Anastasia

Paphos - August 2009

PART II

Day 2 - Saturday, August 8

This is what we woke to on Saturday morning.

It was slightly cloudy and I feared the worst : rain! "Don't worry!" Alkis said encouragingly "Look at the clouds! They're white and the sky is blue. It's not going to rain." I was impressed by his common sense- weather- forecast! Indeed, about an hour later the sun came out and after breakfast at the Executive Wing Lounge located on level 4 amidst a wide range of plants and flowers, we were ready for the beach. I was so hungry that I had forgotten to take my camera with me. I loved the traditional old-fashioned cupboard where all sorts of bread, rolls, croissants and doughnuts were displayed not to mention the vast array of hot loaves! I wish there were some waffles, though. Then I put on all my recently purchased beach apparel from Debenhams and got ready for the beach.

I was dreaming of a golden sandy beach and crystal clear waters like the ones in our area but what a disappointment that was! The sea was rough and there were huge waves and instead of a velvety golden sandy "carpet" there were ..rocks and pebbles in the sea! Alkis braved the waves and swam in deep waters but I didn't dare to follow his example! Then he came out and said how invigorating that swim was! But he did look a bit ..exhausted, though. He is a strong swimmer but he is also ..almost 60!

As for me, I enjoyed swimming in shallow waters. In Paphos, "shallow waters" means you can hardly touch the bottom with your feet!

Then we had espressos at the pool bar and iced cold water!

Then I changed into a dry bikini - just perfect for lunch at the pool restaurant. We had chicken gyros in pitta bread, a beer for Alkis and a glass of iced rosé wine for me.

In the evening, we had dinner at Romantino Restaurant. We were very lucky to have a table as we hadn't made any reservation at all. We greatly enjoyed a rocket salad for starters and pan-grilled chicken garnished with a variety of fresh vegetables and ..some kind of baked potato. I did not like the so-called tiramisu for dessert and the whole coffee beans included in the sauce!

Paphos - August 2009

PART I

DAY 1- FRIDAY, AUGUST 7

Having forbidden Alkis to go to work today - not even for an hour to "check on things" - I got up at 7 o'clock with a light heart and finished packing. I was very pleased to see that Alkis had passed into a deep slumber, so I  took care not to wake him up! I've often told him that it's impossible for a human being to work 12 months a year, 7 days a week, 12 hours (minimum) a day. His answer is : "But I love what I do!" Not long ago, he suffered from a severe allergy but he never missed a day at work. I told him that he should have taken  at least 4 weeks sick leave, but he laughed and said that he enjoyed ...my joke! It was 8:30 am when he got up. Naturally, while we were having breakfast, he called the hotel to make sure everything was OK. Thank God, everything was OK, so we finally set off at 10 : 15 am.

An hour later, we stopped at Pissouri and had cold beers and a snack. Last time we visited the area was on Christmas Eve. I can still recall the cold wind blowing from the sea and the great Christmas Eve lunch we had by a huge glowing fire. But now a cool breeze was blowing from the sea and, of course, we sat outside enjoying the view to the infinite blue of the eastern Med.

It was almost lunchtime when we set off again towards Paphos, the birthplace of Venus. We had lunch at Doria Restaurant near the village of Kissonerga - just a breath away from the sea. We had a Greek village salad and some starters like halloumi cheese and taramosalata, calamari with chips for me, chicken kebab for Alkis and 2 glasses of Plomari Ouzo. We paid 55 euros and thought it was quite expensive! However, both the service and the food were excellent.

After lunch, we set off for the Coral Beach Hotel  situated near the picturesque village of Peyia by Coral Bay - the most popular beach in Paphos. After a short siesta in the exquisite suite 1334, just before dusk, we were spoilt with fruit and wine on the private terrace of our suite.

After this very romantic pre-dinner treat at the Coral Beach Hotel, we had dinner at possibly the best Chinese Restaurant in Paphos - Jade Palace at Coral Bay.

Household Chores...and some Packing!

Many of you will think I am spoilt rotten! But those of you who know me a little better will never say that! Let's start from the very beginning! Giorgoulla, my cleaning lady AND housekeeper, is off on holiday for the next 2 weeks! On most of my working days , she is also a great cook! Fair enough, but for the next two weeks , she is not here with me, she is somewhere on a cruise on the Greek Isles!!  Which means that I pay her well! Now, aren't I nasty? Must be the housework ..after-effect! End of digression!

So, I had to do the housework today! I haven't done any housework since 2004, I think. In previous years, I employed a part time cleaning lady from The Philippines. This year, I thought I'd rather save some money and do the work myself! What a chore ! I didn't know where to start and where to finish ... It took me  20 minutes to figure out  how to use the vacuum cleaner! I set on the cleaning project at 9:00 am and finished at 1:30 pm ! No time to cook ! I was exhausted! As for the ironing ...I trusted my dry-cleaner, just in time as they are off on holiday soon! The bottom line is I'd rather teach 18 hours in a row than do housework! Then I sat back and took the laptop in my lap and signed in to Facebook and now here to TypePad. All of a sudden, I remembered that I had to pack for a long weekend away. 

And as if that were not enough, Alkis sent me an ultimatum :" ONE small suitcase for both! Or else I'm not going with you!" Knowing what a terrible workaholic he is, I did not risk spoiling the holiday. So, I thought Alkis will be very happy for the next 3 days with just ONE swimming suit, ONE pair of shorts and ONE pair of pants. Oh...2 T-shirts! And there's still plenty of space in the small suitcase! I don't have the slightest problem to fill in ... the gaps!

See you on Monday! Wishing you all a lovely weekend.

Long Hot Summer

In my part of the world summertime begins in May and ends in October. This is the time of year I enjoy most as I'd rather be hot than cold! Literally speaking! Funnily enough, we haven't had a serious heat wave yet as temperatures rose to the normal 40*C inland and 32-34 on the coast. High up in the mountains it's much cooler. For some reason, I don't like mountains! Not in the summer, anyway! A couple of years ago, Alkis and I decided to spend a few days in Platres in August. It was 38*C in Larnaca when we left. I had only packed summer clothes...and, silly me , swimming costumes! Well, just in case we had a swim in the hotel's swimming pool. When we got there... it was pouring!

After having slept 10 hours in a row, I've been feeling very energetic today!I had eggs and bacon for breakfast, a small croissant with orange jam and lots of filter coffee. Then I baked a leek pie, had some ME time at Aranka's - my beutician - then I went shopping  and got 2 bikinis for only 120 euros. I was unable to resist getting the matching skirt wraps! And the matching beach bag together with the matching faux-bijoux for the beach! Then I had iced-cold Greek Frappe Coffee with my friend Stefania at Phinikoudes and then we both had .a light lunch at VE. Salads, Perrier water and some ice cream.

Right now, I need a siesta !

A White Wallaby Kangaroo in Paphos

One of the most rare species of kangaroos, a white Wallaby kangaroo, was born and lives in the Birds and Animals Park in the western coastal town of Paphos, Cyprus.
This is one of the four white kangaroos living in the world today: there are two in Britain, one in Australia and one in Cyprus. The kangaroo was born two months ago at the Park.

Director and owner of the park Christos Christoforou said that the Wallaby kangaroos are found in Australia and is a rare species since during the last thirty years no other white kangaroo was born anywhere in the world.

Likes and Dislikes

I like

• literature
• poetry
• the sea
• holidays
• chocolate
• blueberries
• wall calendars
• sunsets
• sunrises
• blogging
• the new TypePad
• calamari
• the greek islands
• photography
• sunshine
• oldies
• cooking
• golden beaches
• speaking my mind
• positive thinking 

I dislike

• mushrooms
• asparagus
• football
• hunting
• dentists
• planes
• rainy days
• rap
• housework
• gardening
• tv soaps
• snow
• cold places
• venting
• storms
• cartoons
• computer games
• negativity
• snakes
• extreme sports