The Cruise

One of the best ways to get to know the inhabitants of your host country is to go on a cruise and share vacation. I, and a 1000 of my closest Cypriot friends, went on a cruise of the Greek islands. Together, we traveled from the port of Limassol around Rhodes, Tinos, Mykonos, Santorini, Lesbos, Symi and Crete. There were moments of sublime wonder (drinking coffee while overlooking Santorini harbor) mixed with moments of abject horror (trying to clear Greek customs with two cruise ships full of Cypriots and Germans-- can you imagine any two cultures further apart?! There literally was almost a riot.) We missed Tinos (a traditional island of pilgramage) on our first docking, so after sailing past Mykonos and Santorini, the devout yayas (Cypriot grandmas) onboard mutinied and forced the captain to TURN THE BOAT AROUND and go back to Tinos. There's a myth that if the The Virgin Mary does not like someone, She will not let the boat dock in Tinos. Quite frankly, I'm surprised we made the cut.

In Rhodes, I met a tour guide who used to work at the U.S. Embassy and who introduced me to the delight of ouzo candy, a specialty of Rhodes. Delicious. In Lesbos, I visited a monastery where a monk had fashioned an image of the Archangel Michael from the blood-drenched soil of his church courtyard after miraculously being the sole survivor of an attack on the abbey. A fresco of Michael in the same monastery is rumored to have disappeared for three days (and then reappeared) during the landing of Turkish troops in Cyprus in 1974. After docking at 7am, I made the pilgramage with other Cypriots to Tinos, "The Island of Faith," to the church of the Annunciation of Mary. We walked through the quiet streets and bought 3-foot high candles along the side of the road to light in the church. I lit a candle for my friend's Mom, Pam, who recently succumbed to breast cancer. In Mykonos, I dined at La Pasta Nostra and walked around the charming streets. In Santorini, I took the cable car up the side of the mountain, enjoyed a Greek frappe (a speciality coffee drink) at Select Cafe, and took a boat tour around the hot springs and hiked up the volcano. In Crete, we missed the closing time for Knossos (site of the Minotaur) by five minutes, so we returned to Heraklion and enjoyed some cheese pie, a specialty of the island. Even though our boat overheated on the way in, Symi may have been my favorite spot. It was a jewel. I had no expectations about it, but truly enjoyed the beautiful pastel-colored homes and charming scenery.

Any way you slice it, my cruise was a trip to remember.

Maki-chan

I was absolutely delighted to receive a visit from my friend, Makiko. After unexpected stopovers in Nagoya and Dubai (passport issues--make sure you've got 3 months left on yours if you intend to visit!), Makiko flew in. We climbed around Bellepais, attended a reception at the Ambassador's residence, explored the mosaics in Paphos, and just generally caught up and hung out. It was a true relief after the horrendous events of July, including my friend Tom's suicide (he was the defense attache at the Embassy.) I'm thrilled that she's doing so well in Tokyo, and am still happily munching on the strawberry-covered Pocky that she brought me.

Finding Serenity

There's a special place that my friends and I like to go to in Proteras. One weekend a few weeks ago (before my parents arrived, actually), I called up a friend of mine and told her I wanted to check out the beach in Proteras. Little did I know, she had plans to meet up with a friend of hers there that afternoon. She told me that she was going to book us in a very special place, and that I would love it. When we arrived, I called up my friend Karen who happened to be just down the road in Ayia Napa with a friend of hers visiting from Athens. We all met up and stayed up talking and laughing until 2am. It was the perfect night and it all came together flawlessly-- good friends, good food, good company, and a beautiful beach. And what a group!-- a Greek actress, a Cypriot-American designer, a PR consultant from LA, and a Cypriot businesswoman. We stayed lounging out in the sun and playing in the cove until late the following afternoon, and several groups of our friends stopped by. It was paradise.

European Vacation

My Mom, Dad, and sister Katie came to visit Cyprus for a week in early June. My parents started with a cruise around Greece and then flew to Cyprus, where Katie joined us. We had a ball-- dining on mezze at Kyrenia Harbor, drinking a coffee on the Paphos boardwalk, soaking at the 1000-yr old hamam (Turkish bath), attending a reception at the DCM's house and dining at my boss's. Katie and I had a special afternoon all to ourselves lying on the beach in Agia Napa.
I think my parents were surprised by how much they enjoyed themselves. My Dad really liked the Cypriot breakfast (Cypriot yoghurt prepared with honey and walnuts), and Cypriot coffee. One of the highlights of the trip is when my parents, sister and I visited Selma the Coffee Reading Lady at Cafe Ozerlat in north Nicosia. She read my Dad's cup, and said that he seemed to be under a large boot. My Dad, ever the engineer, seemed very skeptical, until she turned the cup around, and showed us the perfect image of a large boot...shaped like Italy! (My Mom is Italian-American.) He was incredulous and asked-- "How did she do that?!" Luckily for everyone involved (especially my father,) my Mom thought it was funny, too.

London

Right after my blonde transformation, I flew to London for my friends' Robert and Katherine's wedding and to see my friend Chris. It was gorgeous and lots of fun. It was terrific seeing friends ranging from friends I had studied abroad with in Japan all the way to a friend I had worked with at the Embassy here in Cyprus. I saw a lot of the Wharton crew (including Linh, Debbie Liu, Brian, Julie, & Tim Viles), and it seemed like no time at all had elapsed. In between wedding events, Chris, his girlfriend and I toured the British Museum, checked out the East London markets, roamed the pubs, and went shopping at Selfridge's. I met up with Eleni for a lovely stroll along the Thames and some breakfast right by the water, and then saw Silke in the afternoon for a good pub lunch before heading back home to Cyprus.

Blonde Ambition

Well, I've gone and done it...I'm a blonde (yes, I know, I was blonde before). And no ordinary blonde...Greek blonde. Greek porn star blonde. My friend Demetris sent me to his hair stylist. He told me about how Christos worked with celebrities and lots of models, and how he had pictures of them all over the shop. And he was right. Kind of. What I didn't realize is that the celebrities were Playmates and Greek stars of dubious repute. As I was sitting under the dryer, I thought that perhaps it was taking a little longer than usual. And when he combed me out and dried my hair, and then told me had lived in Athens for 10 years, it all kind of clicked. Now I look like, in the words of one of my friends back home, one of the Persian ladies from DC. Ironically, everyone at the Embassy loves the new look.

Driving Around Bellepaix/ Beylerbeyi

Well, I wish I had bothered to look up the Turkish equivalent of Bellepaix, the lovely medieval monastery, before setting off to the north. Alas, I didn't...and who knows, if I had, I may never have gone to the village of Okanjoy or its Elvis bar. I enjoyed my visit to Bellepaix so much in the December that I wanted to go back while it was still green in the spring. So, I set off and stopped at St. Hilarion's castle. Well, while trying to find Bellepaix, I ended up driving to the village of Okanjoy. In Okanjoy, I stopped for directions and unwittingly popped into an Elvis bar. It looked normal enough until I noticed the Elvis decor. And then the proprieter himself-- he had a pompadour! It was unreal-- a slice of Americana in the middle of the north! Even his car had a photo of Elvis silkscreened on the hood. He was very kind and hospitable, and sent me on my way to Bellepaix, otherwise known as, Beylerbeyi. Most places in Cyprus have a Greek, Turkish and British name, which can be quite confusing...to say the least. When I finally arrived in Beylerbeyi/ Bellepaix, I trekked through town and found the house where Lawrence Durrell, the author of classic Bitter Lemons, resided during his stay in Cyprus.

A Beautiful Day in Kyrenia

Shortly before Marce finished his tour and left, we spent the day together in Kyrenia and explored Kyrenia castle. It was incredible. Kyrenia castle has the remains of a large ship inside, and the former holding, well, holes, of some unfortunate royal prisoners. Evidently, a jealous queen threw her husband's pregnant mistress underground while he was off at war. After scouting out the castle and checking out the view from the rooftop, we sat and drank sarip (a lovely hot Cypriot drink made with orchid tips) by Kyrenia harbor. It was the perfect day.

Kykkos Monastery

Shortly after visiting Asinou, my friend Marce suggested we check out Kykkos Monastery. I had heard all about it-- one of the finest museums and one of the richest monasteries in the Orthodox world. It did not disappoint. It was breathtaking. On the way up there, Marce and I hit a rock. When we got out to inspect the damage, I heard a heartwrenching hissing sound...and the people who had pulled off the road besides us drove away! Luckily, a lovely Turkish Cypriot family pulled over and helped Marce (I supervised) change the tire. As we pulled into the Monastery, we saw the same people who had left us by the side of the road -- very Christian act for a bunch of people on their way to a monastery! After entering inside, Marce and I drank in some of the most gorgeous icons and religious artifacts. It was well worth the trip-- even if it cost nearly 80 CYP to replace the tires!

Visiting Asinou

After a whirlwind of St. Paddy's day activities, I headed out to the village of Asinou for some peace and quiet. The church of Asinou is considered the most beautiful painted church in the Troodos Mountains and is a UNESCO world heritage site. It was truly stunning. The interior of the church is painted in floor-to-ceiling frescoes. I've never seen such vivid and bold interior paintings in a church. I was amazed at the complexity of the frescoes: St. George, the 40 Martyr's, and the painting of the black-veiled benefactress stay with me the most. Unfortunately, cameras were not allowed inside. After my tour of the church, I ate a late lunch at the taverna across the road: dolmas (stuffed grape leaves), macaroni, and some delicious homemade stew, topped off with a Cypriot coffee (metrio, of course.)

Chatting with Deborah Potter

The last two weeks were pretty intense-- tons of receptions and programs. One of the highlights was hosting U.S. media figure and former CNN correspondent Deborah Potter, an expert on reporting in areas of regional conflict. She was in Cyprus as part as a follow-up to the Embassy's annual bicommunal media symposium. The lecture she gave was world-class. We had an incredible day touring around my favorite cafe and the market in north Nicosia.

Hanging out with Duende

What a couple of weeks! I spent a full week touring with Duende, a Latin Jazz Quartet! It was incredible. Sometimes I can't believe I'm getting paid to to do my job. One night they received two standing ovations. They held jam sessions, conducted children's and Master's workshops, and gave performances throughout the island. They even performed at the prison! We were given a tour of the Cypriot K-9 unit. They were covered in all the media, and I even ended up on a talk show. That was pretty wild.
We did some sight seeing around Limassol and Kyrenia, too. We visited an ancient Roman amphitheater that had such perfect acoustics that you could whisper and be heard several stories up. The vista was breathtaking. We kept driving around in fields and then pulled up to this castle out in the middle of nowhere-- but Cyprus is kind of like that. Of course, Kyrenia Harbor is beautiful as always. One of the guys liked it so much he skipped lunch and went hunting for a job!
Two days after packing Duende off to the airport, we launched a traffic safety initiative with a press conference. Wow. We received an incredible response. Full-page articles, requests for national interviews, meeting requests from other Ambassadors...we definitely struck a nerve.
I'll post some photos in the next few days.

Checking out the Karpass

As in the Karpass peninsula. It's the part of Cyprus that looks like a tail. A photography club invited me and a few others as guests of honor to go with them on a photo excursion. It was amazing. A whole day dedicated to photography!!! We stopped by a gorgous, ramshackle old church; flower-filled fields; a little harbor; and a Turkish-Cypriot village. One of the village ladies let us pose with her donkey and gave us fresh-baked bread with herbs and halloumi cheese. Yum. Another couple invited us into their home to see their hand-made loom. It was wild. The loom was made out of sticks and had a stone for a weight and worked just fine. Our bus got caught down by the water, and all of us had to pile out while the menfolk pushed the bus uphill. Thank God I'm a woman. While we were roaming around, one of the women kept blowing on this little whistle. It turned out there were a bunch of hunters nearby, and she wanted to make sure we didn't get shot! Lunch was a sit-down mezze, followed by an impromptu coffee-cup reading. The guy raised the potatoes, sheep and olives on the premise. Yum. A little plane showed up in my cup (same as at dinner a few weeks ago!). She said that I will have someone fly in and money will come from overseas. Sounds good to me...

Egypt and Beyond

Well, I'm turning native. I drove and parked on the SIDEWALK last night in front of the grocery store. Next I'll start wearing lots of leopard print.

I went to Egypt weekend before last. It was incredible. Saw the Sphynx, the Giza pyramids, Memphis and Sakkara, a carpet school, a papyrus shop, the Egyptian museum, lots of mosques, Coptic churches and one of the oldest synaguogues in existence. It was one of the most incredible trips in my life. And I went there for the weekend. Doesn't it sound cool to say, "I went to Egypt for the weekend?!" We even took a Nile cruise.

The Bridge is Down

Yesterday was amazing-- I witnessed the dismantlement of the Ledra Bridge. It's been a key point of contention between Greek and Turkish Cypriots. One of my colleagues (who ended up on Cypriot TV) and I drove up and watched the workers jackhammer the concrete. The evironment was festive-- lots of kids, old people and local shopkeepers. And then by 10pm last night...it was gone. Unreal.

Ferraris and Tennis Shoes: My Visit to Limassol

This past weekend was kind of entertaining. To test drive my (new-to-me) car and catch some sea air, I drove out to Limassol, the second largest city in Cyprus. Now, according to an unnamed Cypriot friend, Limassol is the "New Jersey of Cyprus," so quite frankly, I wasn't expecting much. But to be fair, I was pleasantly surprised and enjoyed my day immensely.

Beforehand, I went to a Starbucks to grab a cup of coffee and ran into the toddler fashion police. I walked in wearing a sweatsuit and white tennis shoes. This little girl standing in line in front of me gave me a huge smile, and then started scanning me from head to toe. When she saw my shoes, she got this funny look on her face...she was absolutely horrified. The kid was two. It's amazing how even the youngest Cypriot has a defined fashion sense.

When I got to Limassol, I found a great little cafe and sat out on the sidewalk. I was sitting there, wearing my red boots (yes, I changed the tennis shoes and sweat pants), when this guy in a Ferrari drives up. And revs his engine. And I didn't look at him. And he revved it again. It was kind of fun to blow off a guy driving a Ferrari.

Over the Holidays

The holidays were lovely...parties, sight-seeing, and lots of eating. I attended a black-tie 12-course Christmas dinner on the 23rd at Ledra Palace in the UN buffer zone. Cocktails started at 7:30 and we didn't get up from the table until midnight! Dinner was followed by a casino night with lots of blackjack. On the 24th I attended an Embassy party and Midnight Mass. My family and I finally got our webcams hooked up, so I saw my first live shot of baby Meredith! She's GORGEOUS...and very red. On Christmas I went with friends to Kyrenia harbor and ate meze and shopped. The next day, I spent with Demetris' family and friends eating souvla. My friend Federica flew in from Venice that night. While I worked, she explored the town. We met up for tea in the afternoons and would hang out at night. During my first day off, we hired a car to transport us from the Green Line up north to Kyrenia, St. Hilarion's Castle and Bellepais, a Byzantine monastery. It was a perfect day-- we sat and ate meze by the harbor with the sunshine on our face. The next day, we relaxed at the hamam and ate kebab and drank Cypriot coffee in preparation for the Embassy New Year's Eve Party later that night. The next day I accompanied Federica to the airport and visited the Tekke Mosque, one of the holiest sites in Islam. I was so sad to see Federica go. We had such a great time. That night, I went out with some Cypriot friends for coffee and cards and felt absolutely stuffed.