Taken five months ago during a family visit to the village of Handria, in the Pitsilia area, where a friend’s parents live, these photos depict the making of soutzouko, a favourite traditional sweet.
Watching the process and even pulling my sleeves up to have a go was an amazing experience. Traditions and village gatherings such as these were never part of my childhood since none of my grandparents lived in Cyprus, so I adore them and find them fascinating.
Georgie turned four this weekend. Thankfully, this came with a flurry of smiles, so much love and a sense of pride as opposed to sentimental shenanigans on my part, i.e locking myself in the bathroom so no one can see the tears right before he blows out the candles. Yes, it has happened. It’s natural to become emotional with each passing year, right? I still can’t believe he’s four yet but then again the changes I note on an everyday basis shake me up more than any number ever could. My baby is becoming a little man. He is my best friend and the reason I laugh out loud, almost every day. No exaggeration.
Saturday night and I am desperate to come up with an awesome idea for a scheduled Sunday outing with friends and kids. I turn to the internet, naturally. I scroll through pages of useless and dated websites, feeling quite depressed about the lack of kiddie activity information on the island. To be specific, I was hoping to find a well-organised and up-to-date website bursting with information on places to visit and where to go with children in tow. Just when my hopes were about to be shattered and I was preparing to announce that we would head to our usual playground spot, I found Kids Have Fun in Cyprus.
Is anyone else enjoying this absolutely fantastic weather? We knew Sunday would be a beautiful sunny day (thanks weather app!) so we made plans to take Georgie out for the day. We piled into the car and headed for a quick lunch before making our way to Melios Zoo just outside of Nicosia. I know its been a popular spot for families for years but for some reason our family had never been. Can I just say how pleasantly surprised we all were? The zoo is packed with thousands of colourful stunning birds that will make you marvel at nature and its ability to create such creatures while the hyenas, buffalos, zebras and kangaroos are definitely worth seeing. The grounds are clean, gorgeous and overflowing with trees, bushes and aromatic shrubs. There’s an impressive playground situated right next to a cafeteria so after our long walk around the zoo, we sat down for a cup of tea while Georgie played. Overall a day well-spent, thoroughly enjoyed by kids and grown-ups.
Georgie’s introduction to the world of theatre took place a few months ago when papa and I took him to see The Little Prince. I absolutely adore the book and knew that despite Georgie’s young age I wanted it to be the first memory he has of the theatre. Needless to say, he loved the experience and has been requesting another trip to the theatre since.
