the starrs: Cyprus

I got to take a quick holiday to Cyprus a couple of weekends ago, mainly due to my sweet (ex) neighbor. Her and her husband and ten month old son were supposed to go on vacation to Cyprus for a week, but on the day of their departure we had snow in the area and traffic was terrible. They ended up missing their flight, and since the airline they booked through only flew to Cyprus on Wednesdays, and Wednesdays only, they had to push everything back a week. Her husband was unable to get that time off of work which was unfortunate for him, but fortunate for me! She asked if I would like to go with her and her son Luke, and although I wish I could've gone for the full week she was there, I had just accepted a new job and had to be the responsible adult and fulfill my obligation. Dangit. However, I'm only working Tuesday through Thursday each week (sweet schedule, right?!) so I told Maria that I could join her for a long weekend, and she said that sounded great to her! Last minute airfare wasn't the cheapest expense ever, but I didn't have to pay for hotel or car rental, so I guess it balanced out in the end. Sort of. Thomas, being the most loving, supportive husband in the whole world, sent me off with a hug and a kiss on Friday. I felt a teensy bit guilty for going without him, but his reply to that was "I got to go to Africa this year without you." Um, not quite the same thing, but I appreciate it nonetheless. ;)

We had a nice relaxing long weekend on the island; we explored the beaches and a couple of cities, and searched for some small villages that weren't taken over by tourists such as ourselves. Perhaps my favorite part of the trip was sampling the local cuisine. Maria had bought some groceries from the local market before I arrived, so we had plenty of local vegetables and meats to enjoy for dinner.

The Republic of Cyprus is dominantly Greek and Turkish, with a healthy dose of British ex-pats thrown in. The southern half of the island is mostly Greek, and the northern half of the island is Turkish, with the capital of Nicosia being split (basically) in half. Until 1974, Cyprus was under British rule, which explains the large amount of ex-pats that reside there, and accounts for the strong British influence that can still be seen in some areas - such as their restaurants, stores, and post boxes.

Overall I enjoyed Cyprus, but I'm not sure I would go back. I think the fact that we visited during their low season affected my opinion, as many places were closed for the "winter" (although the weather was still wonderful, much better than England at least), but it just didn't seem like there was a whole lot going on. I'm sure a visit during the summer would be a completely different experience, but I would rather try somewhere new first!