Cyprus

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year from Cyprus! This lovely picture was taken after dinner at a little cafe we found on Christmas Day. This was after the mountain adventure and before the dance party in the kitchen :)


The day started out innocently enough: Maddy and I made breakfast (bacon and eggs, croissants, fruit and mimosas). MMMMMMM BACON!


Then we decided to just go for a drive, get lost and explore a bit. It's an island, it's not like anything bad might happen, right?


Alright, so maybe I was driving on the wrong side of the car on the wrong side of the road, but still...


There were some spectacular views:




There was even an opportunity for a fun photo op:



And then the roads became kind of shitty. We figured it was because we were in the middle of the island. No big deal if they're only one lane covered in fallen rocks, right?



But then, then my friends, there was the bridge. This thing did not look like it was going to withstand the pressure of our people-mover van-thing. We took a deep breath and then I hit the gas as we crossed it.



We should have known that it was all going to be down-hill from here. Once we crossed it, the paved road that had turned to a semi-paved road became sand-like. And then there were huge ruts in the road. And then we came upon a whole lot of fallen rocks on the road. So many, in fact, that the lovely Miss Rina hopped out of the van and ran down the road in front of us moving some of the bigger ones.


Thankfully, we finally found a main paved road. Want to know the best part of this whole adventure? These roads were ON THE FREAKING MAP! There were signs every so often, so we would turn to follow those. The lesson learned on this little adventure? Follow the roads in red or blue on the map of Cyprus. See, I'm only thinking of you!

Since we started the day with champagne, we decided to end it that way too. We also played a game of Rummy before the dance party. No, there will be no photos or videos of the kitchen dance party shared. No one needs to see that!




December 27 - The Tomb of the Kings. This is not actually a tomb for kings, more like high ranking city officials. It was really fun to climb around in here! A little freaky too...









December 28 - The Archaeological Heritage Site. This is where the Cyprus Mosaics are. They have been uncovered over the years and are preserved. Some are just outside under the elements, while others have had house-like structures built over them to protect them.

The Four Seasons in the House of Dionysus (The Greek God of Wine)


For Sara: Peacock!







At the outdoor ones, they had viewing platforms where you could get up higher to get a better look at the mosaics below. They are still uncovering mosaics throughout the park area.





December 29 - Petra tou Romiou (Aphrodite's Birthplace - In Greek Mythology this is where the Goddess of Love came out of the water. In Roman mythology her name is Venus).

I made a heart on the shore:




Maddy and I also made a little statue to commemorate our visit:


Randomness:

While we've been doing a lot of eating, we've also squeezed in some exercise (sort of):

There may also have been a session of yoga one night while in Istanbul after drinking...

We have a variety of money in our wallets at the moment. Clockwise from the top-right: 20 - Euro, 10 - Turkish Lira, 20 - US $, 20 - Kuwaiti Dinar.




I'll leave you with some water/sun views. I just LOVE them!