Saturday, January 3, 2009

In the evening we join M&M and drive up the coast to Agia Napa to have dinner at Tony´s, an old haunt of M&M´s in the days when they wintered there. It´s too dark to see the sea, but there´s still the romance of the lights strung out along the bay, backed up by the light romance of Maggi´s new Mantovani cd´s.

Agia Napa is quite different from Larnaca. Once upon a time it was a humble fishing village. Now it has ballooned into a commercial resort, booming and relatively vulgar in high season but semi ghost town in low. Little raffic and many shops and cafes closed for the season. There remains a small community of off-seasoners though, many of them Scandinavian.

Ton´s is nearly but not quite full and Toy himself, a short man with a waist length white beard, does greet Maggi with a hug, but she´s not sure he actually recognises her. The menu is typically Cypriot but also what J and I refer to as a "Polish menj" (as in Poland menus list all the dishes that are ever on offer, many of which may not be available on any given day). Thus the stuffed vine leaves that Maggi´s mouth had been ready for are not on, but she has moussaka and Magne giant shrimp, both of which they say are good, while J and I both order beef stifado - the nicest I´ve had and very generous portions. So while M&M regret the lively venue they remember - open 24 hours and a live band at night - we do have a very good meal.