Cyprus Week 9 – Friends, Ball and Pass the Pigs!

A promising start to the week which got better and better! It looked like the worst of the storm had passed, and whilst it was still windy, it was getting sunnier and warmer. 

Jim was still here at the start of the week, so it was looking positive that he might get some more time in the sun! My friends from Essex, Sarah, Lisa and her boyfriend Nick, also arrived on Thursday, and we had a very full flat on the first night!

But, starting on Monday, I needed to get some work done before my friends arrived on Thursday, so the boys went to Aphrodite Golf Club and did a few rounds at the driving range before stopping in the club house for a coffee. 

It’s such a beautiful place there, I’m glad Jim got to experience it and it was nice that the boys got to go have their one-on-one time!

When they came back, we braved the windy conditions and went to St Raphael to the beach there. Whilst it was sunny, it was VERY windy and a little too chilly to sit in your swimmers BUT we got to sit outside and read our books which was so lovely given the weather the last few days!

The following day was much the same, but the waves on the beach were HUGE and it was pretty stormy out there. We really tried to sit in our swimmers, but we were just being stubborn, it really wasn’t the best weather for the beach.

Instead, we met Chris and Lex for a coffee at Thalassokoritso, a coffee place right on the water, where Chris was served the most disappointing frappe I think he’d ever had. So bad, it had to be taken back – I’m pretty sure he was one step away from jumping over the counter and making it himself. However, the lady insisted on remaking it, and I dread to think what she did to it second time around! 

Dodgy coffees aside, it was great to catch up with them as we hadn’t seen them since Jim had arrived. It was pretty cool to sit by the sea and watch the waves – we’d never seen it so choppy in Cyprus!

In the evening, we went to Biergarten for a quick drink before heading to Syrian Club for dinner. Aaron and I were really excited because we’d eaten there on our first night in September and it was delicious and we’d been waiting to go back! We had mezze for three, and Jim ordered a side of livers, which he pretty much devoured by himself – Aaron and I aren’t sure what we think of livers just yet (apart from Chris’s mum’s balsamic livers which are to die for!).

Full to the brim, we walked round the corner to Nags Head to watch Man United play Atalanta. It was so boring that we had one beer and left at half time – ahh the joys of being a United fan!

On Wednesday, the day started with a couple of hours work in the morning at Coffee Island and then I was picked up in the car before heading to Colombia for brunch. 

Aaron and I went for brunch last year when we visited and it was delicious, and the setting is really relaxing. There is a pool in the middle and lots of lovely outdoor seating, right on the beach – a proper beach club!

It was also SCORCHING so we sat outside to make the most of it. The food was really delicious, and we devoured our salmon & poached egg bagel, avo & egg on toast and chorizo & eggs along with a tasty ice tea – we needed something cold! 

We’d brought our swim stuff with us and the plan was to go and have a couple of hours on the beach. Unfortunately, the moment we laid on our sunbeds, the wind picked up, but at least it was still hot so it was far more enjoyable to lay there, than it had been the previous two days!

On Thursday, we spent the day on the beach – luckily the weather was lush and we were able to swim and everything. We were so relieved that Jim managed to end the trip with some sun! 

Aaron & Jim went to Armonia for a few beers in the evening, whilst I drove to Larnaca Airport to collect Lisa, Sarah and Nick from the Airport.

Luckily driving in Cyprus is easy as it’s much the same as driving in the UK, but with less traffic & junctions but trying to park at the airport was no mean feat. I ended up pulling into a space that was too small for me to pull into, and then a Rolls Royce pulled in behind me – which made everyone very nervous when it came to pulling away. 

With no damage done (to the Rolls at least, pretty sure Nick’s nerves were destroyed) we headed back to Limassol, to meet the boys in Kiki’s – one of our favourite places to grab some Cypriot food! We ordered a few beers and some souvlaki & chips and had a proper catch up – it was lush!

It was time for Jim to leave us on Thursday, so Aaron dropped Lisa, Nick, Sarah and I at the beach before making the trip to Paphos airport. It was a bloody lovely day and the heatwave was in full swing – it was roasting! 

Once we had settled into our loungers, Nick and I went to the shop to grab some ice cold Keos and we sat chatting away on the beach – with Sarah telling us all about her job and how she’d just quit and all about Lisa & Nick’s wedding planning – it was fab to hear all about what was going on in their lives in person rather than over Whatsapp.

In the evening, it was time to get some drinks! So, we went to Puesta for a cocktail and some oysters – it was an oyster bar after all, it would have been rude not to! I have had oysters once before and I wasn’t mad for them, but these ones were delicious – I think the trick was a few drops of tabasco…not sure if that means I like oysters now or just tabasco sauce. Anyway, they tasted good.

Afterwards, we went to Armonia (our favourite café!) for cocktails and beers before going to Kissos Tavern for food. We’d heard great things about the fish at Kissos so Lisa, Nick, Aaron and I shared a fish mezze, whilst Sarah went for the moussaka, which I have to say was a great choice because it was the best moussaka we’d tried! 

The fish was absolutely delicious, with octopus, calamari, sea bass and muscles all featuring. It was also the perfect amount of food, and not too much bread to start with, which meant we could finish (and enjoy!) each course!

On Saturday, we took the guys to Protaras to see Fig Tree Bay, which is one of the white sand beaches in Cyprus. We’d been to the beaches last year, and it was beautiful, the water was so clear and still. However, when we arrived on Saturday, there were huge waves! I couldn’t believe it and was a bit disappointed because I wanted them to see this calm and idyllic beach. It was also so busy, which for the time of year, we were surprised by.

I needn’t have been disappointed though, the sea was so much more fun than had it been still. Sarah and I were in there for ages, being thrown around by the waves and laughing so much!

After so much fun in the sea, we dried off and went for lunch and to watch a bit of the football. Whilst the beach was rammed, the main strip in Protaras was very quiet and many businesses had closed for the winter. 

However, we found a pub which was open and grabbed a sandwich and a cocktail to watch the match! The guys that ran the pub were so lovely and had clearly clocked on to a British sense of humour, and spent the majority of our time their calling Lisa “Alaska” suggesting she hadn’t caught the sun very much. Clearly what they haven’t realised is how offensive English girls (and even worse, Essex girls!) find it to be called pale!

By time we had wondered back to the beach, the sun had disappeared behind the hotels so we decided to start the hour journey back to Limassol but not before stopping off on the way to see the sunset over the blue lagoon and then through the natural window at the sea caves at Cape Greco – beautiful!

We had big plans for the evening, as Lex & Chris had booked a table in a traditional Cypriot tavern (next to the one we went to on our first weekend in Cyprus!).

The restaurant was so lovely, and traditionally Cypriot. We were sat outside in a beautifully lit courtyard, and it was full! We were also joined by Alex, Geri & Pari too so we had a full table! Lex ordered mezze to the table and we got to try lots of different Cypriot dishes, halloumi pasta parcels, livers, and souvlaki – yum!

On Sunday, we spent the day on Malindi beach, where we had a great spot, and we introduced the gang to Aaron & I’s favourite holiday game – ball. The rules aren’t complex, and all you need is a tennis ball. Okay, it’s basically catch but you know, it’s fun because you’re in the sea. As we we’re leaving the sea to return to our loungers, we played ‘Ultimate Ball’, where we had to catch and throw the ball as fast as possible. It was wild.

Another game which featured heavily, and created quick a ruckus, was Pigs. It is a great game, and we were all pretty animated on the beach playing it. Again, the rules are simple (clearly, the greatest games are those which are straightforward – see Ball above), and it involved throwing two little pigs like dice, and depending on their position, you got a certain about of points. The first to reach 100 wins. However, if the pigs fell in a certain position, you’d be BUST and you’d go back to zero. It was bloody hilarious, especially if someone threw a jowler – all hell broke loose. Well done to Nick for bringing this game – he knew we’d love it.

We went to Nags Head in the evening, where Nick had one of the best nights of his life, let alone in Cyprus, when West Ham beat Liverpool (much to Chris’s disappointment). He was the only West Ham fan cheering, but did it enthusiastically enough for the whole pub. To continue the celebrations, we had a few more drinks and a game of snooker, as the pool tables were fully booked – who knew snooker tables were SO much bigger than a pool table? Needless to say, it was a LONG game and Aaron, Lex, Chris and I were victorious. Unsurprisingly, this wasn’t due to the talent of our team, who barely potted a ball, but thanks to Sarah who potted so many white balls that she carried us through on penalty points ha ha!

Next week, we are taking the guys to Nicosia, and no doubt we’ll have a day on the beach before they fly back to the UK (booo!) but catch up with us next week to hear all about it.

Lots of love,

Meg xxx