon Cake (what Creoles would call a King Cake)- the person who found the hidden coin in the cake gets good luck all year. Sadly, I did not get the piece with the coin.
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| you can see 3 of the 20 dishes |
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| Vasilikon Cake |
Cyprus has a lot of different climates. I drove an hour to Larnaca, and walked on the beach on Jan 1- it was pretty empty, but for a few Swedish tourists out for a stroll. The next day, I drove an hour to the mountains, and played in the snow.
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| On New Years Day, I walked on the beach |
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| the lovely monastery at Bellapais |
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| I even spent some time in a lovely tea house owned by a crazy old British lady |
