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
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