Friday, March 31/2023

One of the things we’ll miss most about North Cyprus is the food. Yes, there are some things that are ridiculously expensive and some you can’t get at all, but that is true to some degree of most places and what we do everywhere we stay is eat the foods we like that are available and affordable where we are.

In winter oranges and lemons are everywhere, including in this place, though not everywhere we’ve stayed in Cyprus, in our own garden. In the North the best yoghurt we’ve tasted anywhere - sheep’s by preference, with the added bonus of having more protein and calcium than cow’s or goat’s. Chicken that tastes free range whether or not it’s advertised that way. Lamb, not dead cheap but excellent and available everywhere. Fruit and vegetables that are mostly in fact organic regardless of whether or not they are labelled as such. Yes, available in season, but it’s a mild climate and something good is always in season.  Locally made helim (halloumi cheese in the South). Now qualifying hellim can be given PDO (protected designation of origin) in the EU, preventing the sale of cheap imitations. Then there’s local honey, thick and dark. And local olives - don’t need to be in season as they keep. It is possible, though not always cheap, to get processed food, but why would anyone want to (well, apart from the homemade chicken garlic sausage at the little Russian shop). Natural food here is wonderful.

O
One

Thursday, March 30/2023

 The wind storm brought down a thirty or so foot high banana plant inhabiting a pot which was undoubtedly once big enough to hold it but really isn’t quite now. It looked like a two or more person job to right it with some risk of its breaking in two. Until S arrives, notes that it is in a state of collapse at the bottom of the steps to the deck, and calmly rights it against the wall. But we’d thought it might break. Oh no, it’s a banana plant - they’re bendy. As indeed seems to be the case. And a quick reminder of the silly - and untrue - rumour going around before Brexit that the EU banned bendy bananas.

Stop at Doğan’s office to arrange about getting a visa extension as the one we got on arrival gave us sixty days which is not quite enough. So we’ll do that next week. 

Then to a Sikh restaurant for an Indian meal. Pakoras and bahjis as starters and then we each choose a different main, mine a nice and extremely garlicky chicken dish. Also a mushroom dish to share. Once more we are the only people in the restaurant, partly because it’s mid-afternoon by the time  we go and partly because it has only just re-opened after a wedding trip to India. S teases the pretty young bride who helps us choose the food but she can hold her own. Excellent food and lovely relaxed meal. In fact most meals in Cyprus, North and South, are relaxed. It would be uncivilised to hurry with food. 

Wednesday, March 29/2023

 

Stormy night. Can hear heavy rain at times  but strong winds all night and have to close windows that have blown open. Rain over when we get up but still blustery and can see large whitecaps on the sea below. Wonder whether the blossoms have been blown off the newly blooming trees. 

Had originally planned to go to the weekly market in Girne - the moveable feast that becomes the Thursday market in Gazimagusa, the one we went to regularly and in the end lived beside in the spring and summer of 2022. It ends up in Nicosia at the weekend. Was our source for almost everything three years ago as we came out of extreme lockdown - everything from fruit and vegetables to homemade bread and yoghurt, to sundresses from India and a frying pan.

But today is not an attractive day to be outside even if the rain holds off, and we’re not short of food even if Yowl complains about the standards. Have assumed that the cats would have stayed on the deck for shelter and two of them have but Yowl, always willing to make his life miserable enough to be unhappy, out in the gale until later.

Meanwhile a good day to read books and make soup.

Tuesday, March 28/2023

 Sun on the clay tiles of the roof across from us. Clay tiles look so beautiful. J points out that they are heavy. And we do have a house that collects snow on the roof. True, although I reflect that some houses in the Swiss alps have clay tile roofs. Repair to Google and am informed that some buildings require reinforcement to deal with the weight but that a tile roof can last for fifty years. There’s that weasel word can. And, of course, the likelihood that we ourselves will not last for fifty years.

Cats distinctly unhappy with the new cat food from the village supermarket. Only Noc finishes his, which may go some way toward explaining why Noc is bigger and stronger than the others. Also more placid, the most likely to be found napping in the cardboard box Jamie found for them. Yowl, who could most use the nutrition, least happy with the provisions, and yowls his complaint endlessly. Actually, the kindest course would probably be to provide minimal rations so that they were forced to engage in more foraging. We won’t be here forever and they will be obliged to continue their previous lives as street cats. Which to some extent they do now.

Monday, March 27/2023

 

Blue sky, blue sea, and the intoxicating scent of jasmine in the air. The blossoms are just beginning and remind us of when we were in lockdown in July of 2020 and the lovely woman across the road used to bring us little circlets of jasmine that she had threaded. An aroma that filled the whole house.

Cats point out unhappily that we are out of cat food. And in fact we could do with bread, yoghurt and a couple of other things anyway, so take the hint and trek down to the supermarket for a top up. Arrive just in time to nab the last two loaves of still warm sesame flatbread.

Sit on the stone wall outside and tear a bit off the bread to taste before it cools completely. Start back up the hill and hear a car horn. It’s S, saying that if we’re free now Doğan’s cousin will show us a nearby flat that the family are selling. 

Actually there are two, not quite finished and in a new building. The larger one is really attractive, floor to ceiling windows taking up the whole walls of open plan kitchen/sitting room and larger bedroom with spectacular views of sea and mountains respectively. Also a second bedroom and an enormous deck. Not quite enough to make us take out a cheque book but interesting to get a look at a new flat in the making, and somebody is going to be very happy there.

Sunday, March 26/2023v

 Sunny and warm start to the day. Well, by noon 17 in the shade but 43 in the direct sun.

Noon that is new (summer) time. North America changes time two weeks earlier than the rest of the world for reasons that are unclear, though inclined to blame American exceptionalism, in conjunction with Canadian little brother syndrome. Earlier that is than the rest of the world that still makes the change. Quite a few countries are making noises about discontinuing the change, which was originally a temporary measure introduced during the first World War. Although wasn’t that also true of income tax? Well, more or less in Canada, although not really in UK and US unless you’re talking Napoleonic and Civil wars, and then not permanently left in place.

But as it stands there are significant anomalies in this part of the world, with time zone lines paralleling lines of longitude roughly if at all. And this map ignoring much political reality. Turkey, for example, has one time zone when it might logically have had two, though not by the logic of Ankara. China bends zones even more to suit political reality, with the whole country, which is nearly as wide as continental US on Beijing time, when there ought, politics aside, to be at least three and arguably five time zones there.

Turkey has ceased to make the change from summer time as of autumn 2016, making permanent what had been daylight savings, although North Cyprus, which is on the same time as the Republic of Cyprus, does change like the South. Though this was not always the case. In 2016 when Turkey chose to abandon the time change TRNC did likewise initially. Remember this clearly because we were staying in the South in November of that year and found ourselves arriving for a dental appointment in the North an hour late. Fehmi’s assistant had apparently been puzzled and said to him but the English are never late. However, TRNC has returned to the dual system.

Saturday, March 25/2023

 Impossible to live in the midst of this history without thinking of those who were here before. Ubi sunt?

In the near past (as opposed to bronze age, or even neolithic) we have In an Enchanted Island, the account of William Hurrell Mallock, written in the 1880’s about his trip to Cyprus. He landed in Larnaca, stayed in Nicosia, and visited Kyrenia all before there were connecting roads, when journeys between cities and through the mountain passes were made with guides and by donkey, The house in which we are now living would have been about four hundred years old at that time, so the following excerpts are interesting, if not directly relevant. Transport from the coast of Turkey does seem extreme when rocky hills and mountains are near at hand, although moving heavy items by water is often easier than across land with no roads. But dismantling ancient buildings is not at all unusual, and in fact the older houses in the village of Bellapais east of Kyrenia/Girne were built using stones from the by then disused  Bellapais Abbey.

Friday, March 24/2023

 

Yowl appears early in the morning, yowling more vociferously than usual but possibly with more reason. He’s walking on three legs and obviously having difficulty putting the fourth paw down. Lost another fight? Who knows. He certainly doesn’t know how to avoid them.

Prayer times clearly announced from the nearby mosque. Remember the mid afternoon one Asr, from our lockdown months, as it always served as a reminder that it was time to begin preparing our evening meal, or at least to ascertain that there was something suitable for a quick reheat. Not of course, its religious purpose, particularly during Ramadan. Interesting way of determining the time for this prayer. It’s when the shadow of an object, such as a stick, is the same length as the object. Though no need to keep a suitable stick and worry about cloudy days in modern times. There are printed timetables for the prayer schedule available and online for any location you care to name.

Thursday, March 23/2023

First day of Ramadan, the Muslim month of fasting during daylight hours. It’s a discipline, and when strictly followed means no food, no drink - even water, no cigarettes, not even chewing gum from dawn to dusk, but after dusk a family meal - or sometimes a communal meal - called Iftar is shared. We have memories of Ramadan when we were in lockdown in Gazimağusa and could see our lovely neighbours across the road gathering around their barbecue after sundown.

We obviously aren’t fasting - not that that, or being non-Muslim would be a bar to attending an Iftar. But S has some recycling to take to the Şah supermarket collection point on the other side of Girne so we’re happy to go along for the ride, buy some heavy rye bread and blue cheese and Turkish ground coffee, and go for lunch. Lunch is at Courtyard Inn, a Pakistani restaurant with four or five outdoor tables in lovely spacious grounds with flowering trees and palms.  Start with pakoras and chutney and could in fact cheerfully have made a whole meal of same. But we order different curries and sample each other’s. All good. The inevitable cats in attendance would be happy to join in as well, but their samples are pretty limited.

Rain holds off almost until we’re home and then belts down, but we’re in for the night.

* Photo from Courtyard Inn website 

Wednesday, March 23/2023

News reports of fifty Nigerian men arrested in a three bedroom apartment in Lefkoşa (Nicosia). The apartment was leased to three Nigerian women, and there are allegations of drug trafficking and prostitution. Hard not to think that fifty men in a small apartment would probably only fit vertically, but then that probably is the most common position for drug dealing. Sad state of affairs all round and presumably not unrelated to the tightening of visa restrictions everywhere. On the other hand it is also true that African students are frequently persuaded to come here as students and allowed to assume, unrealistically, that they will be able to find work to meet their expenses and may at some point be able to move to the EU. Having said which, pimps and traffickers are pleased to make the same unscrupulous profits here as elsewhere.

Meanwhile the Cyprus Mail (South) sees fit to note that « North’s Electricity Demand from Republic [South] Doubles ». It is true, of course, that the South does sell electricity to the North, and that the amount needed has increased over the last three years. It’s just that the term demand has connotations of  Mafia style extortion rather than a commercial agreement. And have the same reaction when journalists refer to union « demands » rather than bargaining positions.

Sigh.

Tuesday, March 21/2023

Jamie and S off to Lefkoşa (Nicosia), Jamie to continue his travels and S to cross to the South and collect his new specs as well as whatever supplies he needs that are only available or are cheaper in the South. As well as to carry over a bit of glass recycling as the North is much shorter on recycle facilities and such as there are don’t run to glass.

Hear the unmistakable sounds of a cat fight in the garden. One of “ours”? J goes to investigate. Unsurprisingly, it’s the obstreperous Yowl (pictured asleep in more serene mode) who has got himself involved - or indeed possibly provoked - a fight he is unlikely to win. J comes to his assistance with the garden hose, dispatching his opponent as Yowl retires to lick his wounds. Not that this is likely to engender either gratitude or more circumspect behaviour in the future. And indeed after lunch we hear aggressive cat sounds and see that an unknown black cat has come onto the deck and is making antagonistic advances on Yowl, previously curled up sleeping. Yowl looks up to us indignantly - you see, it isn’t always me.

Monday, March 20/2023

 S drives us up to St Hilarion Castle ruins high (725 m above sea level). The drive is ear popping but there’s another six hundred or so rough hewn steps to the very top and various stages of castle, the oldest being Byzantine fortifications dating back to the eleventh century. It was used as a watch tower keeping a lookout for pirates as the north shore was subject to Arab raids. We speculate on the system of signal flags that must have been used to warn those in the settlement below. Girne castle is mostly Venetian but incorporates much older fortification.

In later times the castle became a summer palace for royalty. The views are spectacular and the location makes it virtually impregnable. It must always have been extremely difficult to provide goods and building materials and servants. Can imagine the dismay of the eleventh century soldiers on being told that was where they were expected to build a fort.

Have a couple of happy hours exploring and taking photos. We’ve picked a beautiful day for it. Jamie’s last so glad that we got sun. Really this is the land of (almost) endless sunshine, but the last few days have brought us a fair bit of rain and - very briefly - hail.

Then a lovely drive along the mountain road going west from the castle, all cedar and pines scenting the air and the deep blue of the sea far below on our right. And then the pastoral views to the south, out over farmland and off to the Troodos Mountains in the Republic of Cyprus. 

Back down to the sea and by then we’re hungry so stop at the Blue Song restaurant on the water’s edge. Very happy to see they have şeftali sausages, very Cypriot - the spelling changes from North to South but the sausages exist nowhere else and are delicious. S orders cheese burek pastries and helim (halloumi in the South) so Jamie gets a fair range of Cypriot tastes.

Sunday, March 19/2023

 Our Sunday lunch surprise adventure. We’re booked for Sunday lunch at an Italian restaurant which isn’t usually open until dinner time. The surprise part is that the reason they’re open today at lunch is that it’s Mothering Sunday - really UK only - and so they’re doing a traditional British Sunday roast dinner. So, adjustment to taste bud anticipations  and we enjoy the unexpected meal.

Followed by a drive up to the little village of Karmi high above Girne. The Crow’s Nest is open unlike our last visit, it being Sunday and turns out to be quite a nice little pub. Nice walk around the village, which really is charming and which Jamie hasn’t seen before. Each time we’ve seen it there have been more flowers out - and it seems more cats.  Good views down to the city and the sea and also up to the Byzantine castle of St Hilarion on the mountain peak to our east. St Hilarion almost gold as it catches the last of the sunlight. 

And back to our little castle for nightcap, recap and the very nice chocolate bars S has  thoughtfully provided. Sweet ending.

Saturday, March 18/2023

 Genuine thunder storm, rain and all the visual and sound effects. Bit hard lines on Jamie, lured with false promises of the land of endless sunshine, but that’s life. Cats considerably more put out than Jamie is - well, less philosophical by nature. Jamie kindly looks at a storage place underneath the house in search of a refuge suitable for cats and returns with a cardboard box. I unwilling to contribute a pretty new looking pillow slip as liner, but cats seem willing to accept the contribution. 

Friday, March 17/2023

 

Wake up at six and go to use the loo via the outside deck door. Cats who have been spending the night on the deck clearly startled by my unexpected appearance and scatter, the cat who thinks it’s ours and isn’t jumping off the table where he has clearly been sleeping, as we have prudently brought in the cushions from the chairs. They have opted for the shelter of the deck because it’s been a blustery night, and an hour later the winds are joined by rain and thunder and a proper March storm. 

Walk down to the supermarket. Can hear but not see the goats, although the storm long gone. Well gone but not necessarily forever, as the radar shows plenty of dark areas in Turkey and, more problematic in Crete. The ones in Crete look to be slowly moving our direction.

A number of excellent things about Cypriot food, one of the best being the fresh fruit and vegetables. Beautiful and inexpensive in season and often simply unavailable out of season. Think cherries, for example. And sadly we’ll be gone by the time the cherries and apricots are ripe. But always heaps of glorious vegetables. 

Italian Merlot on sale for roughly €3.50 equivalent. (Just over $5 CAD or £3). Find that as I take in the posted price I’ve instantly converted it to euros, my most comfortable currency, and  later can’t remember what it was in lira. Or engage in hybrid thinking along the lines of that loaf of bread is 28 lira but the other one is only a euro. A process not unknown to Canadians of a certain age who can say things like we’re 390 kilometres from Thunder Bay and five miles from Sioux Lookout.

Have wine with the chicken J cooks for dinner. Fairly impressive and well worth trekking up hill with more while the sale is on.

Thursday, March 16/2023

 Day begins very early. Or yesterday ends late, depending on point of view. Jamie comes to visit and arrives at three in the morning, his plane having landed in Larnaca at one. Which is actually impressively good speed as coming to North Cyprus from Larnaca involves a border crossing, but suspect that traffic and immigration queues more or less disappear at that hour. And the day hasn’t truly begun as greetings over we all retire for the rest of the night.

Most unusually for us, we do have a second  bedroom, complete like the first with stone floors, shuttered windows, enormous wardrobe and four poster bed. Its only downside being that it serves as an anteroom for the loo, the door to which is in said bedroom. However, there is an alternative bathroom entrance from the deck. One of the delights of a fifteenth century house where plumbing no doubt a later addition. So tea and visiting postponed until after what in medieval times was known as the second sleep.

Wednesday, March 15/2023

North Cyprus has launched a new airline amid some fanfare and claims that more competition leads to lower prices, which can, of course, be the case, but breath not held. The real problem is that related to, but not precisely caused by, TRNC’s status as a country recognised only by Turkey, planes cannot fly here directly from any country except Turkey. A major inconvenience for many. With apologies, I quote this blog from an entry two and a half years ago:

“More or less because TRNC is not recognised by any country except Turkey, but it’s actually more complicated than that. Taiwan is recognised by very few countries [actually 13 - think Guatemala, the Marshall Islands, Vatican City] but has direct flights to other countries. The short explanation, for those disinclined to read the Chicago Convention and associated commentary, is that China tacitly approves - or at least does not try to prevent - flights to Taiwan. It appears that the Chinese are easier to reach agreement with than the Greek Cypriots. Who would have thought?”

Not all Turkish Cypriots cheering the new airline, either. Quite a few expressing the opinion that the renovations planned to make schools earthquake safe are of more national importance than either a new airline or a new presidential palace. Fair point.

Tuesday, March 14/2023

 Thought the rain was over, but not quite it seems. Refer to radar map and see that it is streaming darkly up the coast of the Middle East, from Egypt through Gaza and northwest Syria into Turkey with only stray blobs of deep colour hitting Cyprus. Rain stops but mist continues partially obscuring the mountains.

Find totally unfamiliar young black and white cat sleeping happily on a cushioned chair on the deck. Then “our” cats return. Marmalade, as is her nature, serenely unperturbed. Yowl utterly enraged and says so. Repeatedly when he finds no sympathetic audience.

Pick up supplies at the supermarket with the best veg. Also cheese, chicken, tonic, wine. S spots a bottle of blood orange gin at same price as the wine. We examine it. Reputable British firm, distilled in Russia. Fortunately am opposed to government imposed sanctions, which have a poor record of achieving intended effects and an appalling record of hurting the most vulnerable, so we’ll give it a try. Oh yes, and cat food of course.

Stop for a meal at a Filipino restaurant. Tempura vegetables very good. And finish with deep fried ice cream - a first, although S says it’s usually served hot, a la baked Alaska and this has obviously had a freezer sojourn after the deep frying. Good, though.

Monday, March 13/2023

First time it’s rained since we arrived in North Cyprus over a month ago. As Cypriots always say, we needed it and they’re usually right as the island is in danger of desertification. Take full credit for today’s rain as we hung out a large  bedsheet to dry late yesterday. Actually it’s pretty close to dry, so not bad.

The cat we have christened Marmalade (spayed female) spends almost the whole day curled up on a cushion on a chair on the deck avoiding the rain. Our other semi-resident cat is a young male, not neutered and much less friendly, though pretty demanding. We’ve named him Yowl, as that pretty well sums up his whole interaction with us. But he’s kind of grown on us just the same, like a grouchy family member. 

Take advantage of a short break in the rain to go down to the supermarket for cheese, wine, onions and tomatoes. And are lucky to find sesame bread still warm from the oven. Can hear thunder on the way home but the rain doesn’t start until we’re in the door - just.

Sunday, March 12/2023

 

The swallows have built a nest behind one of the arches opposite us. Possibly not a wise decision   as that part of the building is not occupied at present but might well be before their nesting time is over. Reluctant to spook them by going over to photograph the nest, so have only a photo taken at a distance and with poor lighting. Nest indicated by red triangle. Brings back memories of the pigeons who nested on our balcony at a hotel in Paphos, though in their case the nest was so large and disorganised that there were eggs in it before we realised what they were up to and it was too late to discourage them. Don’t expect the hotel was particularly sympathetic to incubating parents after we left though. This nest is small and neat and the occupants seem pretty pleased with themselves, although there was a fair bit of excited vocalisation when a third swallow came along earlier. No, she’s mine? Who knows?

Saturday, March 11/2023

 Finally get round to making lemon curd. Have been procrastinating  - and not for lack of lemons. Incredible luxury, having only to step out into our back garden in order to have as many lemons as we can use. Eggs too are local.  Four ingredients - lemons, eggs, sugar and butter. Debate basically only about proportions and whether to use whole eggs, yolks only or a combination. Yolks only always seems wasteful, despite cookbooks airy suggestions of making meringues. One extra egg white not a problem, but a recipe that calls for four whole eggs would use alternatively eight egg yolks, generating a great many not desperately wanted meringues. And four eggs is only creating a couple of cups of curd. Doubling the recipe and opting for yolks only would mean sixteen egg yolks and sixteen egg whites surplus to requirements. To say nothing of the cardiac special. Yes, you can freeze them and postpone the problem, but. So use the whole eggs, whisk like crazy because the aim is not to create scrambled eggs. And voila. 

Friday, March 10/2023

 Off to the cash point for Turkish lira. The info on the screen is in several languages including English so that’s all right. How much do I want? Well, enough that we don’t have to come back soon. This machine lets you fill in the amount - as opposed to providing suitable choices - so rashly enter 50,000 Turkish lira. Really more than we do want, but it’s not convenient to keep going back. And not as enormous an amount as it sounds as the lira is worth about a third what it was three years ago. Fifty thousand wouldn’t make you feel as crazy rich as you used to feel before revaluation in 2005. It’s worth 50 million in old money before they removed the three zeroes, when everyone was a multimillionaire. Much like the point in 1995 when four zeros were removed from the Polish zloty.

Expect to be told that’s far too much money to take out, and am - but not until the very end of the transaction, when the machine primly tells me that 12,000 lira is the maximum. OK, start over. Choose English, enter password, all fields filled in. Reach the end of the transaction and am informed not precisely that the 12,000 is impossible but that I can’t have it all at once. Can take 4000 out and then start over. OK, fingers slapped. No more greed. Not all at once! Pocket cash, begin again. Now up to 8,000 lira. Assuming good faith, should be able to go for another four. Though now J and S have come to see if I’ve suddenly gone blind or just witless. And apparently there’s another would be customer not best pleased. Take the money and call it quits. [8000 Turkish lira = $584 CAD, €396, £350]

Suitably enriched, the plan is to go for lunch. First choice is the lovely old Greek village of Karmi, well up the mountainside. Last visited about three weeks ago but that was on a Tuesday and the pub wasn’t open. Surely Friday will be better - maybe fish and chips? Well turns out it is open on Friday but not until five o’clock. So admire the stunning mountain and sea views, the little (and not so little) white houses with their flower pots, and the inevitable cats - and descend for plan B.

Plan B is Eziç, classy new style restaurant, all glass and rectangles and sunlight. But comfortable and cheerful and relaxed - well, maybe it helps to be fashionably very late so it isn’t crowded. Lots of choice - including both bulgur köftesi and şeftali sausages - neither of which I ever pass up. Nice vegetable patties as well. Evening meal not required.

Thursday, March 9/2013

 Paid yesterday with €20 at a supermarket, as it’s time to hit the cash point to acquire more Turkish lira. Though have to say that not only have markets been prepared to accept the euro, which is of course reliable hard currency, but they’ve always been  pretty fair about the exchange rate as well. Though there may be a bit of opportunism in heavily touristed areas. At the Buyuk Khan in Nicosia a couple of weeks ago we went to pay for coffee and asked the price. One euro fifty. Lira, I said, as that’s what we normally operate in. Twenty lira. In other words the price was fifty percent more in euros, the exchange rate running at roughly 20 lira to the euro. And in a tourist area most people would arrive from the South with euros and not wish to have either the bother of purchasing lira or the inconvenience of having them left over at the end of the day. And the euro price for the coffee was not unreasonable.

The lira is in deep trouble and Turkish President Erdoğan can add being no economist to his many sins. However the commentary on the mostly downward progress of the lira seems equally bizarre at times. So today’s Cyprus Mail (South) is pleased to report that the lira has hit a record low against the US dollar. What it does not seem interested in mentioning is that the pound, the euro and the yen all dropped against the US dollar this week, but this is Cyprus. 

Wednesday, March 8/2023

 

Day starts with internet sputtering and then giving up entirely. And of course with internet as with electricity no easy way of telling how widespread the failure is. There is, of course telephone, but for anyone using a non-Turkish sim that’s an expensive option. No broken bones, still breathing? Well then no need to phone. Do eventually text Steuart despite normal respiration and intact body parts but he arrives at the door before reading the text bearing lemon jam he has made and with lovely suggestions for ignoring the internet outage, which it seems is everywhere, and exploring the west reaches of the island’s north coast. We’re not hard to persuade.

The west is much more sparsely settled and has a wild beauty along the narrow coastal road, with rocky peaks and sudden drops to a dark sea well below us. Wild flowers and olive and eucalyptus trees by the roadside and on the hills and no one in sight for miles, hardly a car on the road. In one of the coves the rocks mingle with the ruins of houses made of local stone and abandoned long ago. When and why unknown. The road takes us nearly to the western tip of the island before we double back on ourselves and head inland a 

little to where the hills overlook fertile fields and the scene has become more pastoral. Still in the last hour or more we haven’t passed more than half a dozen cars. But now we can see in the distance the village of Koruçam, the little Maronite village that we visited a couple of weeks ago. 

This time we stop for lunch, and lunch is an occasion worth devoting the afternoon to. It is midweek and midafternoon but Steuart and Maria are old friends and when Maria says she will bring us something good we take her at her word and don’t ask questions. Though S does caution us not to fill up on the salad, and he’s right of course. It’s followed by meze, including a small dish with kidneys and onion and homemade tahini, pickles, beetroot, and yoghurt.

We could, of course, stop at this point and think that along with the homemade wine and bread we’ve had a lovely meal. But the afternoon is sunny and slow and we have yet to reach the pièce de résistance. Unusually in Cyprus for a week day, there is lamb kleftiko, lamb slow roasted - traditionally in this country in an outdoor oven. The term kleftiko is Greek, meaning bandit or thief, coming from a time when a stolen sheep might well have been prudently buried to avoid detection when cooking, though hard not to imagine the aroma being a dead giveaway.

Actually the first language of this village is neither Greek nor Turkish, although both would be widely spoken, but a form of Aramaic as the Cypriot Maronites came from Syria and Lebanon a thousand years ago. 

The Maronite Christian heritage shows in the decor - with the statue of Mary near the top of the chimney of the fireplace and the large evil eye protection charm lower down. The evil eye amulet is an equal opportunity protection, widely used in the Mediterranean by both Christians and Muslims, and in fact it predates both religions, its use going back to at least the sixth century b.c. It’s mentioned by Plato and Plutarch. Not regarded religiously as unfortunate superstition, either. There’s one above the apse in the Franciscan church in Larnaca. And here it is in the restaurant, ensconced among the photographs of  everybody - the rich and famous, locals, families, the heart of the world. The reminder of what life should be about.

Tuesday, March7/2023

Walking down to the supermarket is just that - walking down. Lapta stretches uphill from the sea up the mountainside - maybe three kilometres. Could be more as the village thins out and eventually ends in the upper reaches somewhat before the mountain top. And on its way includes a bit of everything - shops and bars and restaurants along the main road near the sea. Orange and lemon orchards and not quite orchards in people’s gardens. Modern flats both completed and in progress - sometimes in progress that appears to have been halted. Old stone buildings in beautiful condition as well as some that are little more than ruins, or are doing service as sheds or animal shelters. And there are modern villas as well, some of which have made an attempt to blend with the traditional architecture, others not so much.

Because the village is old, and probably also because the hillside is steep, no road leads directly anywhere. But unlike Albufeira, where the roads seemed to have been built on the rollercoaster principle, so that a trip to the market really did feel as if it were uphill both ways, Lapta roads follow a slalom principle, rarely heading straight uphill - or straight anywhere. Narrow, crooked, and occasionally petering out so that what at first appeared to be a short cut ends in someone’s garden.

But the walk is always interesting. Architecture to admire, or occasionally not. People to say hello to. And the animals. Always cats, some of which bear a scarcely surprising resemblance to “our” cats - it’s a small world. And dogs, of course, going about their business. Chickens in behind some of the houses. And we hear, but don’t see,  two roosters in conversation - or competition - from different streets. And today a dozen or so goats in a field, a couple of them chewing on greenery but most relaxing in the afternoon sun under an orange tree. It seems goats like oranges - as well as almost everything else - and there are enough windfalls here to provide treats without even the need to stand up. Ultimate caprine luxury.

Monday, February 6/2023

Windy, as it has been for the last two or three days. No rain, although we probably could use it. Deck is pretty sheltered. Very comfortable, as the cats have discovered when we forget to put the cushions away. Can be quite irritable about having to give up a chair to a human.

TRNC apparently has a ranking in the annual corruption perception index for 2022, although it doesn’t appear in the public list. Not entirely surprisingly it ranks an unenviable 140 out of 180, comparable to Pakistan and Kyrgyzstan. Certainly a country where a kind of tribalism, knowing people, having contacts matters, although this is also true in the Republic of Cyprus (South), which ranks 51st, tied with Greece. There are actually a fair number of ties in the index, which means the ranking can drop quite quickly without a big drop in the raw score, making the score more important than the rank.

Have always been somewhat reluctant to overrate the importance of position in the index simply because it is PERCEIVED corruption. Granted, the questionnaires are given to business people and “experts” (undefined) rather than being distributed generally, but perceptions can be affected by things other than actual corruption - economic decline, targeted press coverage or a specific major scandal for example. Canada stands now at fourteenth and its score has dropped noticeably over the past ten years, although not since last year. But has real corruption changed significantly over this time? 

Sunday, March 5/2023

 Turkish delight - the ultimate temptation for young Edmund in The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe - is not only a Turkish confection but also Cypriot. In fact in the South it is always sold as Cyprus delight, just as cafés serve Cyprus and not Turkish coffee. Wouldn’t tempt me to betray any of my principles but to each his or her own. 

Interestingly, sugar has a long - and for some time lucrative - history in Cyprus. Sugar cane has grown here since the tenth century. During the Lusignan period (1192-1489) though it became a major export, supplying much of Europe with the rare luxury. Ultimately this came to an end as by the 16th century sugar from  Brazil was much cheaper despite the distance as it was produced by slaves, allowing the Portuguese to dominate the sugar market. Also, sugar cane demanded a great deal of water and drought could be a problem so in Cyprus in the Ottoman period it was replaced with cotton.

There were several sugar plantations during the age of sugar cane though, including one in Lapta where we are now staying. And one legacy remains. Both North and South treasure traditional homemade preserves made from whole fruit, or walnuts, or other things such as watermelon rind, preserved in a syrup of paralysing sweetness with a hospitality from which no escape is possible.

Saturday, March 4/2023

 March is definitely spring. Blossoms exploding and the air feels different.

And along with the new life an awareness that this part of the world is very old. In yesterday’s news an announcement that three Middle Bronze Age tombs had been discovered during excavation for a swimming pool in Alsancak, the village next to ours. The find included terra cotta jugs and metal spearheads.

Lapta, where we are living, is as old as Alsancak. It stretches from the seaside, an important historic trading area with the Phoenicians around 800 BC, up through fertile land and onto the wooded mountainside. One of the reasons for the move uphill was probably to escape from the Arab raids which began in the second half of the seventh century. But as with most places in Cyprus there is evidence of much older habitation, including iron age tombs.

Friday, March 2/2023

Not our favourite cat, but he has decided not to hold that against us. As the temperature in the sun reaches 30, the cat opts for shade and the comfort of a chair as he sees there is one not in use. The chair is traditional Cypriot, made of wood with a hand woven seat. They’re found in homes, coffee shops and pubs across the island. Impressively comfortable and sturdy they can last for a hundred years. 

Favourite cat therefore reduced to secondary seating, with knowledge that she is the favourite cat only minor consolation .

But only a matter of time before the proper order of things is re-established, temporarily at least.

Thursday, March 2/2023

 

Stewart arrives bearing gifts - avocados (almost certainly the last of them), a large bag of oranges, the gift of a bean dish from Doğan’s mother, and - as J’s mouth begins watering - dhal he has made.

Weather forecast now saying that North African dust will remain in the air over the weekend, predicting until Monday. Does seem more likely than the overprecise estimate of noon on Thursday, which in any case we’ve already passed as the late afternoon skies darken and the sea disappears into the grey.

And, in the spirit of darkness, newly elected Republic of Cyprus [South] President Nikos Christodoulides has, as one of his first public acts, laid a wreath at the “imprisoned graves” in Nicosia. The graves are not precisely imprisoned, though they are within the precincts of the Central Jail of Nicosia. They belong to thirteen EOKA fighters, nine of them hanged by the British administration of the time in 1956 and 1957. EOKA stands for the Greek title meaning National Organisation of Cypriot Fighters 

EOKA was a terrorist organisation active from the fifties to the seventies whose aim was political union with Greece, pitting it against the British, Turkish Cypriots, and many fellow Greek Cypriots. While many independence movements have involved violence, EOKA was not an independence movement and did mean death for Turkish Cypriots. Independence was granted by the British in 1960, and the government of the Republic later outlawed the organisation, which had been responsible for civilian deaths and involved with the assassination of the American ambassador. 

An odd statement for Christodoulides to make immediately after being elected president,  considering he had claimed a commitment to reunification, with solving “the Cyprus problem” his top priority.

Wednesday, March 1/2023

First of March. No idea where the winter has gone, although that’s largely because we have been, for the most part, avoiding the places that winter inhabits. Almond trees have exploded into full blossom. Sadly, there are fewer oranges - they’re a winter fruit - but they’re not quite finished yet.

Reminder that freedom of speech is not always interpreted the same way, as a Turkish Cypriot is arrested upon landing at the airport here on a charge of insulting TRNC President Ersin Tatar. The wording of the insult is not in dispute. He admits to having posted a picture of the president on his Facebook page and having written underneath it “This man is crazy and he should be put in a straitjacket and kept away from people”. The question is whether this falls under free speech or is an offense. Until the case is heard he is banned from going abroad and must report to the police weekly. He has also been required to sign a bail bond.

Am well aware that my own posts regarding political figures are frequently less than laudatory, though possibly somewhat subtler than that of the unfortunate Mr  Büyükarslan of the presidential insult. Not limited to politicians in my own country, either. Regard becoming a target as an equal opportunity venture. Have never criticised a TRNC politician on Facebook but probably simply lacked sufficient information, though not reading Turkish has not prevented my saying a little of what I thought about the president of Türkiye. Assume that Mr Büyükarslan was turned in by someone who was genuinely offended or who disliked him and that not all Facebook posters run the same risk. So expect to carry on as usual - if, that is, I don’t fall foul of the new UK public order bill on the way back to Canada.