We’ve had some great lazy days just recently…. spent them around the pool ….. and in the pool….. the weather is just idyllic. Blue skies… about 28C…. nice little breeze…. no bugs… just ideal.
Susan and John arrived on Wednesday afternoon. Bob picked them up at Ercan airport and we had a very nice dinner beside the pool. I made lasagne and if I say so myself, it was really good. I got the recipe from the BBC https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/lasagne_82381 but I only used beef mince. Recommend it.
Yesterday we spent lazing by the pool and in the evening we went down the road a bit to try a new restaurant (to us), Soora Garden. It is just below the restored old Greek Orthodox church in Yesiltepe, right on the edge of the ravine. It used to be a much more casual place with a prominent children’s playground. Now there are more tables and it has definite restaurant pretensions. It was an ok meal. Three of us went for the mixed grill and Susan had chicken adana kebabs.We had a bottle of red wine and a beer and a soft drink. It wasn’t particularly cheap and it didn’t feel great value. They clearly have some teething problems they need to sort out and the price is one of them. Having said that, there were quite a lot of people there enjoying drinks and pizza, which was cheaper than the grill food. We will keep an eye on that place and hopefully the price/value ratio will improve. At the moment Hoots is a better option. Unless you want pizza of course….
Today we had a major exploration day. We drove west, along the coast and then up above the reservoir where we stopped at the viewpoint for a look down. It was very full and a beautiful sight.
We then carried on west, through Camlibel, and skirting Gurzelyurt to the bronze age palace at Vouni. The ruins are atop a peak, overlooking the sea in one direction and the interior mountains and hillsides in another. It was a large palace, about 500 BC, and it is interesting to see the room layouts and the large water cistern, the baths etc. What makes Vouni worth the trip in my opinion, are the views. They are sublime in all directions and given that you are likely, as we were, to be exploring it all on your own, it really is a special experience. Tickets are less than £2 each.
After that we wended our way 10 minutes north along the coast road to the ruins of Soli. Soli was a very large settlement on Cyprus dating back to 800BC although the Basilica which remains on view is about 445BC. The basilica floor is covered in mosaics which are shielded by a large roof. The most famous one shows a swan. There is also a theatre set into the hillside. John walked up to see it. Bob, Susan and I sat on a bench under an olive tree and enjoyed the breeze and the view. We have seen it many times before.
We headed north again, stopping by the sea for a snack and a cold drink. It’s a lovely coast over here amidst the most verdant farmland – oranges, lemons, bananas, dates, vegetables…. very very fertile.
Finally, we returned to Guzelyurt and parked up at the archaeological museum and went in to view the treasures found in Soli and Vouni. The highlight of the museum is the room dedicated to the treasure trove found in the graves of the nobles at Soli, including the most amazing gold leaf crown of vine leaves and grapes. Gorgeous. There are other rooms full of pottery and artifacts dating back to 3000 BC…. just amazing.
We also visited St Mama’s church and monastery next door. The curator let us in and we enjoyed looking at the beautiful gilded wood carvings, the tomb of the saint which has a healing oil seaping from it…. and the crystal chandeliers….
Did a big shop on the way home ready for a bbq we are hosting tomorrow. Got to the villa at about 4 and once we had unpacked, we were in the pool. Just lovely to wallow in the water after our day out and about.
Tonight we went out for dinner at one of our favourite restaurants, The Meyhane, in Zehtinlik. It’s a traditional meze restaurant and almost exclusively favoured by Turkish Cypriots or Turkish people, often in family groups or groups of friends. On Friday and Saturday nights they have live musicians wandering the tables playing Turkish music. It’s a trio: drummer/violinist/Arabic Oud. The music is quite atonal to the western ear and rather wailing. It reminds me a bit of Flamenco singing….
Anyway, the meze is mega and we didn’t even have the biggest one on offer. We had about 15 cold plates including a large bowl of crudities and a bowl of salad. Then about 7 hot mezes including grilled haloumi, lahmacun, a lamb meatball, lamb shish, chicken pasta, chicken risotto and a lamb chop….. then a fruit plate, baklava… honestly we were stuffed. The musicians came to our table and played a song which was fun. Just a great atmosphere and a fabulous meal. Lovely evening.
