Day 407

I always used to begin my blogs with the number of days/weeks/months that I have been in Cyprus. It doesn't really seem practical to do that anymore now that it's been 407 days, so I won't.

But I do feel like it is time for an update. As most of you know, Barb and I were back in the US for the majority of August. So returning to Cyprus sort of felt like "Take 2 – Moving to Cyprus" but this time knowing what to expect. So, it has been 2 weeks since we've been back and year 2 is in full swing. Thinking back to this time last year, I realize how much has changed. To me, my knowledge of Greek doesn't seem to be one of them, but I've been told otherwise by the people around me, though they're probably just trying to be nice. Last week I started yet another new Greek class, this one at the University of Cyprus. I took a placement test and something must've gone terrible wrong because it placed me in Intermediate level, which clearly is a bit of a stretch, being that as far as I'm concerned the other people in my class already speak Greek!! It is a 3 hour class, twice a week and taught entirely in Greek (read: goes right over my head). Although frustrating, I've already paid for it through May so the only thing I can do is just go to class and hope something sinks in. It can't hurt, right? Oh did I mention that Barb and I are moving to Athens next year? So, obviously there is some real motivation to learn this stupid language!

In Year One, Barb and I and did a lot of exploring around the island. One region that we hadn't gotten around to exploring was the Karpaz peninsula, so we decided to go over the weekend. We packed sleeping bags, a tent, and some coolers and headed out, without much of a plan. Driving along the coast with the top down was beautiful. There are wild donkeys everywhere. We stopped at various deserted beaches along the way and just sort of went wherever looked interesting. At one point we saw a sign that said "alternative route" to some harbor and old church so we took it. It wasn't a paved road, but it looked like a fairly decent dirt road. It turned out to actually be a hard packed sand road – in most places. Some sections weren't so hard packed and in one particularly deep sand part we got stuck (picture driving a small car on a beach). We tried everything to get the car out of the sand but the tires were just spinning and digging the car deeper and deeper into the sand. It was 95 degrees out, middle of the day in the hot sun and Barb and I were lying on the ground using our hands and arms to try to move as much sand away from the tires as possible so the tires could get some treading. Then one of us would get in the car and the other would push as hard as we could, but still…nothing. Of course our South phones don't work there and even our North phone had sketchy service but I managed to call a Turkish Cypriot friend who was going to make some phone calls to people with 4-wheel drive vehicles. But while we were waiting, a pick-up truck came along from the other direction and 3 guys got out, realized we were stuck and immediately started helping us. Barb was speaking to them in Turkish, because after all, we were in the north (although later we realized they were actually Greek Cypriots!), and I was just standing there with mud dripping down my face (sweat + sand/dirt). The guys (who no doubt thought we were really weird – 2 Americans with Greek Cypriot license plates, but speaking Turkish) took rope out of their truck, tied it to the front of our car and after a few tries, pulled the car our of the sand! Luckily, just a mile down the road was a beautiful beach and we parked and ran straight into the sea.

I have to honestly say that for the first time I can see why the Greek Cypriots say that they lost the best beaches of the island in 1974. While I have fallen in love with the beaches on the east coast (Nissi, Cape Grecko, Fig Tree), I now have a new love – the beaches on the Karpaz. The water is just as beautiful (beautiful turquoise water where you can see straight to the bottom even when your feet can't touch) but the beaches are huge, sandy and deserted. The weather was beautiful. Now that we've been here a full year, Barb and I decided that September is officially our favorite month because the air is still very warm (90's) during the day (instead of 100's like July/August), the water is very warm, although still refreshing, and the night air is perfect for sitting outside and eating dinner, without being too hot or too chilly. It was perfect weather for camping, especially being right on the beach. For more pictures from the trip, click here.