Well the past few weeks have totally tootled by...realising that we are on the home stretch now, of our magical 3 month adventure, Daryle and I have been burning the tourist candle at both glorious ends.
From a scorching weekend in the Turkish North clambering over the stone ruins of the ancient city of Salamis (11 century BC). A Roman gym, theatre and baths complete with sauna and cold rooms (very advanced me thinks especially the, still reasonably intact, aqueduct and plumbing!)
Moonlit dinner on the beach at Bogaz. Feeding wild donkeys sticky warm carob pods through the car window on the way up the Karpaz peninsula to the YUMMIEST sunset swim in clear pale turquoise waters after a beach picnic. Saying words like Famagusta and Gazimagusa frequently just cos I love the sound they yield. Daryle just grins. I love him more for that.
Chucking a youie aka Doing a 180 in the car (i.e. a swiftly performed U-turn that Daryle is extremely adept at) after spotting an old stone church in Deryneia, with it's tiny wooden door ajar begging for us to please stop...And we were not disappointed, a 15th century byzantine chapel with murals and icons dedicated to Saint George and his dragon slaying moment...Go Georgie.
Visiting the archaeolgical site at Paphos, right next to the harbour, with monuments that date back to prehistoric times, the Middle Ages and the Roman period was so surreal. The floor mosaics depicting greek myths here are theeee most b-yootiful. I can only imagine the time it took to create these intricate floors with such tiny fragments of coloured stone. Soo many Oooohs and aahhs were uttered. From me.
The Paphos museum was AMAZING also. The quirky terracotta statues of fertility deities and the feminine often in the form of Aphrodite (arms in air and on horseback my faves) were placed in the many sanctuaries throughout the kingdom as small divine places of reverence. Like pocket shrines...Totally like pocket shrines. Anyway don't be surprised if a version of these quirky idols show up in my work somewhere...
Work wise I have completed a wee commission for a local face-painter, painted a pot as a donation to a fundraiser for SPAVO (a local charity raising awareness for the prevention of domestic violence) more kitty pots and a rock kitty doorstop thingy for the craft store.
Photos above including Me, finally (eye roll) getting my wings...Famagusta (Gazimagusa) beach, the ancient city of Salamis, the brazen wild donkeys, our gleeful faces after a beach picnic, arty bits, Freddy the kitty cat at the craft store literally climbing up my apron, dinner at the port of Zygi, The wee church of Saint George, the Port of Paphos and the ancient city plus fun bits in the archaeological museum including ancient terracotta hot water bottles (hotties as we kiwis call them) more of Freddy climbing up me for some love, Dinner with our lovely Cypriot friend George at Kiti under the greenery and gaze of the wee church of Archangel Michael. Me with my halo glowing...again!
Some of my favouritist things:
Fresh mint in my salad. Maybe you had already considered this simple piece of herbal configuration, but me, nope. Eating out in Kalavasos one night (under the full moon no less) at the local taverna we ordered what they call a village salad (and every village seems to have their own variation on it) anyway tiny specs of fresh mint peppered through the leafy scrumptiousness made for such a culinary delight we have of course added mint to our balcony garden and our homemade salads now too! YUM
The super gorgeous iridescent vermillion dragonflies. (yep still my faves) Bums in the air they boldly gaze back at me from the edge of the swimming pool whilst I swim my daily laps. They are truly MAGICAL sparkly wee creatures.
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