Ha. Hahaha. Ha.

Cyprus Bearista sends his love.

Larnaca: the Church of St. Lazarus

Apparently I'm fascinated by lone birds.

Hala Sultan Tekke

A mosque in Larnaca

I'd imagine that these puppies never have before and never will again receive as much attention as they got from the massive group of us.

It felt a little thrilling to be the only one who could actually read the letters.



For those who've seen it: isn't this a lot like the poster or cover (I can't exactly recall) for that Israeli movie Walk on Water? Beyond the fence are the "Great Salt Lakes of Larnaca." I like salt!

I like palm trees too.

For those who have asked, and for any that I may call -

this is my cell number:

357-99-129-253

357 is the Cyprus country code

I don't have a voicemail.

It wasn't me!

But whoever did do it is awesome!

No, He Isn't Winking

Sad this is, the poor guy was really sweet and just wanted some love. I imagine he doesn't get much these days. If only we could get him a patch, he'd look way more cool and a lot less freakish.

(Here's another so you can see his normal expression.)

Somebody Wants to Cuddle!

You know, when Heather first saw your friend in the kitchen, it didn't bother me that much. I thought we could live together in peace; you keep to your dark corners and we to ours. Then when I saw him in the cupboard under the sink, still, I was ready to go to bed, and I didn't care if he hung out near our trash. But when you scuttled your way from my backpack, across the room, and into my bed while I was laying on it, I stopped being fine with you. You think because you are nearly as big as a rat that you can just take over the room I paid for? Well I have news for you: you can.

I was run out of my hotel room by cockroaches. Part of me feels pathetic, but I so didn't know they came that big.

Refreshed

Tuesday: Sitting in class, listening attentively, and all of a sudden the corridor outside is filled with a noisy gaggle of people. I can see a bunch of heads through the door window, and it was so distracting that my teacher went out to see what was going on. He comes back about twenty seconds later and says "this is really weird, guys...they're giving away iced tea. I'm going to go see if I can get us some!" After a minute he reenters with three people dressed in this weird imitation nurse garb (the length of the girl's dress would have fit in nicely on the set of the original Star Trek), each bearing trays, styrofoam cups, and boxes of peach iced tea. They pour us all cups and hand us flyers for the contest to win a six-month supply of Kean Iced Tea.

My teacher looks at Jason and me the minute they leave the room: "You don't get that in Richmond much, do you?" No, we really don't, and that's a shame.

The contest: "Simply telephone our automated hotline and record a message, telling us who you would most like to be refreshed with and why?"

Oh, wow...

The problem with attempting to do homework at a bar

D: Excuse me, are you on internet here?
K: Well, sometimes, it fades in and out.
D: I am Demetrios! I am Greek!
K: I'm "K----". I'm American.
D: American! You are from America! Where?
NewYorkMiamiMaineNashvillePittsburghOrlandoChicagoOhioKaaansas? Hollywood! New Jersey!
K: Whoa...no, Seattle.
D: Ohhh, yes, I know of Seattle!
K: Great!
D: Why would you come here! So boring in Cyprus! Have you been to Greece?
K: No.
D: Oh, wow, Greece is like twenty times better! I came here to work with my friend seven months ago, but we are so bored we are going on a plane to Athens tomorrow morning at 6 o’clock. It will be so much better! Come, you must follow me to Athens!
K: Oh, no thanks, I have class tomorrow at 10.

Troodhos and Omodhos

Our excursion organized for this past Saturday was to the nearby Troodhos Mountains, more or less in the middle of the island. The plan was to drive to the small village called Troodhos, from which there are many nature trails departing, take some pictures from their nice little square, hike if we’d like, have lunch at a trout farm nearby (or 'troo-it' as our guide said), then visit the town of Omodhos, known for it lace, wineries, and a really intense concoction made with the residue of grapes from the wine-making process mixed with white wine called zivania. (I was told by one of our teachers, not someone trying to sell the stuff, that the women of Omodhos all live to be over 100 because they throw a shot of zivania back every day. I’m not that hard core.)

Forty out of the eighty-one of us chose not to come along in favor of going to the beach or just doing anything other than look at trees. This meant we had only one bus and were on the whole a lot less overwhelming than when we all adventure together. We drove for about an hour, then an irritating buzzing sound was coming from the dashboard. We pulled into a gas station, the bus turns off, and we’re told that we’ll be taking a five-minute break (I was reminded of the Moscow city tour, when we would take some breaks to see landmarks, and some because “the bus needs time for rest”).

Then our teacher (Angelo – the ‘g’ is hard and this is a female name) tells us that we can get out and get something to eat or drink, it’s going to be another five minutes. I tried one of the bizarre gourmet flavors that Lays potato chips puts out, “Thai Sweet Chili.” (The others I’ve seen are: “Four Cheese and Red Onion” and the best, “Oven-Roasted Chicken and Thyme” – it terrifyingly tastes exactly like chicken. I’m sure Dave would love it.) Are these in the States? None of us had seen them before.

The bus wasn't going anywhere. They called for another to come get us in order to resume the trip, but as that would take around an hour, anyone who wanted to continue walking toward our destination was welcome to (it was nine kilometers uphill to Troodhos). I thought it was great that everyone decided to at least try (though two or three did end up turning back; it was about eighty degrees). Anticipating the hiking opportunities, I had brought along my walking shoes in addition to flip-flops. I now made the colossal mistake of putting them on. Not only did it soon feel like I was walking with two little easy-bake ovens at the bottom of my legs, but I had forgotten that I had just damaged one of my big toes in a mishap with one of the many ruptured sidewalks in my life. Ohhh, the pain. I was trailing near the back of the group, fearful of pausing for long enough to change footwear while everyone else continued advancing. I wondered if I would make it, I felt so pathetic….

Thankfully, we took a decent break after a mile or so, and I released my toes from their torment. After resuming our ascent (we were on the shoulder of a road, it wasn’t like a real hike or anything), I was able to remain at the head of the group, rendering my view unobscured by a bunch of panting Americans. It made a huge difference; I sort of felt like we were on a pilgrimage. Though I’m pretty sure that you aren’t supposed to be drinking a canned “cappuccino” (or rather, “kapoutsino”) and listening to Middle Eastern pop music on an ipod while pilgrimaging.

An old mine.

That way to Troodos!

Look at everyone trying to hide in the shade of the tree. Suckers.

We made it six kilometers before the new bus met us. I was a little sad; at that point a lot of us wanted to keep going so that we could feel the sense of accomplishment at reaching Troodhos on our own. We didn’t even end up stopping at the Troodhos square in order to get to lunch as quickly as possible. I’d really love to go back and hike around, it was a lovely area. After lunch (they say hoomoos here, it was a little embarrassing when I wasn’t understood while requesting ‘hummus’), we journeyed on to Omodhos (bear in mind that ‘dh’ (delta) is pronounced as the ‘th’ in “then”).

Delightful village, lovely church, charming walkways, enchanting wine, but most importantly, the most adorable kittens ever. I felt like Lennie. I didn’t let myself pick them up, because I knew if I did, I would crush them with my love.

Expecting someone?

I'm totally ensorcelled by these candle displays in the Orthodox churches.


That little girl was far too cute for someone in so much pink.


I like the idea of seeing this bike....

....cruising through these little streets.


I wish it were my job to sit on this chair and demonstrate how to taste wine.

Anastasia and I loved the white at this place, but oddly for me, the red was just bad. I've never been to a town where one can just wander the streets, popping in at random to receive free wine tastings. I may return.


Treasures!

Kolossi

Near the port city of Limassol (Lemesos) stands this charming medieval castle built by the Hospitallers (Knights of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem) in 1454. The original castle on this site had housed Richard the Lionheart (did you know he got married in Limassol?) and the Knights Templar. The buildings were fine and all, but I personally was captivated by the draping trees and vibrant flora of the grounds.

What castle is complete without an adjacent cafe? While the frappe here may not have been as good as at the cafeteria, the ambiance is unsurpassed.