I live on a tiny island. Locals of my generation often complain about the impossibility of a long road trip. But what it lacks in area, it more than makes up for in character and natural beauty. These pictures are from a late afternoon trip to a beach in Meneou. Our drive, at that particular hour, was magical and one of the many reasons why I love Cyprus.
With absolutely nothing on the itinerary, Sunday proved to be the perfect day for the kids to take their bicycles out for a ride and for the adults to finally soak up the rays by our pool. Things can get somewhat hairy with two two-year olds running around, unable to grasp the concept of drowning but there were more than enough hands to help keep them safe. Of course having a massive canvas cover over the entire pool that can easily hold up to 200 kilos is also a huge relief. However, swimming ‘lessons’ have been bumped up on the activity agenda and my little dude is adapting beautifully, kicking his legs and blowing bubbles. I’m hoping he develops a respectful relationship with water because living on an island means bare feet and lots of fun.
Easter in Cyprus is very much about traditions so there really isn’t any better place to celebrate this time of year than up in the mountains at Georgie’s grandparents summer house in the village. Families come together, many beers and kilos of meat are consumed and little cousins play in the back of pappou’s pickup truck. Of course I doubt anything could compare to the day he sat on a horse for the first time.
Monday was a bank holiday here in Cyprus so with the sun shining and a piece of land ready for planting we all headed for my sister’s backyard where seeds were sown. We live a stone’s throw away from each other so the goodies that will be coming from this little patch of land will serve us all.
Lefkara. That is the name of this breathtaking village just outside of Larnaca. We headed there yesterday, on a beautiful sunny but cool day with my sister and her family. The kids had a fantastic time walking through the pebbled alleyways and eating loukoumades, which again I didn’t get a picture of, because I just about had time to snag two for myself before they disappeared. The older kids, Angelo and Mia were keen on checking out the bright coloured houses and made us laugh when they looked confused as to why the roads were so small. We explained that back then people didn’t have cars, they had donkeys. Angelo: ‘I don’t understand’. This is the second Sunday outing in two months so I think we should aim for more, make it a regular ‘thing’. Georgie is old enough to last through the day with a quick nap in the car so leaving town is less stressful. There’s nothing like enjoying your food with a toddler who isn’t interested in doing the same, right? Thinking about doing more posts like this. Perhaps I’ll call it This is Cyprus.