Wine Tasting...You Would Think It Would Be an Instant Success.....

So this last Saturday Matt and I went on a wine tasting tour in the Trodoos Mountain. We were excited because we haven't been up there yet so it was a good opportunity to check the area out a little without getting lost, turned around, confused, or being responsible for driving. It was set up through the base so it was also a chance to meet some new people out there that weren't immediate coworkers. We did meet some interesting characters, mainly some fun Brits that made fun of the way Americans talk and only knew Maryland because there are cookies (biscuits) that are called "Maryland" that they thought were made in the state. We had to burst their bubbles and tell them no, those cookies aren't made there and we've never had them before. I saw them at the store on base (Ermes) and was tempted to try them for the sheer fact that they are called Maryland, which now I will do because they said that they are super tasty. The one fella went on and on about the different types and why they are good. However, he was also wearing a fuzzy fur vest so we can't be too sure if his opinion is a good one to take ;) We also happened to be wearing very similar shirts which was a little scary; I was cuter in mine though! Needless to say we did make some new Brit friends (YAY!) and the one actually will live fairly close to us when we move to our new place and we've already been invited out to the pub on base for the Halloween party on Friday. I kind of want to go to see how people will be dressing and to just hang out and get to know them better. They were pretty funny. Apparently, they think we say the following words oddly/wrong: oregano, basil, anti(ante) as well as call things wrong such as cookies (biscuits), biscuits (scones), pants (trousers), undies (pants/knickers), and of course soccer (football). We also talked about their dirty words that we (as Americans) think just sound cool and they freaked out a little-I told them I already knew what most words meant and that I didn't use them because I knew what I was saying and it was not nice (thank you Peter Kingsley for teaching me!!). It was a good time. They teased us, we teased them, international relations were strengthened!
The wine for the most part was absolutely terrible! Really, it was nasty! There was only one place we actually liked the wine somewhat. The first place we went to was tasty, the second the guy blew through like 12 wines so fast you couldn't even really taste them and most people ended up getting tipsy off of it b/c he went so fast (not us, we sipped then poured it out!) and the last place was gross too. Wine wise it was disappointing. But in reality we didn't expect to taste the greatest quality of stuff. We did also get to try the Cypriot version of grappa which is called Zifania. It tastes like liquid fire burning you from the inside out. We weren't too keen on it, not many people were. The first vineyard gave us a little history of the wine and the process which was great!
We stopped at this nice little restaurant for lunch and it had a great view and ambiance. Then We went to this little touristy town and walked around for a little bit. We will probably go back to it and take our time some more. All in all it was a fun day filled with lots of laughs, some pretty sites, and some nasty wine.

At the last winery overlooking the valley.

King of the Valley!
Again, a valley area with the small town we visited to the right.

The fierce protector of the stall!

Where we ate lunch-the vines gave great shade!

The lighting isn't that great I know, but the bottles are cool!

Not happy to be tasting crap ;)

Super cool chandelier-iron and wine bottles! We're doing this one day!

I liked the shadows

Lots of wine in the barrels-they are there to age for a little while.

Kato Paphos

So in continuing with doing touristy things we went to a close by city called Paphos. They, like everywhere else here, have a historic, archeological area which is known as the lower area, Kato Paphos. Matt's been such a good sport going to all these places with me, I know he hasn't been too crazy about them but he has been enjoying himself I think.

The city of Paphos is smaller than Limassol and quite touristy. We only got to explore such a small part that we'd like to go back at some point and look around some more. They offer lots of water activities on the harbor, as it gets closer to the end of the day, the prices get lower. One guy offered us a speed boat ride out to an island for 5 Euros-not bad!

Well, KP has all sorts of important history and ties to the island, blah blah blah. Just kidding. It was a fun place to visit and they had a castle-yay! It's fun to be somewhere that has these structures that are part of history and stories, even if they are smaller than what we imagine. This one was right on the coast, it was complete with a moat! I like to imagine what it was like to live in there, even if it was built for defense purposes. It wasn't a very tall castle so the view wasn't as grand as others (at least how I imagine the ones in England, Scotland, Germany, and the like look).

Kato Paphos Castle

Inside the entry way

Matt barely fits through the doorway-he's a big man ;)

On top looking out into the harbor

Right outside the castle on the sea

So close to the castle is the archeological area that is part of UNESCO World Heritage Center (http://whc.unesco.org). Basically this means that they think this site contributes significantly to the world's history and it should be protected and preserved for all to see. There are several sites on the island that are part of this program, KP being the first one we got to visit. There are several monasteries and old churches/basilicas on the list that I would like to visit; they are mainly in the Troodos mountains. I think it could be fun to try and visit these sites throughout Europe during our time here. The list for the US is pretty diverse and one could easily see all those sites which include some national parks, the Statue of Liberty, Independence Hall, and Monticello.
Anyhew, we had fun wandering around and taking pictures. KP has the largest amount of mosaics recovered on the island, which is a huge reason they are part of UNESCO. It just fascinates me how detailed and time consuming each work is and would take to produce-and they were walking on them! Now there are all sorts of platforms built around them so you can see them clearly. But, they are kind of hard to photograph with lighting and shadows. I've been discovering that I love the columns that were built and am liking comparing the differences between different sites!

See, columns

He indulges me, like a good hubby!

Man-strength! Trying to pick up the cap of a column. Can we say hernia?

On of the mosaics that has been restored and well preserved.

Reflection time...

There was a lighthouse on the grounds that obviously has nothing to do with the Roman ruins, but it was pretty.

Sadly, these stairs led to a locked door on the lighthouse where I wanted to climb up to get a better view.

Cacti by the lighthouse-large and wild!

The prettiest little view. I thought it looked very tranquil and inviting.

No place is complete with out an amphitheater!

The sun was starting to give off some good light!

He's king of the ruins! If you look closely, it looks like his foot is crushing the palm trees ;)

On our way home we stopped by Aphrodite's Rock (check back to random facts about Cyprus to see info on it!). We knew the sun was going to be setting as we passed so we figured that is was a good time to stop and take some pics! The coast line is lovely and we did get some good lighting. It was a fun day all in all and hopefully this small number of pics helps to show it!

Man I LOVE him!!

He's going to kill me for putting this up but I think it's a GREAT pic! I just LOVE it!

There's her rock! We didn't go down for fear of becoming oober fertile ;)

This photo would be popular here b/c of the crooked horizon!

Sun going down on another amazing day!

Beware the Humping Zebras! And Other Adventures!

So I realize it's been a little while since I've last update. Sorry. Things have been moving at quite a fast pace around here and it's hard to keep up sometimes. We've been settling into normal life as much as possible without actually having any of our stuff (other than the clothes we brought). It's going well I think...

We had a beach party last weekend with a bunch of the coworkers which was really fun! So fun in fact that I forgot to take pictures. I think I took a couple of Matt and Cecil out on the kayak but that's about it. I need to get better, I know!

We started and basically finished the process of looking for a place to move into next month. We found a cute town house in the neighboring town of Kolossi that we like and it's very reasonably priced and it's furnished and allows Joey and will fit some guests when needed. Now don't you all rush out to buy plane tickets at the same time to come see us; it's only 2 bedrooms so you all need to take turns!

The day before the beach party Matt and I decided to hit the beach ourselves! It was actually my first trip to the beach since getting here so it was fun to be just the 2 of us. Sadly, the woman, the very old woman, next to us at this particular beach decided to be topless the entire time so we got to see some very old and saggy lady bits. I know I was staring into my very distant future but I don't need to see that now! We were also told to be careful in the water at this beach because apparently cruise ships and boats flush their waste in the water not too far from this spot so every now and then you'll see some floating poo. Beware the floating poo!!! Thankfully we were diligent and did NOT see any floaters, which made the trip that much more enjoyable. These are the only pics I took on that outing-if you look VERY carefully you can see all the kite-surfers. There were TONS out that day because it was pretty windy. We parked by them and watched for a little while-Matt is considering taking lessons next summer. I think he should do it-it looks pretty fun!

The coastline

See all the kite-surfers?

Hanging out in the sand!

So as many of you know Europeans have different signs and sayings than we do. I was walking to the library from the gym on the base the other day and laughed at the wordage on this sign. I won't post a picture of what comes to mind because, lets face it, we don't need one and it would be slightly dirty!

You know you think it's funny....

I'm sure you all can see where I'm going with this ;)


In other extremely happy news, we are going to ENGLAND right before Christmas to visit with a very good friend of mine and her goofy British husband! I'm trying to book tickets soon so it'll be super duper official!! Of course I will be constantly talking about and updating where we're going and what we'll be doing once we get it sorted out. I just wish I didn't have to wait 2 months until it happens....

Kristi and me dancing at her wedding! Isn't she beautiful!

The Knitting Nana

So we were in the store yesterday, called Carefour, which is kind of like a super Walmart but more a grocery than Wally world is. We went to a different store called Orphanides the other day which was a lot crazier and more overwhelming. So we go to Carefour and we in the cereal aisle, which it really delighted us how many cereal options here are AND how many are American but with a funny twist when I saw this on the box. It made me laugh out loud. Who wouldn't want to be this cute knitting nana?? I may age myself 50 years to get the job!! We didn't get the cereal; I think it was for some kind of fiberous kind. And I had to be sly to take the picture but it was totally worth it. There were some other goodies in there I wanted to take pics of but Matt restrained me, too bad for you! Enjoy!!

Kourion

So I'm having some issues uploading pics onto the blog here, so this isn't as many pics as I would like but it'll do ;)
Kourion is about 5 minutes from where we're staying now (Erimi) and it is the site of some ancient ruins. It was established in the 12th century BC by Mycenaean Greeks, was taken over by he Ptolemies and the Romans. I was destroyed in the 4th century BC by 2 pretty awful earthquakes. However, what has been left is a beautiful site with some amazing ruins. There are some pretty well intact mosaic floors, Corinthian columns, and just spectacular views! There is also a theater (built in the 2nd century BC) that is beautiful and still used today for plays and concerts! The theater overlooks the sea so it boasts one of the best views I've seen yet. We had a fun time wandering around there the other afternoon and watched some para-gliders jump off the side of the hill and just cruise around for a little while. It was a good lazy Sunday kind of thing to do.

La mere! Sea coasts are beautiful!


Para-gliders by the sea


Columns-one in the background is perfectly intact!


The theater! It has such a lovely view!


View from the stage! Stage fright anyone?


In the "House of Eustolios" an early Christian home

Cyprus!!

So we have made it safe and sound!! Whoo hoo!! And true to our adventurous natures, we have started exploring already. We know that we need to pace ourselves so that is what we are trying to do. But it's HARD! There are so many great and wonderful things to see and do here! I guess I should fill everyone in on the disaster it took me to get here.
I had no problems from SLC to Chicago. That flight was easy and somewhat quick. However, Chicago is where the problems started to arise. First, I got lost in the airport. I had only been through that place like 1 other time and did not have to change terminals-this was my downfall. I had no idea that I needed to change terminals and how to even do that-and the untied lady I asked was kinda rude about it too. Anyhew, I finally found my terminal and gate and sat down to have a sandwich. We boarded the plane no problems and were set to take off. At this point I took a melatonin and was settling in for 6 hrs of uninterrupted sleep. Was I that lucky? Oh no. I awoke an hour later to us parked back at the gate to refuel. Why were you refueling you might ask? Well apparently we taxied WAY to long and the pilot was worried about how much fuel that took up and so we went back. We also happened to lose our spot in the take off line. Great. AND there was some crappy weather. So we had to wait. At least the flight attendants were awesome and gave out drinks and let us do whatever we wanted basically. I was half asleep. I chatted with the people behind me who were from a suburb of Chicago and were on their way to Paris. I therefore told her all about it and how amazing it is and where to go. Then, about 3 hrs after our original take off time, we take off. Since 1 meltonin wasn't working, I took another. That helped! I slept soundly for about 5.5 hrs, which is much more than some other people. I slept off and on during our stay in Chicago too so I figure I got about 7 hrs of sleep total. Not bad huh?
Well, since we were sooo late leaving, I (and about 120 other passengers) missed my connection to Cyprus. Oh happy day. The people at British Airways had already booked me onto Cyprus airways but sadly that flight didn't leave until about 3 and I was there at 1030 am. So I wondered around a little bit. And went potty. And got a DELICIOUS panini that had brie cheese and bacon and ham and tomato on tastey bread. HEAVEN! And I waited around for a while. I also got sleeeeepppy. I snoozed for about 30 mins-I was trying to not sleep too much so I would sleep like a baby when I got to Cyprus. So I got on the plane, took a 2 hr nap, then was awake for 3 and then got off the plane.
I got a stamp in my new passport but it's pretty boring so I was disappointed. I went to get my bags and got 1 just fine. Then I waited, and waited, and waited. Bag #2 was a no show. Great. I go to the desk and talk to the lady there and find out that they left it in Chicago. Now I'm no expert but how does 1 bag make it and 1 not? Needless to say i was due to arrive the next day, which it didn't. That's ok, nothing detrimental was in it so I survived.
I finally met Matt and we drove the hour back to Limassol from Larnaca. It was dark so I didn't see anything but lights. But the next day was a whole other story....
Matt as to get up at 4 am to get to work by 5 am-lucky guy right? So while I slept away he went to work. But happily he got to come back early to get me so we could go to base and get my id tags and such so I can get on base. It was a busy day! We drove around a little too which was nice and I got to see a little of the area. However, we ended up falling asleep at 5 pm and didn't wake up until about 4 am the next morning. Good for Matt, bad for me. I had trouble getting back to sleep but I eventually did and woke in time for bfast with Matty. The hotel had a great buffet! So friday we checked out of the hotel and got situated in our new home with Matt's coworker George. Matt works days, George works nights, it's a good set up. And temporary for both. George is living in this other guy named Serg's house since he's on deployment. So basically we're all crashing at Serg's without him being here.
So some fun Cyprus facts that I have learned since arriving. 1. Everything is in Greek. I know. I know. I was slightly prepared. But it's a little overwhelming to not be able to read some things. The bakery we like to go to only has signs in Greek but the ladies will describe what is in things for us.
2. Helumi. Helumi is goat cheese that can be grilled. It is TASTEY!!! It's kinda squeeky when you eat it so they call it "squeeky cheese." I love it! Matt no so much.
3.Food here in general is pretty tastey. Except the British stuff-it tastes British. Which there are a lot of pubs and such.

So the pics below are of a castle that is in the neighboring town called Kolossi. We live in Erimi right now. They are both about 10 mins from Akrotiri, the RAF base. Kolossi castle is the best preserved castle on the island. It's not huge like the British or German ones, but it's quaint and has a pretty nice view. We goofed around a bit and played with our new camera lenses. Mom and dad graciously gave me a wide angle lense for a bday/Christmas present. And it is already getting plenty of use! I'm going to try and keep this updated as quickly as we take the pictures and go on our adventures, but no promises ;)

Kolossi town and the Troodos Mountains behind


Isn't he handsome?


I like the lighting on this one.


Wide angle in the castle-how cool??


There it is! Cute huh?