Blogs from Cyprus, Middle East
May 7th 2012
Hitler Michael Jackson Michael jordan prez. Obama Osama Saddam Hussein Prez, George bush September 11 iPod iPod shuffle iPod nano iPod touch iPhone iPhone 4s iPad iPad 2 Apple products Cold war Vietnam war World war 1&2 NASA 1st space lunch First man on the moon All types of cars The great depression Elvis The roaring 20's ... read more
March 4th 2012
As I’ve said before, traveling is a lot about firsts. Here’s the short list of my big firsts in Cyprus: It's the first time I’ve been to Cyprus, the first time I ever rented a car, (they gave me a Chevy Aveo), and the first time I got to drive on the left side of the road, like the British. Getting out of the city is a big priority for me this spring. While it was cold and snowing in Istanbul, I walked the beaches of a Mediterranean island. It wasn’t hot swimming weather, but it was sunny and warm enough to be outside all day. I found a deal on flights that left Friday afternoon and came back Sunday afternoon, for about $50 round trip. That’s all I need. It was even cheaper than my ... read more
November 13th 2011
I have for a week consecutively just arrived home, slept before 9 and woken up exhausted for admitedly an exciting adrenaline filled day but one that seems to be draining the remnant energy from me. So, I'm at a bit of a crossroads, I want to plan my getaway, no correction, rather I feel I probably need to get away to be able to feel human again. I have been asked to make a trip back to south america early next year which, as much as my hearts in it to go, would squeeze my prospective Corporate Runaway budget and eat away at my limited days. Decisions decisions decisions. Or do I just use this as an excuse and take a 3 month sabatical in south america instead? Exciting thought. But then I'd have to do ... read more
September 28th 2011
Whilst sitting at lunch today, one which I ran to the carpark to, high heels and all (apparently this was quite entertaining for my colleague who was watching all this from the kitchen) and then sped at 80 Ks to arrive comparatively on time. So, over lunch I was discussing my working schedule which involves four long days and a short day (Remnants of the old colonial past of the island) and then whilst explaining my schedule I realized it really is a fortunate work arrangement to get an afternoon to yourself. My problem? I rarely force myself out on time to actually enjoy it. BUT, keeping in mind that I can't burn out before my Corporate Runaway, I left a minute early. Handed over notes to my colleague and punctually went from responsible professional to ... read more
September 1st 2011
INTRODUCTION This blog covers two visits to Cyprus, two weeks in the spring of 2010, and eight days in the early summer of 2011. In both cases, I was accompanying my wife who was going there for business. We used an apartment in Limassol as our base, and took several day trips from there to the different sites around the island. During these visits I managed to see most of the regions of the island, with the exception of the Famagusta and Karpas regions in Northern Cyprus, and the Akamas Peninsula in the Republic of Cyprus. We used a mix of public transportation, car rental, and organized tours for getting to places; Cyprus is not a place where one can get to most attractions by public transportation, although the bus system is good for trips between ... read more
August 27th 2011
KOURION There are several sites of interest for visitors around Limassol (15-30 minutes driving distance). First and foremost is the Kourion classical archeological site, one of the best-preserved and most striking remains not only of Cyprus but the Mediterranean in general. Kourion was one of the ancient city-kingdoms of Cyprus, and has remains from Mycenean, Classical Greek, Hellenistic, Roman and Early Byzantine times. ' As one approaches Kourion, one immediately notices its prominent location: on top of a mount, facing the sea, where cliffs meet a beach down below. One of the pictures shows a view from the Kourion site atop the bluff, looking westwards and south; Kourion beach can be clearly seen (not a bad beach from most accounts either). Besides its location, Kourion posseses other attributes, starting with a beautifully preserved (ahem…, well reconstructed) ... read more
July 19th 2011
Clearly I've had a busy summer so far (it's often difficult to find time to sit down and write a blog entry when database entries need to be written, remote sesning data needs to be processed or hilltop sunsets need to be enjoyed with a cold beer in hand), and nearly every day I remember the myriad of promises I made to continue the Travel Blog this summer, and how I’ve simply failed to do so, and then I promise myself that today I will finally sit down and crank out a few entries to get back on track…next thing I know I’m waking up again, kicking myself for not writing and promising myself again—needless to say, I have no credibility with myself anymore. All that said I've discovered a rare hour (!) of uninterrupted peace ... read more
July 17th 2011
Cyprus. From Roman ruins set beside the azure Mediterranean to lush, cool mountains asking you to mountain bike through them, Cyprus has an incredible variety of experiences to offer! The south is closely tied to Greece and a part of the EU. It was a great place to practice my Romanian as a huge percentage of the service workers were Romanian! They even had Romanian stores offering traditional Romanian foods, like Cascaval and Telemea cheese. Then you cross into the Turkish rooted northern side of the island to find a less tourist centered and perhaps more authentic experience. Poorer than the south - yes. But when it came to warm interactions with the Cypriotes, the north was where it was at! My dream is to return. Through Turkey. And to cross on the ferry. On my ... read more
July 8th 2011
Wednesday 6th July 2011 Awake at our usual time and down for breakfast and back to the room and our last packing for a while. Down to reception about 11 o'clock and pay our bill for the four nights. It was €70 per night including a good breakfast which, for a half decent hotel in the centre of a capital city, we thought was a very good price. Then made our way to the Metro station and purchased our one way airport ticket. The fare is €8 for a single and for some reason €14 for a couple. One change on the Metro which we are getting to know well and then a train all the way out to the airport. The only thing is the Metro doesn't link directly into the airport, you come out ... read more
June 23rd 2011
Our 5th tour in as many days took us over to the ancient ruins of Kourion. The most impressive part of this extensive archaeological site is the luxurious house of Eustolious. This home was originally built in the early Christian period around 330-400 AD. It had and extensive layout with Roman baths, well preserved mosaics, and even stone pipes to bring water into the house. The greek writings in the tile floors also proved that this was built by a Christian family. Right next to the house was a theatre originally built in the Hellenistic period (310-30 BC) and rebuilt/expanded in the Roman period (30 BC - 330 AD). Paul and Barnabas once visited Kourion, but their most famous missionary work on the island of Cyprus was in Paphos. We made a stop to see the ... read more
