Cyprus - Part 1 - Limassol

We took our summer holiday in the republic of Cyprus (the third largest island in the Mediterrean - and ) in July. And for Alex, I must inform you, Cyprus was a former British colony (wasn't everywhere??).

Cyprus considers Greece to be its mother country, but it is actually an idependent state (since 1960) separate from Greece and and geographically closer to the Middle East than to Greece. Thirty three percent or so of Northern Cyprus has been under Turkish military occupation for the last 36 years (following a coup d'état in 1974). The border crossings between the two territories were opened in 2003 and one can cross into the occupied territory (and view still-existing evidence of the more violent occupation by the clear bullet holes and scars in buildings, statues, etc.). But more on that when we visit Nicosia (also called Lefkosia), the capital of Cyprus.

The water around Cyprus is so clean, clear and oh so blue! Our room overlooked the ocean and the hotel's pool. The weather was hot and sunny, but with just the right breeze to make it very comfortable.

We stayed in the town of Limassol (also called Lemasol), which has a pretty little castle called, approprately, the Castle at Limassol. We stayed at a nice hotel on the beach right in the middle of a lively part of the town (no photos of our Karoke night, I'm afraid!)

So after spending a bit of time by the pool, on our first full day we decided to see "what was what" - which included a bus ride into the old town. The buses, I must say, were less than impressive compared to the buses in Holland ;) In any event, we spent a relaxing afternoon just strolling around the town, which is quite pretty and which is home to a nice little castle. And the first of many places we visited full of ancient ruins.

We also stopped for a spot of lunch in town (my first of many haloumi dishes.) I had a bit of a sunburn on my neck and shoulders. The restaurant owner happened to be sitting at the table next to ours, and he gave me some slices of cucumber peel and told us it was a great way to take the heat out of sunburn. He also cautioned us (imagine, as bronzed as we are?) to be very careful with the sun. How nice!

There will have to be two or three films to capture it all, and it takes me quite a while to compile even one - here is the first bit of our Cypriate adventure...

Busy Summer Final Entry - Extended Family

Above: Me and Yaz


Family certainly extends beyond our biological family and for me includes some very special people in my life and it was wonderful to see them.

While in the States I was able to spend some time with my dear friend Yaz, a college friend with whom I have been close friends for more than 20 years. Her son, Shaun, is now in his early twenties, and I have to say one of the most charming, respectful and impressive "kids" (I can call him that - but he is a man, I suppose!) that I have ever known. Kudos to Yaz for raising him so well (and completely on her own). Shaun, your aunt Leslie is very proud of you - love you loads!!

Above: Shaun; Jimmy - the love of Yaz's life :)

I also was able to spend an afternoon with my high school mate Kelly and her family. Kelly is another of those lifelong friends whose family is also my family. Her parents are quite special to me and it was wonderful to see all of them. Gosh, the kids have grown so much in such a short time! How cute are they??

Above: Kelly, Michael, Fallon, Dave, Erin; Dad and Mum Findlen

I visited my friend Brenda (she visited my last September) also - and spent just a few hours with her and her silly dog Penny and her other dog, Dudley, with whom I have a special relationship. A couple of times when I was in the States and Alex travelled to Hong Kong, Dudley came and stayed with me to keep me company - what a wonderful companion! I just love him.

Above: Brendie and Penny; Penny being coy

Below: Penny and Dudley

My trip brought me full circle back to Norwood and Scituate and I was able to attend a couple of Dave, Jr. and Dan's baseball games - the last one a quite-exciting championship game in which both boys played, and Dave, Jr. pitched (I'll tell you that's a lot of pressure on a kid which he handled well - not so with all of the adults who were totally stressed by the pressure of this game!) Ok, could they be any cuter?

Below: Dave, Jr. in action on the mound; Dan in action on the plate

Below: Adorable kiddos :)

Busy Summer Part 2 - Family is Like Chicken Soup

During our trip, we attending David Jr.'s graduation from elementary school ... gosh, the kids are growing so fast, and *man* are they cute!!! This is Dave and Dan at graduation (which was a bit of a zoo!)

Being home with family is soothing...like a bowl of chicken soup when you have cold! Here are some pics of this loving bunch....

Alex and I also spent some time wandering around beautiful Scituate - and stopping for some good old American favorites - Buffalo wings and a good old fashioned, delicious, American CHEESEBURGER - a decent one just can't be found on this side of the Atlantic!

We also played some golf with the 'rents. Amazingly after having not played since we left the States, I played my best golf ever, scoring a 90 and beating hubby without a handicap. So, does this mean I need to start playing again? ... Or never play again - like walking away from the roulette wheel in Vegas after winning a few bucks....??

So, Alex spent the next couple of days golfing with his buddies after which he had to head back to Holland to go back to work :( and I rented a car and headed to Hollis, NH to spend time with my friends Anna and Bill. Unfortunately, I wasn't there long enough to get any pics (but it was a fun night out for dinner, cocktails and even a little dancing with Anna and her niece Cara...) and the next morning (ok, afternoon :) I was off visit some long-time and very dear friends - Yaz (from college!) in Maine, Brendie in Chelmsford, and Kelly (from high school!!). Stay tuned for the next entry.

A Busy Summer - Part 1

(Above: Ryan, Hailee, Dave Jr., Shawn, Dan...and Toby!)

Well, I'm just settling back into a routine after having spent a couple of weeks in the States, a couple of weeks in Holland (recovering from jet lag, unpacking, handling some AWC issues, and packing again) and then two weeks in Cyprus for a very relaxing holiday.

I'm just getting to the pictures and will begin to create films, but here are a couple of pics from the first day of the U. S. trip...

Below: Sara; Kristin & Tom

Above: Sarah, and below - my 29th birthday party :)



Alex accompanied me for the first few days of the trip to the U.S. where we spent time with family in Scituate and Norwood, and celebrated my birthday with them all. I've since been training my brain with my new Nintendo DSi ... starting out with a brain age of 78 (argh!) and as of a couple of days ago it was 33 - so I'm convinced that exercising my brain is paying off :) Thanks to everyone (Nan, Joe, Jeff, Sarah, Dave, Sara, Dave Jr., Dan, Hailee, Tom & Kristin, and uncle Denis and aunt Nancy) for the great gift!

Next up...little Dave graduates from elementary school, golfing, beautiful views of Scituate...and after that - a trip to NH, to Maine, a visit with Brenda, back to the south shore, a great baseball game and some bird watching. Then...Cyprus!