Monday, December 12/2022

Seedyish area around the port -  not a million miles from where we stay but the neighbourhood does change and the class of bars deteriorates as you approach the port. Rumours of hotel rooms rented by the night rather than by the day. So on our way to Lidl in pursuit of wine, sheep’s yoghurt and tonic we pass a bar with a small sign over the door saying Bar Women Wanted. Gender discrimination no doubt in violation of some EU regulation and most probably some Cypriot one as well. Am reminded though of an internet café we used to frequent here in the years before wifi which announced shamelessly a lower internet price per hour for “girls”. Clearly the intent was that the presence of more young girls would serve to attract more boys, who constituted the majority of their patrons. Did consider saying that the discrimination was undoubtedly illegal, but instead used to hand them the “girl” amount, knowing perfectly well that I was not who they were hoping for - and that they would be unwilling to tell me so.

Sunday, December 11/2022

 Christmas decorating time. Am actually a traditionalist - well, purist - and would personally put up decorations on Christmas Eve and take them down at Epiphany but, probably fortunately, J is a more open celebrator as well as being significantly less lazy so the place looks cheerful and a bit Christmassy. Also lucky that a few bits were preserved in the boxes, so we have our stained glass (well, technically stained plastic, but that’s probably contributed to its survival) Christmas tree as well as the little wooden people, veterans of many Christmases past.

Christmas music also providing fairly uninspiring background in supermarkets. Haven’t noticed anything as funny as a previous year’s Sinatra rendition of Let it Snow played on a warm sunny day. Street decorations are up, though, and there’s a tree in the hotel lobby. Shop windows used to have more Christmas themes than they seem to this year, frequently featuring a classic European Saint Nicholas, looking tall and episcopal in gold and ivory or gold and blue - nothing at all like the North American Santa Claus, whose jolly round appearance came primarily from Coca Cola advertisements.

Saturday, December 10/2022

World Cup games continue, now into quarter finals with Morocco playing Portugal and England against France tonight. Game times pretty well ideal here - five and nine pm but don’t really expect another winter World Cup as this was an accommodation made for Qatar, which is much too hot in summer, although Arsene Wenger, former Arsenal manager predicts more winter World Cups as other nouveau riche nations in other hotspots join in. Meanwhile everyone in the world is watching, including the people in the next flat, who have the volume high enough to compensate for ours being turned pretty far down. Could be off altogether as excited Greek commentary not entirely helpful, but as J says the announcer tone and crowd response are cues as important to following the play as suspense music in a horror film. Don’t know if the people in the next flat are actually Greek speaking or not. Most probably not as guests here usually aren’t.

But Greek commentary no drawback when the national anthems are played. Think it’s our first time listening to God Save the King and it still sounds slightly wrong. Though nothing equals The Marseillaise. And tonight the English didn’t equal the French - score was 2-1.

Friday, December 9/2022

Walk downtown past the restaurants, reading menus as we go, at least those that are posted outside. One lists the beef dishes among its mains, including brains, tongue and tail. Recognise that brains are considered a delicacy in some circles, though never been tempted, and tongue is at least a familiar concept, if not something I’ve actually bought. But tail?! Not about to speculate. 

Visit Tony’s Alcohol Paradise on the way back. Parked outside is a Wolseley Hornet in beautiful condition. Is it yours, Tony?  No, but he wishes it were. Produced in the 1930’s and a classic Mini beneath the exterior. It’s for sale for €15000 but won’t quite go in a suitcase. Some of Tony’s own wares would, though. What’s on the shelves is alluring enough but the real 40 and 50 year old whiskies are at home, though he could bring them in if we were seriously interested. Lovely story of his buying a classic - and he says underpriced - bottle at Heathrow in the old days when they sold to collectors. His wife was so distressed at the thought of paying £7000 for a bottle which could, after all be dropped, that they attracted the attention of a large security guard. Can quite see her point. We do buy a bottle of green Chartreuse for somewhat under £7000. Much of the pleasure, though, is just talking to Tony, an enthusiast and dramatic raconteur.

Thursday, December 8/2022

 Checking blog to see what we were doing and where on December 8 of previous years. Mostly here in Larnaca but a couple of times in Paphos -  and Tunisia, Thailand and London put in an appearance as well. On one occasion we were just arriving in Winnipeg and on another just leaving it. The searchable blog online only goes back about ten years, though there is an earlier unsearchable version on another site for five years or so before that as well as handwritten journals at home for roughly the first half of the retirement period. When the journals first went online they were transcribed a couple of times a week at internet cafés from the handwritten originals. No photos in the early days and rarely time to fix the typos.

Wednesday, December 7/2022

Down to the centre with three three tasks in mind. Visit our usual cash point, buy a new strap for my watch before the current one deteriorates to the point of disintegration and get a haircut. No problem with the cash point. Watch shop still open although it observes the traditional early closing on Wednesdays and Saturdays but realise I’ve forgotten to put the watch back on post shower so on to the hairdresser cum barbershop. Well, as Meatloaf says, two out of three ain’t bad. 

No sign of activity at hairdresser’s and I realise that the four occupants of the chairs by the window where customers wait their turn are in fact staff. Recognise the owner and his wife, and he nods toward the chair. Surprisingly he remembers me, though it’s close to four years since the last visit, saying Canada. Both of us have gone here, irregularly, for the last twenty years, J less frequently as he usually cuts his own hair. When we began the old father was still alive and giving haircuts, mostly to the older short back and sides contingent. He’s long deceased, but his grandson, now a young man in his twenties is being trained and gets to do some of the combing out and sweeping up. Seem to remember him apprenticing four years ago, so he’s either slow on the uptake or has been away at school in the interval. No sign of any other customers, which is a little disconcerting. Have deliberately gone mid day and mid week to avoid a long wait but don’t really fancy being the mainstay of the establishment. Do round up my payment somewhat more than I originally intended though.

J waiting on the waterfront and we make our way back slowly, checking out the changes in restaurants. Most menus and prices not posted, or not together at least. Do establish that beer is typically about €4.40. Probably close to twice what it is in a small backstreet café. Beer a better barometer than food, as - unlike a sandwich or a salad - quality and quantity are constant.

Tuesday, December 6/2022

Larnaca awash with plans for new hotels, including one robot hotel, whatever that may be when it’s at home. Mediterranean hospitality meets high tech and you can indeed have everything?  Thus: “This is fully in line with [the] goal of making use of listed buildings so as to save our architectural and cultural heritage, give character to the city, and offer diverse accommodation options.” Accompanying photo showing the city beach somewhat short on sense of architectural heritage. 

Larnaca city beach, Finikoudes Avenue 

Sadly can see the coast of Spain with acres of tourists in the shade of non-stop high rises in the future here. Do try to be fair. The upscale square - well more accurately triangle - in front of the Eleonora where we first stayed twenty plus years ago is probably more attractive to tourists and the affluent young than the bus parking cum news stand that was there when we first knew it. But where are the old men who used to sit there with a cup of coffee and a newspaper or backgammon game? Tidied out of existence? They’re certainly not drinking the highly priced coffee. And w miss them. Not that deteriorating buildings should be preserved in situ to meet our nostalgic needs. And we ourselves are happy to have accommodation with plenty of power points and no entry points for the rats. So there it is.

Monday, December 5/2022

 Unemployment in November increased over the previous month, but more seriously is up 9.5% over the figure for November of last year. This seems consistent with the number of closed shops, banks, restaurants and cafés that we’ve observed but calls into question the steady increase in reported tourist numbers. We actually were asked once to answer tourism survey questions at Larnaca airport a number of years ago. J not into surveys but usually I’m up for it. Probably the academic in me - impossible to collect good data and engage in useful planning if nobody will answer questions. But this was so long and ultimately so intrusive that I gave up part way through the interview and told the young woman I was unwilling to complete it. 

Pharmacies appear never to go out of business here. It would be an exaggeration to say there is one on every block, but not much of one. Prices not particularly good, possibly on the same principle that taxi prices here are high - if there are too many franchises then only high charges  make it possible to make a living. Quite a lot of pharmacies in the North as well, but there the prices are significantly lower. Also quite a few medications that would require a prescription in other countries are available from the pharmacist over the counter in the North, which made our life considerably easier when we were locked down in 2020. To avoid any confusion over accent or different brand names would just take the empty bottle in and say do you have this. No problems.

Sunday, December 4/2022

 Have definitely noticed price increases here, although not always certain what the specific comparisons are. Easy to have vague memories of what used to be. Didn’t we get a whole bag of oranges for a euro? But when exactly was that? It’s three and a half years since we last stayed here. Obviously prices have increased but by how much? Sometimes feel like our mothers, knowing things used to be cheaper but pretty unreliable about how much and when. So today we read that sugar has gone up 16% over the past month - and more critically 68% since January. Not something we would have noticed as I don’t bake here and we never buy sugar or baked goods. Really only save the sugar packets when they’re provided with coffee at a café in case guests want sugar with their coffee. Apparently there’s been a monthly drop in hotel prices and flights. Not affecting us, or not directly anyway, and presumably normal after the end of the summer season.

The tourism department department admits the year has been difficult but focuses on the return of British tourists to 90% of 2019 numbers. That’s definitely focusing on the positive as the second highest number of tourists usually is from Russia and that number must have suffered a catastrophic decline. In any case the tourism department has always taken as much pleasure as the old soviet union in announcing targets met and exceeded so it’s difficult to know how cynical to be. And particularly with British entries how do they know who to count as tourists? There are quite a lot of permanent residents going back and forth on UK passports and no one at the immigration desk asks the purpose of your entry. Presumably there must be some way to identify permanent residents. Hotels can provide information but hardly total numbers as many tourists might stay with friends or relatives.

Saturday, December 3/2022

 Seems that the pound sterling is rising. No longer have any with us as we paid our dental bill and the transfers from Larnaca to Gazimagusa in sterling. The driver had quoted the fare in pounds - quite probably assuming we were British as we spoke English and had a UK mobile number, which may have contributed to the difficulty over exiting through the British sovereign base. Quite sure he would have been as happy with the equivalent in euros. Had been feeling mildly guilty about paying Fehmi, our dentist, in pounds and wondered if the euro was sounder at the moment. Seems not. Didn’t ask as he always professes to be happy with any currency and would have taken Turkish lira without complaint.

Note more buildings that used to be banks and now aren’t. Some replaced by shops or other businesses. Most just empty premises. Travel agencies pretty thin on the ground as well. Not surprising as searching for possibilities and booking on line has become so easy. And well aware that no agency would be willing to do what we do on transatlantic flights - check plane configuration and book according to seat pitch or find the four rows that have two seats abreast instead of three. Cypriot agencies used to be good re special offers. Gave us a (visa run) weekend in Romania at one of the classiest hotels we’ve stayed at for peanuts. But they seemed incapable of booking anything at all on the same day the request was made. Always we will check for availability and let you know. And now few remain in business.

Friday, December 2/2022

 

Minor bit of exploration on our afternoon walk. We’ve stayed in this area for years - ten in this part of the city and twenty in Larnaca - but like any old city streets follow unpredictable paths and neighbourhoods change character quickly. And Larnaca is an old city. It was first colonised by the Mycenaeans about 3500 years ago. Originally known as Kittim, and referred to Biblically in the book of Numbers, it was re-established by Phoenicians as Kition about 800 BC. We’re not exactly lost on our walk and certainly within a mile of home, establishing direction by the afternoon sun. Then spot the fenced off ruins - and they’re fairly minimalist as ruins go - and realise we’re beside the ancient Kition site. And two blocks later see the turns that will take us to our favourite bakery, not yet visited this year. So a large wholemeal sourdough loaf and two koulouri - chewy sesame studded bread rings (simit in Turkish). By tradition we stop to share one on the way home. Must be eaten the day they’re baked and it’s already afternoon, but still good. 

As we’re sitting enjoying the koulouri we spot a hotel we stayed in for a couple of months about twenty years ago. Well, it’s actually hard to miss. In its previous incarnation was the Chrysopolis, now known as the Rise Street Art Hotel and only the location is at all familiar.

Thursday, December 1/2022

 

Direct sun temperature 50 degrees. Or more - little thermometer only goes to 50. Shade obviously significantly lower. AccuWeather says current temperature 23, and usually fairly ‘accu’ about temp if a little less precise about exact minute of precipitation commencing.

Clothing stored in the boxes not losing their not all that trendy wrinkled look despite usual methods of washing to drip dry, hanging near shower, etc. Have to admit shirts fail to meet my very low standards of acceptability. Begin searching Greek dictionary for iron, preparatory to asking to borrow one. Naturally word iron has many possible meanings, some of which may only serve to confuse the issue. Memory of Peruvian boarder many years ago approaching me and saying fluh-teer-un. Totally at a loss until he produced his Spanish English dictionary and showed me the word - flatiron. 

One of the happier aspects of spending half our life travelling is how it pares “things” down to essentials. A small suitcase and a carryon each. Yes, we left the three boxes here and appreciate the extra cookware and changes of clothes, but most places we go are fine without. Some improvising and very little waste. Does help when we don’t need big coats and winter boots. And ebooks have made an enormous difference. Although there is a slight loss in the serendipitous character of our reading. Most books now are chosen and chosen out of an abundance rather than oddities we would never have picked but were nonetheless pleased to have read. Interestingly, the tablets have a benefit other than the quantity (and quality) of 

ice cube tray

books that they hold. They’re readable regardless of the sufficiency of the indoor lighting. Forty watt light bulbs distressingly common (though we have been known to substitute) and light fixtures often poorly placed for reading, though seldom as inconvenient as the present non-existence of kitchen lighting.

Have wondered occasionally whether there is anything we would miss if we travelled year round. Tools probably, although fewer things to repair and J does have a mini set. Probably art on the walls the most. There the tablet screen just doesn’t substitute.

F

Wednesday, November30/2022

 Sunny and warm - normal in other words. So we head to the centre to reacquaint ourselves. Also to acquire some money as first instalment of the rent pretty well wiped out our euro supply. Refilling the wallet didn’t in the past (as in three and a half years ago) mean much of a walk. There seemed to be banks on every second corner. Definitely at least three between the Sunflower and Lidl, all with external cash points. The one nearly across the road from us used to provide food and drink in a serious way Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. Not only for long term patrons either. I went in one Christmas Eve merely to inquire about a missing printout from the cash point and was urged to partake. Nuts, dried fruit, crisps, wine, whisky. Staff highly amused by my saying that Canadian banks would regard coffee and biscuits as a treat. Now it and the others all closed as are several between us and the city centre. Frequently used bank across from tourist information centre still open and doing a brisk business, unsurprisingly given the lack of competition.

So many places have changed. Gone upscale. May appeal to the “better [read richer] class of tourists Cyprus is always yearning for. Clearly does appeal to the affluent young locals. But where have the old men with the backgammon boards and folded newspapers among the coffee cups gone? Away from the main squares and into the back streets and lanes? That little shop where we used to buy our food the first year long closed. Easy to romanticise the past though - and forget J having seen a rat outside the second story window there.

Need a new watch strap but the watchmaker near St Lazarus, whom we have dealt with for years seems to have closed shop. He was across from our regular coffee spot, now also closed, replaced by a place with purple chairs and featuring ice cream, though in all fairness they do serve coffee - but would they remember that we drink it sketo, without sugar. So how about George’s, our other coffee spot, round the corner from the animal shelter charity shop? Restaurant there, but it’s no longer George’s. So maybe you can’t go home again.

We’re nearly home when we reach the new shop we’ve spotted from our balcony, just across the road. Was obvious it was a food shop, but we see it’s an Asian grocery. And a surprisingly good one. Tons of different pulses as well as a good variety of spices and grains and Indian pickles. Fair little collections of grains and Indian pickles. OK basic beer, wine and liquor. Pretty decent. Some change is for the good.

Tuesday, November 29/2022

 Last night AccuWeather App announced rain would begin in four minutes. Startled by the precision, we promptly removed clothing airing on the balcony. And indeed a night of distant thunder, sheet lightning and rain. However accuracy fails to quite match precision, so when at 14:25 app announces that rain will begin in one minute this not in fact followed sixty seconds later by raindrops, although skies are dark so we venture out and are not rained on. 

One of the real pleasures of travelling is the variety of mature cheeses easily available, not confined to tiny specialty sections - like wanting them was normal. Have read the defences of Canadian milk supply management and have also heard small farmers say it definitely doesn’t work for them. Had hopes when Canada struck a deal with the EU, but no joy. But rivals affordable wine this half of the year.

Monday, November 28/2022

 Settling in. Interesting the pluses and minuses of each place we stay. This flat not much larger than Gazimagusa in square footage (oddly, can think in metric in terms of length but area seems to produce bizarrely small numbers) but much more liveable. Actually the living/dining area has four easy chairs and four pretty solid straight backed upholstered chairs for the table. Could hold a pretty fair sized gathering here were one so inclined, and that’s without pressing the sheet covered mattress into dubious service. Well, still here New Year’s Eve.

Return the non functional toaster to the maid. Some mild guilt because well beyond my half dozen words of Greek to explain that there is a probable short in it and it sometimes but not always blows a fuse killing all the electrics in the apartment. Good? she asks. No good. Change. This will result in our getting a different (new would be overstating it) toaster, but suspect defective small appliances just end up in a store room from whence they are eventually redistributed to future unsuspecting guests. The translation problem reminds me of a discussion with a hotel employee in Paris regarding a defective television. That time the conversation, in French, centred on whether the tv genuinely did not work or whether we had misunderstood the instructions. Ending when I finally said kaput and we both laughed. Apparently international. Could have explained in English about the probable short to the evening desk man except this would have entailed explaining that we know toaster is the culprit because J has own set of screwdrivers and is perfectly capable of removing cover from “never touch this” panel and resetting fuse without assistance. So no good it is.

Sunday, November 27/2022

 Cloudy but warm. Can calculate the breeze by looking at the palm tree in front of our balcony. The fronds start at our level and provide an indicator. 

Walk over to Lidl. Like everything it has changed - more fruit and veg, though they were never its strong point. Good prices on whole grain (one of the first terms I learn in a language) pasta and chocolate. Not bad on South African and Chilean wines. Excellent on their own gin which, happily, has done extremely well in blind taste tests. Putting away the shopping, contrive to drop - and break - bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon. Oddly, 750 ml bottle leads to several gallons of red wine and associated glass on tiled kitchen floor. Down to reception to request assistance. Fortunately the single word vino and explanatory gestures suffice, and Venera shortly appears with mop, pail and cheerful dismissal of our apologies. Christmas tip assured.

TV evening. Canada’s World Cup defeat by Croatia followed by not previously seen episode of Great Canal Journeys, this one featuring a (mostly non canal) trip to Vietnam. Lots of memories for us, as we honeymooned in Vietnam, although long before Timothy and Pru’s expedition.

Saturday, November 26/2022

 The apartment is big and sunny - down to our forethought in requesting one looking onto the side street which means more sun as well as less noise. Balcony is narrow but runs the length of the flat with sliding doors opening onto it from both sitting room and bedroom. Plenty of fresh air. Good water pressure. More or less the number and location of power points one would expect in a building of ‘a certain age’. The oddest being one at about four feet high in the otherwise unbroken wall of the galley style kitchen. The opposite wall actually isn’t a wall. More an overgrown kitchen pass-through, about five feet wide by four feet high. Good thing it’s here, too as, unbelievably, there is no light in the kitchen. Well, there is a small window but no unnatural  light. Some does spill in from the sitting room and hallway, but distinct advantage to cooking in daytime.

First, the boxes. Along with a number of other long stayers, mostly Norwegian, we have habitually left boxes of belongings in storage for the following winter’s stay. Kitchen things, extra clothes, small tools and such. But it’s been three and a half years. Will they still be here? Seems unlikely. Most hotels are not all that keen on the practice to begin with though they recognise that it is a convenience for the guests and also gives  them an incentive to return to the same place. And there’s the inertia factor. Balanced against the inconvenience of storing the boxes would be the inconvenience of disposing of them.

Are our boxes still here? It seems yes, but the miscellany of boxes and cases are no longer stacked in and threatening to take over the staff coffee area on the mezzanine floor. Old Mr Andreas (not actually ancient but playing the part) produces a ring of keys and summons Maria, the maid who fetches a supermarket trolley - still bearing its Lidl insignia - and we parade out past the swimming pool, through the high metal gate and round the corner to a door that yields to the yellow tabbed key and reveals a warehouse of a room full to the ceiling of discarded furniture, neat plastic storage bins, elderly suitcases, cardboard boxes disgorging their contents, unidentified hardware, plastic sheeting, and more. At first it looks totally hopeless, but it’s slightly better than it seems. The guests’ stores are all in the front quarter so the hazardous climb over broken furniture won’t be necessary. And J identifies one definite and two probable boxes of ours in the front corner of the room, covered with multiple unstable layers of other people’s goods.

So everything we stored except the drying rack for the clothes. Not bad, and plenty of room to string a line on this balcony. Boxes a bit like opening Christmas decorations. Some anticipated - oh right, there’s the big cooking pot - and others we’d forgotten about - that’s a good jacket. Plus the actual Christmas bits, primarily a set of tiny wooden people acquired at a garage sale in Dryden years ago. Also some herbs and spices that have aged far better than we deserve, considering that they’ve had an unexpected three and a half years in non-cold storage.

Walk from the Sunflower to city centre cafés slightly longer than I’d prefer but excellent grocery shopping close by. Prices have, unsurprisingly, gone up. Most fruit and vegetables cheaper - and obviously fresher - than at home but more expensive than in the North. No insane bargains on wine, but EU advantage on Italian and Spanish. Sale bottle of Famous Grouse whisky for €12 ($16.73 CAD, £10.33). No exact equivalent to the one litre size in Canada for bizarre historical reasons, but extrapolating from the 750 ml bottle - $30.95 at LCBO - gives a price of $41.27 per litre in Ontario. No need to become alcoholic just because it’s affordable, but definitely one of the perks.

Friday, November 25/2022

Moving day. Advantage of door to door transport and no flights is that it’s easy to take things like the two remaining 1.5 litre bottles of water. They’re cheap and easy to replace but it’s nice if the first thing we have to do on arrival is not nip out to buy water. Especially as showers in the forecast.

No problems crossing from South to North on arrival but refused exit by TRNC official as we return. Explanation is that crossing point (same British Sovereign Base crossing by which we entered) is for EU and UK passports only. Driver is sent to Dherynia a town crossing not too far distant, though less convenient. Have crossed at Dherynia before, although only South to North but have crossed at both sovereign base crossings many times in both directions. Interested in whether this is a change in regulations - as opposed to a misunderstanding - and if so when and why. On entry driver - who was very competent - had brief chat in Turkish when our passports presented which evidently did not include anything along the lines of a reminder that the passengers (given a thirty day visa) could not exit at the same crossing. Glitches anticipated and prepared for never the ones that happen.

No glitches at hotel end. We’ve stayed at the Sunflower part of every winter since 2010, the last three years excepted due to covid. Some changes. Signs requesting face masks in lobby and lift. Compliance seems limited, but the idea is there. Only ten people permitted in the large lobby area, though actually can’t remember seeing that many in the lobby at once in pre-covid days. South facing apartment as requested. We’re early but it’s clean and ready. 

For a second I think that it’s been in a state of preservation and the furniture is still shrouded in dust sheets. But no, the four easy chairs - well not all that easy but the intent is there - are wearing white fitted slip covers. Seems an unlikely colour choice for a hotel but pretty durable and in any case matches the white sheet covering the single mattress plus box spring pretending, with the help of three large coloured cushions, to be a sofa (though blue and white mattress stripes at the end give the game away. More than made up for by the genuine double bed in the bedroom. No more singles pushed together under one coverlet claiming they won’t separate in the night. Fourth rental in a row with a real double bed. And it’s been a long day.

Thursday, November 24/2022

 Last full day in the North - until February anyway. And it’s market day. Rather ill planned on our part as we arrived - and are leaving - the day after the big weekly municipal market when better planning might have given us a week’s stay after two consecutive market days. But would have meant counting back all the way to the initial return flight from Canada and some of the other dates had reasons behind them. So a few grapes and a couple of oranges and pretend all the heaps of enticing fruit and vegetables - and olives and cheese and fresh eggs - are only decor, paintings on the gallery wall. Because there’s only so much we can eat between now and tomorrow morning, or take with us for that matter.

We run into Inci, the amazing cook from Minder and then Fehmi’s wife Filiz, along with daughter and baby grandson at the market. A relatively high proportion of the Gazimagusa people we know. 

Then clean up and pack, with the happy thought that next home we can actually unpack rather than just stirring the suitcases. We’ll be staying until early February. Happy discovery while cleaning the gas stove where minor spills seem to have the properties of crazy glue. Remembered that we bring tooth paste rather than gel because it’s abrasive qualities can come in handy. Stove gleams. Heaven knows what it does to teeth.

Wednesday, November 23/2022

 Aysel, who owns the house we stayed at from March to July of 2022 has suggested we meet for coffee at Tatlı Hayat, (literally sweet, or dessert, experience) a fairly classy coffee place just inside the walls of the old city. When we first stayed in her place she was in Ankara undergoing a bone marrow transplant. Then, four days after we arrived the border closed and instead of two weeks we stayed for five months, most of it at Aysel’s.

Had very nearly lost touch as emails seemed not to connect and now it transpires  that she’s been having a hard time. Her husband gets coffee for everyone and we catch up. Cancer has come back twice and she is now beginning her third round of chemotherapy. Husband spent six months working in the South and she’s hoping to be able to get medical coverage through his work, would be a major benefit as her doctor is in the South. She also has a ten year old daughter who we met very briefly two years ago. Interestingly, Aysel spent time studying in Winnipeg a few years ago and loved it. Misses the snow, although she agrees it lasts far too long. Much of this gets translated for her partner, who also gets a look at our fairly impressive snow photos.

Return via Minder for our last visit. Walk in and imagine I can feel my blood pressure - not horrific anyway - dropping. A beautiful calmness about being the only patrons and being received with such warmth. And all four of us delighted by traditional foods. We don’t really need a starter, but it’s soup made with rice and wild spinach that the couple picked in the countryside on Sunday - the one day the restaurant isn’t open. Beautiful. Then spinach casserole and the köfte that they remember I love . And as usual we split everything. The sweet at the end is very Cypriot - a preserve made of watermelon rind, so unrecognisably sweet it’s almost candy and easiest to eat with strong, unsweetened Turkish coffee. And would we like the limoncello? We would.