Day 19: Cyprus Land

There have been several advertisements around here to go see Cyprus Land so I took the opportunity this morning to go check it out.  As soon as I walked in I wanted to turn around and leave.  The "theme" park was extremely small and is clearly meant for children 10 and younger.  The staff was very pleasant and walked me right into their model of ancient Cyprus.  I have to say that was pretty cool because the entire room was made up of model of the island where they used a 3-D printer to recreate what the castles looked like.  They said it took a year to complete the project and I did learn some interesting history about the castles and how the island came to be.

I then looked into some of the little shops, and I mean very little.  However this one shop had something called a Pythagorean Cup which has a very interesting story behind it, so of course I ended up getting one.  There was then a battle where two people wore suits of armor, which I couldn't imagine wearing in this heat!  

Click here to see the battle

I then finished my time there by doing some archery.  This was actually pretty fun.  He started me out on a beginners arrow where I almost hit the middle of the target a few times.  He then had me use more of an advanced bow which was pretty hard because the aiming was a little different.

  

The black arrows with the green feathers are shot with the beginners arrow and the yellow arrows are shot with the advanced, notice how most of the time are at the bottom of the target!

I then went out to lunch with Roy and some of his friends from work to celebrate Philip's birthday.  We went to the Lighthouse which was really good and had a beautiful view.   They even have a private beach area which I wish I knew about because that would have been a cool place to take Jen and RJ. (Of course this is the first time I didn't take pictures)

I finished the afternoon sitting by the pool until Roy came home.  At which point we went out with Eva and Simon for a farewell dinner.  We went to Artima down in the Castle/Old Port area.  The food was again incredible.  I can't believe we only have one more day!

Day 18: A visit to the zoo

The day started earlier for me with a 3 mile run.  I ate a quick breakfast and then biked down to the Limassol Zoo.  The zoo is very small and doesn't have a ton of animals, but it was nice to check out and see what they have.

Owls

This lemur kept posing for me. 

Such a long tail!

Otters eating breakfast.

Meerkat on guard duty

Look at those antlers!

This lizard had a bit of a personality.  Click the link below to see him show off a little.  He did this to every person who came up to him to take his picture!

Click here to see a lizard dance for me

For the rest of the afternoon I sat by the beach and read my book.  When Roy finally got home we went out to dinner to Ocean Basket, kind of like a Red Lobster, but I think the food is a lot fresher and made with a lot less butter. We checked out a few of the shops on the way home and ended the night by getting a nutella crepe from the Eurocrepe place down the street.  

Day 17: Lazy Monday

Roy went back to work today and I was left alone again.  It seemed extra lonely after having company for the past week!  I went on a 4 mile run and then I had to wait for the plumber to come to the house.  Jen and RJ's shower broke last week and they wanted to get it fixed.  Unfortunately by the time the plumber came and went it was already 3pm and I had made plans to go out with Eva to check out the mall.  So I laid by the pool.  

Flowers next to the pool.  These are my favorite as I first discovered them in Hawaii.  I think they are so pretty and smell really good.

Eva came by and picked me up to check out the mall.  The mall was nice they have a whole sports center downstairs with ice skating, bowling and an arcade.  The shopping is a little expensive but I did find a nice shirt and there was a store that I picked up a lot of cool things for school.  The store was relatively inexpensive and had a little bit of everything.  It reminded me of Ikea's little knick knack section.  

I couldn't help but share this picture.  Not sure if something got lost in translation here or not.....

To end the night we went to dinner to Fridays, yes the same one as home, where I had a quinoa burger.  This was actually quite delicious.   I had a great time with Eva and it is hard to believe we will have to say goodbye to everyone in just a few days!

Day 16: Sunday Funday

Roy and I slept in today, which was really nice because I don't think we have really done that since we first got here.  I returned the car and went on a three mile run, which was a mistake to do at 11 am it was so incredibly hot.  Go figure the weeks we don't have the car are the two weeks that are the hottest!

Roy and I enjoyed lunch at The Woodman right down the street.  The menu was a little small because they don't tend to offer a lot on a Sunday for lunch.  Roy got a beef sandwich and I got a burger, which were both delicious! We came home and spent some time in the pool.  We played some pool basketball where I of course demolished Roy :)

Ruth and Cassandra then picked us up and we went over to Guaba to check it out on a Sunday, as that is their big day for going out.  We had a lot of fun there!  We even ran into some friends of Holly's there which were nice to see!  Here are some pics of the party there.

Not really sure what this was all about

Hey! I know you! :)

Paul Vandyke....apparently a pretty popular DJ.

Click here for the end of the night chant at Guaba (love this song!) 

Note: Their end of the night is 9pm here!

To end the night Ruth, Cassandra, Roy and I went to an indian restaurant right across the street for dinner.  The food was astounding! However the medium spice is extremely spicy and we don't think we could imagine what hot would be like! 

Chicken Tikka Marsala and some garlic naan....yum!

Day 15: Napa, round 2

I can't believe that Jen and RJ have left already! I feel like it was just yesterday that we were picking them up from the airport.  Roy and I dropped Jen and RJ off at the airport around 6:30 am and then continued our way to Napa.  Apparently no one wakes up early in Napa as we got there around 7 am.  We had to wait for things to start opening up at 7:30 am and enjoyed a breakfast buffet at one of the hotels along the water.

Roy with his pineapple drink 

Napa!

We spent most of the day at Napa and then went to dinner to Caprice located in the Londa Hotel.  We were in the mood for some Italian food.  Again, another very good restaurant that I would recommend.  We had salmon tartare and crab soufflé for appetizers, clam linguine and crab/lobster ravioli and a tiramisu to share for dessert.  They misunderstood us about the left overs and threw them away accidentally and were kind enough to make us fresh plates to take home!

Our appetizers!

Yummy mojitos

Roy enjoying his meal

Our view for dinner.

Unfortunately while we were on the beach we got the news that my grandmother passed away.  She was a great woman and was a very positive and supportive person.  I am hoping that she is finding comfort and peace now.

Day 14: Governor's Beach

So sad that today is the last day with Jen and RJ.  We started off with our 5 mile run that we were dreading, but ended up being really nice out weather wise and we kept a great pace together!  We then had breakfast and off to Governor's Beach just outside of Limassol.  This beach is know for it's white smooth rocks and privacy.  We had a great time lounging by the shore and exploring some of the rocks and caves.

 Check out this video: RJ jumping off of Governor's Rock

We then went back to La Isla for some small appetizers and then went to Guaba for a drink.  Then hung out back at the house and played some phase 10 and waited for Roy to get home.  Next, we went out to dinner at Seville.  The owner of the restaurant was really really nice.  The food and atmosphere was very enjoyable and he even gave us a free almond liquor drink for dessert! We couldn't have had a better last night together!

Day 13: Waterpark Time!!!

Waterpark time!!! Today Jen, RJ and I visited the waterpark in Limassol called Fasouri.  We had a lot of fun!  We did every slide and obstacle possible in the park.  I would definitely recommend doing this.  Here are some pics from the day.

Arrrrrrrgh matey 

The kamikaze slide.  One of the best slides in the park!

Video of Jen going down the Kamikaze slide

Video of RJ going down the Kamikaze slide

Cannonball slide! Jen is on the left and I am on the right.  I win :)

Jen and RJ going down the Cannonball slide

At night, Roy went to go see a movie with Simon and Jen, RJ and I went to La Isla for dinner.  I again order the mussels in a bianca sauce....yummm!  RJ got them in the marinara, mine were definitely better.  Jen got lamb which was cooked perfectly and we got avocado hummus and greek salad as an appetizer.  For dessert Jen got a greek version of pound cake and I got a creme brûlée.  Scrumptious!

Our view at dinner.

Only one more night together :(