July 20, Coming to America

We're back in New York. Happy Birthday to C as she got to sleep in her own bed in her city on her birthday. The blog needs some updating, but wanted to post this message so you know were home.

Here's the view from C's cube - much different than the one in Cyprus!

Tuesday July 18, 2006 – Closure and the Bizarrely Ginormous Pepper Grinder

Well loyal blog readers, there’s a bit of a blog backlog of 8 days in London and this past weekend which thecyreallife staff is working feverishly on. However, I just wanted to give you the update that our six month tour of duty in Cyprus is coming to a close. We will part ways with our almost Greece, not quite European (with a dash of Middle East thrown in for good measure) home away from home Thursday morning. The flight timing has nothing to do with the excitement with our neighbors to the East (by the way life in Cyprus has not changed one bit – you have no idea anything is going on less than an hour flight away), but coincided with a cheap flight home on Olympic Airways. On a side note, we flew Olympic Airlines to and from Greece, and were somewhat flabbergasted by the antiquated dual propped relic that provided our transportation from Santorini to Athens. The ramshackled appearance of what looked like individually molded and hammered on squares of aluminum combined with the retro interior, almost induced me, for once, to pay attention to the safety demonstration up front. Almost as shocking as my interest in the seatbelt and emergency exit revue, was my inability to coerce myself into consuming the oddly shimmery “meat” cold cuts and cheese platter. Needless to say, our standards for this flight home are skimming the bottom of the barrel, but I digress.

The finality of our departure in has caused to both reminisce about the wonderful memories and friendships these past sixth months have bestowed us. It really is amazing how quickly six months in a lifetime can come to pass. In a future blog, I will definitely elaborate on all these little warm fuzzy tidbits, but tonight was just another very typical evening (although a bit later than usual). “C” worked until about 8 PMish and I hopped on my “hog” and cycled down to meet up with her, the Canadian, and the German for dinner. And as usual, the topic of conversation began with a mildly envious question of what I made of my “not stuck in an office” retired lifestyle day followed by ordering a laundry list of items from the menu. Our long drawn out “charged to the project” dinner of starters, mains, wine, dessert, several night caps of double baileys on ice, entertaining conversations of cultures, childhood follies, politics, vacations… and hearty laughs (spurred on by the bizarrely ginormous pepper grinder which the German alluded to the “Elias Country Club incident”) endured ‘til the wee hours of the morning – shutting down the restaurant and neighboring café. Sensing the impending workday, we all went our separate ways home at 3AM. “C” leisurely peddled mildly under the influence the quiet deserted (very safe) streets of Limassol as I trotted along beside her. On these late evening strolls “C” and I can share our thoughts from the day, recall topics from the evening conversation, laugh about a whole slew of things, say hi to one of the many Cyprus cats, “race” home… As I sit here writing (still in the wee hours of the morning), it really strikes me in retrospect all the terrific, what seemed trivial at the time, memories (like our late evening strolls) that we will cherish from this mildly backwater slow paced little island.

Tuesday June 27, 2006 – Unspoken Tranquility Rule

Due to a 6AM flight to Santorini, we were at our hotel by 7:30 - way too early for check in. Even though the early departure was a little painful, we were very happy to have three full days in Santorini to unwind from my very hectic and stressful “man of leisure” lifestyle. The “intimate and informal” Perivolas made for a very memorable 5 year anniversary. It is a small hotel (15 rooms) consisting of restored 300 year old caves that were once the homes, stables, and wineries of indigenous fisherman and farmers. Not only was our whitewashed cave unique, but the hotel is perched on a hillside with a commanding view of Santorini’s caldera. When we first arrived and throughout our stay, we were mesmerized watching toy sized giant cruise ships and ferries puttering across it.

We so enjoyed the tranquility and sheer beauty of the place and that we almost embarrassingly only left the hotel for dinner and to stroll around Oia (the “town center” is only about a 15 minute walk away) a few times. We quite happily enjoyed breakfast, lounged reading in the shade of an umbrella, went to the sauna, to the infinity pool…and repeated the process over and over again; occasionally spicing the routine up with a Jacuzzi stopover and frosty beverage from the bar. The pool literally clung to the hillside so that we often hooked our arms on the side of it and just stared down across the caldera.

During the first two days you could tell that all the guests there really were respecting the amazing views and rustic beauty of the hotel. Each couple would quietly talk to themselves without altering the mesmerizing peacefulness that is Perivolas. None of the rooms have modern conveniences, so you never hear a noise anywhere on the property besides people softly talking and soft music coming from the hotel bar (if you are sitting near it). Unfortunately on the last day, two New York newlywed couples arrived and broke the unspoken tranquility rule, and interrupted the two full days of peacefulness with a constant unending stream of loud chattering by the pool.

We lovingly nicknamed the two new respective brides Long Island and Vera Wang. Long Island, was of course from Long Island, and had an accent to match her irritating personality. Vera Wang earned her nickname after asking Long Island, what kind of wedding dress she had. Long Island’s lengthy response of her dress length, cut, style…and inquiry of her verbal sparring partner’s dress type was met with a curt response solely of “Vera Wang.” Throughout the course of the day we learned of their jobs, apartments, wedding party size, husband’s professions… all shared not out of an interest of building a relationship but to win the metaphorical pissing contest. Although we were unintentionally always in earshot, we quickly found humor in Long Island’s “fear of catamarans” and “getting shooshed” at a previous hotel pool, Vera Wang’s feverish (aren’t you on vacation?) hourly workout routine and bird like eating habits, and their shared Barbie lifestyle. To top off the oratory nuisance, late in the day a bickering late fifty something Brooklyn couple and vacationing family with three kids in tow arrived poolside.

Regardless of the new additions on our last day, the trip was wonderful; especially having the opportunity to contrast Greece with Cyprus. As much as Cyprus attempts to identify itself with Greece, its proximity to the Middle East and centuries of Turkish rule has influenced their culture. During our quick little taste of Athens and Santorini we were delighted to be able to stroll along monuments accompanied by a cosmopolitan air, be mesmerized by whitewashed buildings and the brilliant Aegean Sea, experience “saffron encrusted” quality cuisine, etc...all attributes we had been expecting to find in Cyprus.

Saturday June 24, 2006 - High Kicking Goose Step Shuffle Ball Chain Combo

After enjoying breakfast with a side of an amazing Acropolis view in the distance, we met up with Despina from Athens Walking Tours for a very thorough and interesting three hour introduction to the Acropolis and surrounding neighborhood (the Plaka). The Acropolis is an

impressive monument as it sits 300 feet up from the surrounding city. The only thing detracting from the experience was the incredibly warm day and the sea of scaffolding that engulfs it. Per our guide book, the restoration was “originally intended to be completed in time for the 2004 Olympics, the work is now set to continue for the foreseeable future – some claim that it will be forty years before the job is complete.”

Following the Acropolis and lunch, we continued our whirlwind “see as much of Athens as possible in a day” tour. We visited the Ancient Agora, the Parliament building, and skirted through the National Gardens to Hadrian’s Arch, Temple of Olympian Zeus, and the Panathenaic Stadium (where the first Modern Olympic Games were held in 1896). While at the Parliament Building, we observed the somewhat odd changing of the guard. The soldier’s delayed high kicking goose step shuffle ball chain combo coupled with their 400 pleated (for each year of the Turkish occupation) skirt, made for quite a show. We topped the 2,500 years of history day off with an hour and a half sprint through the highlights of the National Archaeological Museum. After a leisurely dinner at the well known Daphne’s, we appreciated the ambiance of the restaurant and shop scattered pedestrian walkway and Acropolis views back to our hotel.

Even though many deem that “Athens is a great city to see; but not to linger in” we really appreciated the teeming liveliness and culture. It might have been due to the five and half months in Cyprus, but we were on sensory overload with all the stores, cafes, historical sights, outdoor concerts…and could have very happily spent a few more days there.

Friday June 23, 2006 – “You Go to Athens”

The decision to go to Greece for our anniversary weekend was a difficult one… would it be too similar to Cyprus or did we owe it to ourselves to truly experience (although quickly) Greece? I managed to keep the anniversary getaway a surprise: packing the suitcase, booking the flights and hotel, arranging transportation to the airport… Koolis (the firm’s regular taxi driver) will always be a fond Cyprus memory for us – he is so dependable, always the first face we see patiently waiting as soon as the door opens from baggage claim. I had explained to him over the phone and when I snuck the bag down to the taxi that the trip to Greece was a surprise. Although I had not exactly planned out how I was going to tell “C”, it didn’t really matter because the first thing Koolis says when “C” sits down is, “So C---- you go to Athens.” We both laughed.

Upon arrival in Athens late Friday evening, we were picked up for the uneventful forty five minute drive into central Athens. After exchanging niceties and learning we were living in Cyprus, the driver stated that the Greek accent in Cyprus was “very barbaric.” Throughout the next few days, we noticed the subtle differences between the accents – Greek Greek sounded closer to Italian, less harsh and loud than Cypriot Greek, and generally much more appealing. We settled into our hotel and got some much needed shut eye for our full Saturday in Athens.

Sunday June 18, 2006 – Number One Fans

We had our first (and probably only visitors) to Cyprus this past weekend. Krystal and Curtis (along with seven other volleyball players) from the States came to participate in the World University Beach Volleyball Championships. I have no idea how Cyprus of all places managed to finagle hosting the event, but it was wonderful getting a chance to see familiar faces from home. We spent Friday afternoon through Sunday, commuting to the fabulous newly constructed state of the art, worthy of showcasing your nation in an international event, volleyball facility (hope you sense the sarcasm here) in Protaras (about an hour and 15 minutes from Limassol). Although Cyprus knew about their hosting status for two years, they only began a majority of the construction progress two and a half weeks prior. The resulting engineering marvel produced freshly graded dirt, non landscaped grounds, minimal shade, and an all together “we through this together at the last minute” feel.

We had a great time cheering on the U.S. teams and quickly earned the status of the number one U.S. fans. Not only did we (unintentionally) wear red and blue on Saturday, sport our USA Volleyball pins, and provide usage of our Cyprus mobile phone, but we were the only people from the U.S. there... making the esteemed title somewhat easy to attain. Krystal and her partner Leanne earned an impressive 5^th place finish out of 22 countries participating. One of the U.S. men’s teams finished 3^rd in the world.

During the afternoon volleyball siesta, we would join (sneak) into the volleyballers hotel buffet lunch and lounge by the pool. At one of the pool sessions, I was cordially invited by Dale (a British 9 year old) to play ball in the pool. Little did I know that my answer of “yes” would lead to 45 minutes of catch and sunburned shoulders.

In the evenings following the games, we had several enjoyable meals with Krystal and Curtis – introducing them to them to the tasty Cyprus meze gorge fest. On Saturday night, we were even invited along to join the international collection of volleyball players for dancing the night away (OK just ‘til 1:30) at an Agia Napa night club. All in all it was a great weekend and such a wonderful random surprise having friends from home here.

Sunday June 11, 2006 – "In Case You End Up in a Rough Patch”

After a bit of brainstorming of activities and perusing some free tourist handouts, we settled on a day at the “country club.” We hadn’t swung a golf club in at least a year, but seeing that we have exhausted most other activity options, it sounded like a great idea. The course was advertised as only 15 pounds for as many rounds as you’d like to play with women being half price. I guess the first red flag should have been the owner (Robin) ensuring me over the phone that the course (suitable for beginners) wouldn’t be crowded (a Sunday afternoon mind you). When we were finished playing we could have a drink by the pool and even go for a swim if we liked.

The “thought we were lost several times after ending up on mountainous dirt backroads” drive to Vikla Golf and Country Club took about 30 minutes. Upon arrival we trotted into the dusty cluttered “country club” (house conversion) and paid our “green fees.” Robin provided us our “complimentary water for the course” (refilled plastic water containers) and cutouts from doormats “in case you end up in a rough patch.” We soon realized the “rough patch” encompassed the entire weed/rock/dirt strewn course except for the irrigated greens. As much as we laughed about the barrenness of it all, Vikla was just about right for our pathetic golfing display. We had a really enjoyable afternoon and when you think about how much water is used irrigating a single golf course (700,000+ gallons of water a day in California), placing your ball on a doormat prior to every hit to save a little water didn’t seem half bad.

On the drive home, we stopped in at another “country club” to brush up on our “only did this once in middle school” archery skills. After about an hour bow and arrowing away, our far from Robin Hood display quickly lost its entertainment value. Two horses were led by “ranch hands” onto the archery facility from an adjacent barn. After putting two and two together, we quickly said: they are going to do what I think they are going to do / couldn’t this wait 5 minutes until we leave / isn’t there a more romantic secluded location for this… The metaphorical awkward “are they fighting mommy” train wreck that ensued will unfortunately forever etch Elias
Country Club into our collection of Cyprus memories.

Saturday June 10, 2006 – The Zen

Sorry for the delay on updating you on our lives in Cyprus, but we’ve had a couple nice weekends “on the island.” Now that it has warmed up we decided to take advantage of our 10 minute walk to the Mediterranean location and continue our scuba diving training with an advanced scuba diver certification with Aloha Divers. It had been two years since we had even glanced at scuba equipment, but all it took was four dives (night, wreck/deep, navigation, and search and recovery dives), reading a scuba textbook, and doing some knowledge reviews.

Although there isn’t really any aquatic life anywhere around Limassol (seriously only saw a lobster or two and a few relatively unexciting fish), the highlight of Cyprus diving is a 175 meter long ferry boat that sank 25 years ago. The Zenobia lies only about a 15 minute boat trip from Larnaca Bay (an hour away from Limassol) at a depth of 42 meters (at its lowest point) and is considered one of the top 5 wreck dives in the world. We went down to 30 meters on our two Saturday dives on the wreck and were amazed at the size of it – just HUGE. The Zenobia sank on its maiden voyage carrying semi trucks which are now visible spilling from the hull onto the sea floor. On our second dive we even were led through a large doorway into the bridge of the wreck by our instructor, Mark.

If you are interested, here are a few more photos from the dive...

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