Tuesday, March 28/2017

Wake to more perfect weather. Always now low 20's in the daytime and about 10 or 12 at night. A little sad how quickly we become dismissive. Day four of the same breakfast. Well, not quite the same, as we've asked to be dispensed from the anari cheese. In its place a second baked egg. But always a sliced tomato (good, but they don't know not to destroy its flavour by refrigerating it), three pieces of green pepper, some black olives, fried egg, a basket of white bread, and (the best) two slices of grilled halloumi (known as helim in the North). And when we're finished a peeled and sliced orange - an incredibly sweet and juicy one, even for Cyprus). Coffee is, this being Cyprus, Nescafé, the packets accompanied by a teapot of very hot water. Interesting on day one, but becoming less so. 

Back to the dentist. This time I follow J in the chair and get my teeth cleaned. The old city almost devoid of food shops. The restaurants do a brief but busy trade at midday but other than that there is little sign of food. We're hoping for oranges, possibly yogurt, something a little short of going out for the full kebab meal. The newsagent where we bought the English language weekly doesn't run to much more than crisps and whisky, but we find a little shop round the corner from me dentist that sells a little more. Acquire two oranges for later. 

Such a beautiful little city to be spending our time in. Bougainvillea flourishing and medieval stone everywhere. We know the layout pretty well now and are piecing together the history - Lusignan, Venetian, Ottoman, British, Turkish - and the troubles. Our host at the hotel is interested in Cypriot culture and has written several books, one of which - half in Turkish and half in English - he presents us with. His day job is teaching literature at the university. Quite interesting to talk to. He was originally from Larnaca, but after the conflict in 1974 he, like most Turks moved North.