Winter over! Seems like it anyway, and nice timing as today is a holiday. The Feast of Epiphany always seems like a bigger event than Christmas in Cyprus, although it may only be that Christmas is more familial and celebrated in the home whereas Epiphany involves public events and parades. Super day - sunny and a high around 20 in the shade. Some in swimming and quite a few tourists around. Not as crowded on the waterfront as on previous years, though there are a number of booths selling everything from cotton candy and roast chestnuts and corn cobs to cheap jewellery and religious items. When we arrive the (arch?)bishop is still on the pier. There has been a procession from St Lazarus Church, ending with the bishop throwing the cross in the water and young men diving for the honour of retrieving it. Retrieval always successful as it's tied to a cord. We do see the procession heading back. It's always a little disturbing as a symbol of non-separation of Church and state. Large numbers of cadets bearing a large cross, soldiers with unpleasant looking automatic weapons, a military band, and heavily vested Church dignitaries. Nationalism, religious loyalties and a certain amount of xenophobia heavily combined.
Harry's café open and along with our Cyprus coffee we're served two small lokoumades, round honey soaked doughnuts that are traditional on this day. Back on the beach carnival atmosphere continues and we stop for our annual ice cream cone. Home with sprigs of eucalyptus leaves from the pier, left after the parade. Beautiful scent in the flat.