Apollo's Temple

So last Sunday we decided we needed to do something so we went to a ruin close by. It was Apollo's Temple. It was fairly interesting, the actual temple part was reconstructed in 1980 so this really is a replica of what it would look like. Sadly there aren't many pictures because I forgot to charge the camera battery (yet again!) and it died right after we got there. I think it could be a good spot to take my sketch book later and just sit and practice drawing some. After we finished there we went for a drive and found this cool little beach area that had a million rocks! Instead of sand there were tons and tons of shiny, small rocks so of course the obvious thing to do was to practice skipping them into the water. I am very inept at this so it took some coaching on Matt's part. We continued to drive and ended up driving through the little town of Pissouri, which is actually no small feat. This town is so tiny and has one way streets all over the place and people just hanging out in the middle of the road-it was an adventure to say the least ;)
Also, I am looking into getting involved withe the saddle club on base! I'm really excited because they are in desperate need of help in general but they really need experienced riders to work the horses, enter me :) I went out to the barn (aka yard) yesterday to meet the people and take a look around. They only have 10 horses and ponies and they are all skinny, bug bitten, need love, and need exercise. There will be a meeting tonight with all the members that I'm going to attend so I can see where I really fit in and what others are thinking. They're really trying to revamp the whole club so it's perfect timing for me to enter. And it looks as though I may be the only American there which they are excited for. Everyone there is from the UK but that doesn't mean we speak the same language. The one lady (Jenny) and I joked that we will need to put up a phrases chart somewhere since I use different terminology and phrases than they're used to and visa versa. At least I can mostly understand what they are saying and what they want ;) They were also fascinated by "American" riding, known as western to us in the states. The one lady was somewhat snobbish about the concept of western riding and didn't really want to participate in the conversation but everyone else wanted to hear about it and how it really differs from British (English in the US) riding. It was fun to be able to talk about stuff from the states and have people interested and not look at you like you're a total loon. I warned Matt that he may have to watch out, if I end up by spending almost all my free time with these people from England and Scotland (the new manager and one other lady are from Scotland and can be confusing to understand!), I may start to pick up all sorts of funny phrases and ways of talking! I think the funniest so far has been them saying "half eight" instead of "eight thirty"-that confused poor Matt at first but I got it straight. The meeting tonight starts at 6 so I'll be leaving around "half five" to get there in time to get a good seat and chat with the ladies before stuff starts. Wish me luck!

Apollo's Reconstructed Temple (or partial that is)

Another View

The rest of the ruins

Of course columns! I love them!

Halloween Party!

So the Halloween Party this weekend was pretty fun! It was basically everyone just hanging out and drinking, a normal Saturday night. Except in costumes. Half the people there were pirates, seriously. I think we were the coolest by far-Matt was a nun while I was a monk. Awesome! Here are a few pics to enjoy!

Best nun ever!!

I stole someone's '70s fro wig and a visor from someone else-it was magical!

Roy trying to decapitate Catherine. Oh yea, he's the site lead too ;)

We go together like peas and carrots (thank you Forest Gump...)

All the ladies having some fun!

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