Well, today is Green Monday, and predictably only a few tourists are wandering along the waterfront. It’s nothing like as busy as any other holiday, or even a normal weekend day. The locals are either at home barbecuing or, more traditionally, picnicking and flying kites in the countryside. Cypriots have strong rural roots, even the urban dwellers. A little like Canadians of a generation ago, when the phrase going home to the farm resonated with many even if the farm in question belonged to an uncle or grandparent. With Cypriots it’s the village, and you often hear that someone is going to the village (name not specified but understood) on the weekend or a child is staying with grandparents in the village. Unlike Canada, farmers are quite likely to live in a village rather than on an isolated farmstead.
Many restaurants open today, especially in tourist areas, though our usual café closed. Charity shops, mostly run by expats, seem to be open, but shops, including supermarkets, closed, apart from the tiny corner shops. Bakeries always open. In fact we discovered our favourite bakery by means of happening to walk past it one Christmas day. Few Cypriots buy their bread at supermarkets (and even there almost all of it is baked on the premises) and deprivation of fresh baked bread is apparently unthinkable.
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