Cyprus

Sunday 2^nd December

I was awake at 8, ready to leave on tour at 9.30.

I had been told that Limassol was boring and the shops would be shut on a Sunday, so four of us booked a tour to Paphos in order to see the Roman remains. It reminded me why I don’t like tours! We were in a bus for an hour each way, stopping once on the way out to see the birthplace of Aphrodite (the .rocks at Chris’s shoulder). As we got onto the bus, the non-English-speaking driver caressed Chris’s cheek and said ‘Aphrodite’!

The sea was beautiful!

Before leaving, we had been told that we could stay on the bus to go just outside Paphos for a short visit to see the tombs and the mosaics. Chris, Peggy and I were keen on that idea. The half hour there was very short by the time we queued to pay our entrance fee, then queued for the toilet, then walked to the tombs, only to discover that it had been badly explained and the mosaics were back in Paphos! We then rather impatiently waited for the 6 people who were up to 15 minutes late back to the bus.

We found the mosaics in Paphos and they were incredible. (See my shadow in the second one? I thought I’d put myself into the picture.)

The ruins were being restored by a group from Poland (I think), which seemed a very unusual pairing.

Then we sat by the harbour with a drink and a toasted sandwich before boarding the bus for the hour’s drive back.

I asked at the port if there was free wifi and a couple of officials thought about it and tried to direct us to the Seaman’s Mission, where we would be able to get it. Trevor and I wandered around for 5 minutes with his phone, but could not find it. I didn’t think I had time or energy to catch the shuttle bus into Limassol to look for an internet cafe so gave up my search.

At dinner, those who stayed in Limassol told us they had a wonderful time. They found a fabric shop with beautiful fabrics (if you had someone to make them up!) and leather handbags on sale for €5, and a lovely harbour to stroll along. It sounds as though it’s a choice between Roman remains or a pleasant day!

I spent a few minutes reminding Chris of the steps in the quickstep, but then went back to my room. I was in bed before 9. I’d intended to read for a couple of hours and then sleep, but was too sleepy to read. I slept for over 2 hours and then woke up so had my sleeping pill to be sure I’d sleep through the whole night. I woke a few times but managed to go straight back to sleep each time.