Lebanon

Lebanon is a 28 minute flight from Cyprus.  Some friends and I flew there for a three day weekend, and had a great time.  I visited Ba'alback, an amazing set of ruins with the Temples of Bacchus and Zeus.  I walked all over Beirut, eating good food, visiting awesome free museums, and generally being fascinated by Lebanon.

Ummayid trading town of An'jar

palace of the leader of An'jar

at Ba'alback, in front of columns of imported marble

The Roman ruins at Ba'alback were incredibly intact and impressive

The Corniche, a lovely seaside promenade in Beirut

a beautiful Roman mosaic (notice the bullet hole in the
lower left from the civil war in the 70s)

the prettiest donerkabob ever

Brains.  The middle row is tiny brains.

Pidgeon Rock on the Corniche

everything that came with my kebabs- salt/pepper/
mustard/toothpick/gum (lots of garlic in Lebanon)

I almost bought a Hezbollah t-shirt to wear the next time I go through US Customs, but it's probably not the year to be a smartass with US Customs.  

Cypriot roadblock

The orange truck took the roundabout too quickly, and citrus spilled everywhere.  This is the most Cypriot thing ever- a bunch of oranges in a roundabout while no one honks.

Hala Sultan Tekke Mosque

"On the shore of the Salt Lake, two kilometers from the city of Larnaca, lies the Hala Sultan Tekke, a significant monument with its minaret and dome soaring amid eucalyptuses, cypresses and, mostly, palm trees, a truly unique spot. Cypriot Muslims consider it as the third most revered monument in the world, after Ka’aba in Mecca and the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina.  In accordance with the Muslim tradition, especially in the Arab world, one of the prerequisites for a Muslim to be considered ready to enter Paradise is to visit the following four holy places: the Ka’aba in Mecca, the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina, the Hala Sultan Tekke in Larnaca, and the Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. "

How many cats do you count??  

Staycation in Cyprus

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:

The chamber orchestra with both Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots
playing together

outside of a nunnery in the Troodos mountains

the most Cypriot picture ever:  a cat, sunshine, and
an Orthodox religious icon

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.

you can see 3 of the 20 dishes

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.

On New Years Day, I walked on the beach 

the lovely monastery at Bellapais

I even spent some time in a lovely tea house owned by a crazy old British lady

Christmas in Paphos

This year for Christmas, my parents flew in from Chicago to spend the week in Cyprus.  It was warmer than Chicago, but chillier than expected.  We had a nice week exploring the island, checking out some of the Roman ruins, visiting 13th century forts, as well as drinking a lot of good Cypriot wines.  

sunset at the Sea Caves

Akamas Penisula, near Aphrodite's Bath

Jim and Mary in front of Aphrodite's Rock (where she emerged from the sea)

Kolossi Castle- constructed over 1200-1450

This was one of the only holiday decorations

Fikardos Winery tour

sunset at the Temple of Aphrodite, constructed by the ancient Greeks
in 1500 BC

Sofia

AISC gets 2 days off for Thanksgiving- so that 4 day weekend was a perfect chance to visit Bulgaria! I got a cheap, direct flight, found a passable hostal, and had a great time wandering the Balkans for 60 hours.  

I LOVED Bulgaria. Clean, full of history, good food, nice people, and fresh produce everywhere.  I am eager to return someday soon for a much longer visit. 

Sofia reminded me a lot of Manhattan

This is Hagia Sofia, the church from which the town got it's name- when this was a trading town in the Roman times, people referred to it as the "town next to Hagia Sofia"

The very fancy Alexander Nevsky Cathedral- built in honor of Russian soldiers who died in the Russo-Turkish
War of 1877- the Russians were assisting their Slavic Bulgarian brothers attempt to liberate themselves from Ottoman rule

The very cute Russian Orthodox Wishing Church

 signs of Spring

These are Marthenaiza bracelets.  At the first sign of spring, people give these to their friends, lovers, family members, etc.  They are given to everyone.  You tie them on the tree which shows the signs of spring, to have a good year. This tree must have bloomed early, because it was covered in bracelets.

The Romans loved their lions

Public Bath House, connected to hot springs.  It was used by everyone in Sofia through WWI.  

So many layers of history

An Orthodox cathedral, where a Bulgarian King avoided an assassination attempt because he was running late

Rila Monastery, Bulgaria

The Rila Monastery is about 90 minutes drive from Sofia.  It's a functioning monastery, with rooms for pilgrims who can spend time there in contemplation and study.  It's in the middle of a gorgeous area, and we got a very sunny and beautiful day to wander.