I didn't finish the whole blog and have now been home for a week as am bound to forget something. On tuesday we split up, my Dad and Ants went to look around the Mosaics at the harbour area whilst my Mum, David and I decided to go and look at a pottery. The nearest one was in Lempa on the way we found the art college which has a wall that has been built of just about anything they could get there hands on and is full of different designs and sculptures. The pottery was small with a little shop front and nothing going on in the way of pot making in the back but David had fun playing with the 6week old puppy whilst my Mum and I looked  around and chatted to the owner who makes things there with her Husband. From here we continued down the road and stopped at the ruins and recreation of a chalcolithic village. Later we met up with my Dad and Ants who by all accounts had enjoyed their walk around the mosaics. The next day we all went to a winery, the tourist brochure always make these things sound far more interesting than the reality They have a cellar that has been dug out of the mountain,we had imagined vast racks of bottles in several large rooms when infact there was a small room with some further holes dug into the rock face where bottles had been stuffed in and laid on top of each other. After this we ate lunch in a local taverna. As this was to be our last night we went out to eat, my Dad was not feeling so good so he stayed at the apartment. Ants had Kleftiko and the rest of us shared a mixed meze, apart from my Mum not liking the fishy bits the whole meal was a success. David especially liked the sauce which the muscles where cooked in, it was similar to a steak diane sauce.
We had a very long day on the day we where leaving, several hours of cleaning, some last minute shopping and a slow journey to the airport. The airport is about 20 minutes or so from Pafos but we took about 4 hours to get there, stopping many times on the way to look at things. We found a small bakery where we bought pastries to eat our supper in the airport car park, I think I was missold a cheese one that we are sure was custard. After much waiting around, a long flight, a very long walk from the plane and a taxi ride we arrived back at my parents safely at about 3-4 in the morning. I now need another holiday to recover.

Today was a bit of a failure, we went to the post office to buy stamps and post the cards we had written, after the mile or so wandering to find the post office my dad was having problems with his knee and we stopped at a vety expensive but nice cafe. we walked slowly back towards the harbour and decided to go to the beach at polis for david to find some requested shells. We wanted to eat before going to the beach but had some dificulty finding the town centre square, Polis is so small this hardly seems possible but we passed the same man painting the kerbstones more than twice and I started to get stressed about repeted reqests to stop driving. Eventually I gave up, we stopped and went and had lunch in a roadside cafe. After eating we headed towards the beach only to find the excessive rains had turned the campsite path into foot high mud ruts, we atempted the drive but after reaching a lake and scraping the car on mud mountains several times and almost getting stuck we turned around and went back to the apartment. I hope tomorrow will be a better day.

Today after a slow start we set out towards Limasol. We stopped at a car boot sale where David found himelf a book and my mum bought a jar of local honey. From here we came off the main road and found ouselves heading towards the ruined temple of Aphrodite and museum so we stopped there a couple of hours to look around and have our picnic. Afterwards we drove around some more until we found a taverna where we stopped for coffee. My mum asked for a grapefruit off one of the trees there and was told she could help herself, it was pink one and tasted good if not sweet. I had an early night and left everyone watching a film.

David wanted to go to the market first thing this morning, my mum found an 8 week old puppy she wanted to take home (I think we would have had to buy more than 1 of the shopkeepers alabaster trinkets for her to throw the dog in as well). After a short wander and the obigatory coffee we went off for the day to try and walk along the Akamas gorge. This is my second attempt, the first time we had a very small car and the terrain was to severe for it. We almost got to a car parking area but my dad was concerned that the drive out would be too steep so we set off on foot. The first obstacle was the river that runs out to the sea, we tried to look for easier crossing points but ended up risking broken ankles by usin some of the larger rocks as stepping stones.The next obstacle was a lack of signage at a fork in the road, Ignoring all my brothers complaints that we where going the wrong way, I was adamant that gorges are not up hill, we headed through a grapefruit grove, my mum and brother headed back at the first river crossing, lured by the promice of coffee at the reseraunt, but David, my dad and I forged ahead, the second crossing was too much for us (thought it must be easier normally and that the excessive rain they have had here had mand the walk too difficult) so we headed back to catch up to the others. After the slow climb up the road from the aforementioned fork we found a sign, Ants was right I could just picture his reaction when he had seen this. Not much further along the road we found them resting on some rocks, no sign of any watering hole and getting desperate for a drink we headed back. My mum and Dad didnt care to risk scrambling over stepping stones so put up with wet feet when they crossed the river. Next time im thinking of hiring an even more substantial vehicle, a tank should do. We headed off to the cafe at Coral Bay, Ants was not impressed that I was ignoring his repeted pleas to stop at the many cafes offering all day breakfast and less impressed with the cafe. Afterwards we went for breakfast, it was now about four in the afternoon, at charlies bar. I did not enjoy the food there but Ants liked it, I had to question his taste buds at this juncture which started a long list of disagreements about the quality of the various breakfasts we have shared in the past (we did limit this to the past four or five years more because my mum stopped us than lack of reference points, Im not sure we will ever grow up). The evening was spent watching the rugby, I think thats what they called it, at paddys bar apparantly England won I think they should have let Ireland win as it was St. Patricks day.

Today is my mums birthday and as we are unsure of how the day will be we decide to go to the bird and animal park. The day turned out ok, with the sun occasionally showing itself in the afternoon. Fortunately David still has all his fingers after trying to stroke the lion. My dad liked the bleeding heart pidgeons, they where difficult to photograph.

Day 6

I rested in the morning whilst the others went for a walk around Solomans caves. When they came back we went for a nice lunch in the mountains, David said it was the best food he had eaten since he's been here. After lunch we went for a walk and coffee in Latchi. It was very windy here but even though it tried to rain a few times we remained dry.

It rained then rained some more. We decided not to go far today so only walked around the old town then went to watch waves as we drank coffee. I managed to buy a card reader and David purchased some gifts.

Day 3
We managed to not find half of the things we looked for today, we now have a corporate opinion that signage should be improved when approaching the point of interest and that advance notice of the turn we need to make is quite useful.
We visited kitten monastry aka Moni Agiyu Neophytou, but the cat population here has been reduced and feeding them near the cafe is now actively disouraged. David did pick out one that he felt needed to come home with us so a thorough search of the car was needed before departure.
From here we didnt find a church or a Dam but stumbled upon a village in the mountains where we ate our lunch by a church and went to the local cafe where david had a supersized burger and we shared his salad and some yellow green-leaf and feta bread (I think I was the only one who ate more than one bite, it was unusual but nice).
It rained, again. We belive it will rain again tomorrow and then be fine for the rest of the week. My mum was told that it has been the coldest winter here in over 100 years.
We had roast lamb for tea then I went with David and Ants to play pool and use their wireless connection.

Day 2 As it was only an inch or so on the map I thought we would walk to the market this morning, it was not far but it was a bit steep so perhaps next time we will take the car. After a cooked breakfast we had a wander around the stalls and David reaquainted himself with the ones selling sharp knives, being reassured thet it would be ok in our suitcase the full range of weapons was closely inspected. We purchased some fruit, after close inspecton when we got home some of it was not good. Whilst out at the market we had been invaded by an army of tiny ants, a few sweeps of a brush decimated their ranks and we tracked down the most likely entry point and mad fortification plans. There is a Lidl shop around the corner which we checked out, apart from everything being priced in euro's it is exactly the same as the ones in the UK. Afterwards we had decided to go to the supermarket and then down to the harbour area for coffee, we left Ants (the big one not the little ones) with David in a local bar playing pool and drove down to the harbour. Again we stocked up on more supplies: pitta, tomato, ham, olives, yoghurt and honey. Meanwhilst Ants and david had left the bar and traversed the coastline and navigated their way to meet us at the harbour for coffee before retuning to our accomodation to eat. Ants wanted to go back to the bar but was glad he hadnt moved when we heard the downpour of rain.

Day 1 Someone needs to learn how to sleep without his TV on, or at least that he can turn the volume down. After 4 1/2 hours of listening to the noise, unable to start sleep it was time to get up and get ready for the taxi arriving.The hour started slow but all too soon the grains of sand where running out and we where off. Everything has changed in the 2 years since I last left the country; I was half expecting as we went through the isolation chamber / scanner glass boxes for sirens to sound, lights to flash and and some knockout gas to flood in as the less than polite lady had not let me put my coins in the box as I had done so many times in previous years. A sign of the times that all in the name of 'Peace and Security' we willingly wear the chains. Reminding myself that this is a holiday blog... The flight was a long and often bumpy one, we did have a lady driver and we still havent worked out why we had to head towards Scotland then Germany before turning south towards our destination, I think we would have had better road surface on the less scenic and more decisive direct route, I say decisive because I think our captain may have been able to make her mind up if she wanted us to have our seatbelts on or off! HOLIDAY BLOG... in 1, 2 out 1, 2. Cyprus is lovely, not too hot and not too cold the perfect baby bears porriage. Costas was waiting for us and we were soon driving into Pafos and seeing familiar sights. The apartment was not difficult to find and after a quick phone call we discovered that the word push on our door opening instructions should have been written pull then push, personally I would be changing the locks as this was far too confusing for us simple folks. We thought we would go to the supermarket but being Sunday it was closed so we went to a Kiosk to buy some essentials, the first one we went to was very run down and 100% over prices so we found another one, at the back of the Anemi hotel, that we had used a lot on previous holidays. There is no wireless internet here so I may have to become a regular at a local bar that provides this facility. As we make tea David disappears to his room and decends to a deep and loud sleep. It has been a long first day and we are all tired. My mum makes a new friend that I do not feel qualified to evict so my dad is forced to wrestle with it for several minutes and then release it on the other side of the street.

My brother will be coming with us. I think this will be great, I am sure he will enjoy Cyprus, and it will help keep him occupied. I don't have many photographs of Kilo but this one of him and Ants should be OK. I am looking forward to sitting in a cafe drinking the local coffee; on one visit I did make a genuine accidental faux pas of ordering Turkish coffee in a bar in Polis, I think this has stuck in my mind more than it would have done the lady who served us. I am also looking forward to the food. The pitta bread there is far nicer than any I have found in supermarkets here, stuffed with grilled haloumi tomato and ham, I feel hungry just remembering it. My bag is already packed, this is more because I didn't unpack it since my last visit to my parents than preparation for the holiday, I will probably need to check it briefly to make sure all essentials are still there.

I wasn't going on holiday this year but things change. Work is the busiest it has been ever and yet i'm planning to go away; some have even said I have to go I wonder if I have become more grumpy than usual. I'm not even sure if I will be able to do this blog this time as I may have no internet and I don't really want to pay roaming charges, if I write with pen n paper I fear it would be left unfinished as the Japan one is. Perhaps its like a good book where you don't read the last chapter as you don't want the story to end, i'm sure other people must do this as well.

This will be my 4th time in this country and in the same area. I think its because I find familiar things easier, slightly less anxiety in the run up. My excuse this time is that we have hired an apartment and will be getting a hire car from the airport, both are new experiences to me (not completely because I have hired cottages in Ireland, but at least there I sort of speak the same language as the natives. I know only a couple of words in Greek but only by sound and not by meaning which is ok when ordering a coffee but less useful when negotiating car rental agreements. I pray Costas and I will have no communication issues). Currently my Mum and Dad and David will be making the trip with me, In reality I am making the trip with them but it is my blog. My brother may also come, we await news of the health of his dog which has been poor ever since he inherited it and is now declining rapidly. I don't particularly have much fondness for dogs but my brother is especially attached to this one so will be sad when it does have to sleep. We will be staying across the road from the tomb of the kings area, a 20-30 minute walk to the harbor area and a little less to the market. I imagine we will drive most places but should work out cheaper than public transport.