Monday our friends Rob and Julia drove us to Nicosia for a visa run.   We ate at a really neat restaurant, did some shopping, got the visa, did more shopping, ate dinner and came home.  That’s the short story.  The longer version is taking a bit longer to write.  In the meantime here is a story about today’s really long walk.  Tomorrow is Thursday so there will be a Deks walk if the weather cooperates.  This past Tuesday Turkish lessons started again so between the walking and the lessons, practicing my "art," finishing the vest I started knitting, reading, time is moving way too fast.  And soon it will be baseball season.  Go Sox!!!

Ru

Too Long Walk in the Wind

Today I needed a long walk. I’d gotten comfortable with walks of an hour or 90 minutes and that had been enough, especially when I walked up the hill to Sipahi’s small market and back. But then I started joining Sharman and Sophie on their morning walks and built up to 2, 3 and 4 hours of hill walking. For a variety of reasons, I’ve not done a long walk for several days, so was champing at the bit. Today Sharman and Sophie indulged me, and off we went at 8 am for a loop walk to the old carob warehouses on the coast, continue on into Yenierenköy, and then back through Sipahi. At least that was the plan when we started and the sun was warm and the winds calm. I say that Sharman and Sophie indulged me because Sharman’s knee had been acting up and she was wearing a knee wrap when we started out. By the end of the walk, 5 ½ hours later, it was sheer determination and that stiff upper lip the British have that kept her going. She wouldn’t hear of my calling Randal to give her a ride home on the motorbike while I walked with Sophie. When we got back to the marina we met the trainer from the newly opened gym and he asked Sharman if she were coming to the gym later. We told him about our walk and he told Sharman she could just do upper body work! Sharman has been using the gym and the trainer is much impressed with her. Randal goes 3 times each week rather than joining us for the walks but he still does the Thursday Deks walks. Maybe one day I’ll go to the gym….maybe.

The Augean Stables or Sisyphus and the Boulder

Just past the marina are these piles of rocky dirt. The man in the photo is taking shovels full and throwing them against a screen making a sifted pile of dirt. The making of a modern Mediterranean myth.

A Fowl Dinner

The only thing left were feathers; not a bone in sight. But there were the remains of a camp fire and quarters of squeezed lemons so we gathered the bird was consumed by humans and not wild dogs or a fox. Sophie is munching on the leftover feathers.

We walked on dirt paths and then scrambled over rocks along the coast and along sand dunes…until finally coming to the Halk Plaj Restaurant. It was about 10:15 so we were ready for some tea. I’d wolfed down some oatmeal for breakfast while racing to get ready to meet Sharman at 8 am. Somehow my clock had lost an hour so I got up late but made it on time. Sharman’s breakfast is usually just a piece of fruit so she was ready for some food. So it was the perfect time and place for a snack.

Table for two in the sun on the porch set up just for us. (At that time we were the only customers.)

You can see a playground in the background and there is also, just behind it some exercise equipment for adults. There is a public beach on the other side of the restaurant.

Savory cheese börek for me! (Phyllo dough wraps filled with feta cheese flavored with herbs.)

Sharman had a cheese, tomato and cucumber sandwich and great olives. Sophie got a bit of the bread and cheese but Sharman and I ate all of the börek.

Our host, chef, and new friend Ozturk Eriman at Halk Plaj Restaurant

He came to Cyprus at age 5 and is now married with one baby son. His wife’s name in Sultan and his son’s name is Ahmet age 1 ½ . We had a lovely chat because lucky for us Ozturk speaks English quite well. We asked the restaurant’s hours so will return another day for a lunch of voppa (sardines.)

Well fed and watered ( Ozturk had brought Sophie some water in a bowl) and with the sun still shining we set off for the carob warehouses. I’ve sent photos before but here are more because it’s such a lovely place.

Where is Sophie?

I walked down to the warehouse to give Sophie an extra romp, Sharman’s knee a rest, ( and me a place to hide behind to get rid of 2 cups of tea.) Somehow Sophie and I lost each other and I was a bit past the low building when I could see Sharman ahead but no Sophie. She could see me but no Sophie. I ran back to the warehouses calling “Sophie” and heard anxious barking. Sophie waited until I was all the way back and she could make sure it was me before she jumped up and came to me making it clear that she didn’t appreciate being “lost” by me. All three of us were relieved.

It was lovely with lots of fields where Sophie could run and chase the birds.

But then the wind started to pick up; Sharman’s knee started to really act up, and both of us agreed that the way back through the center of Yenierenköy and then through Sipahi might be too long. We decided to take the shortest way home which would also pass by one of the town shops as Sharman needed bread and I wanted some yogurt. The shop also sold the small fruit filled turnovers that Sharman likes and Diet 7Up that I drink but isn’t easy to find so I buy it when I see it.

It took us about 40 minutes from there to get back to the marina. As we were walking my phone rang. “Are you ok? Did the wind blow you away?” asked Randal.

Sharman and Sophie went back to their boat, for lunch and a rest and I returned to DoraMac and ate a giant bowl of cabbage salad, some Hellim cheese, olive hardtack (best description I can think of) and some wonderful sesame honey nut brittle. And about a gallon of tea. Wonder what’s for dinner?

Actually dinner was provided by Sharman who’d made some chicken soup yesterday and brought us a batch. It was exactly perfect!