Wake up in our new penthouse. Actually, it’s not - there’s another floor above us, but the view over the city is super. Very busy outside as this is Thursday, market day, and our flat overlooks the market and its extensive parking area. It was already busy last night as people began setting up and it’s humming this morning. Think it actually opens at 6:30. We’re awake not much later than that and they’re clearly busy. The parking lot isn’t full yet but it will be. We remember how far away Bill had to park and how few available parking spots there were when we used to drive up from Pyla.
We go over after nine. Still early and we now have the luxury of knowing we can make a second trip a little later - no need to juggle the watermelon with the bag of organic eggs. Do start by locating a frying pan. The flat doesn’t have a microwave - and we miss it - but two decent pots doesn’t make up for no frying pan. Then the fruit and veg. Peppers, onions, courgettes, aubergines, mushrooms, tomatoes, cucumbers, plums, bananas, cherries. The colours alone are wonderful.
Surprisingly we run into the grandmother and one of the other women from our old residence. Lots of smiles, but not enough language in common for conversation. Then meet Filiz and do chat. A fairly high proportion of the Famagustans that we know.
Most of the produce is pretty inexpensive. The problem is never paying for it but sometimes knowing what to pay. Neither of us very good at catching the amount quoted after the weighing. My usual method is to overpay. Assume it will be a little more than five lira, say, and hand over ten. Makes for quite a lot of heavy change by the end of the day. In most countries it has the additional benefit of disguising, I hope, the fact that I don’t actually know what I’m being charged. Really scarcely necessary here. Several times over the last few months I’ve overpaid for something by a coin or two and had the extra handed back to me immediately.
And the treat. J has been looking over the fish wagons outside and we choose some Norwegian salmon. Not giveaway prices on this, but beautiful. Proves to be beautiful when J cooks it for dinner too over the gas burner in the new frying pan.
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