A Cypriot Wedding in Pissouri

 There’s something magical about village weddings, especially when they unfold under the vast Cypriot sky and we were kindly invited to the evening wedding party of Argyris and Stella. We took the short stroll over to the venue with Mary and Steve, Lowri and Ollie.

The happy couple had been married earlier in the day at St Andrew's, our local village church in Pissouri.

The wedding party took place on the village's football field, string lights were hung from one end to the other, weaving a twinkling canopy of stars over the festivities. 

Local musicians filled the air with the melodic sounds of the bouzouki and violin, playing traditional Cypriot folk songs that echoed through the village of Pissouri, as the locals took to the dance floor to show off their Greek dancing skills.

Cardiff visitors , Podcast and an Anniversary Lunch

 We drove over to Paphos  to catch up with our two friends, Mike and Kath, who were over on holiday from Cardiff, UK.

Rob and Mike grew together in the Grangetown area of the City. They went all through Junior school, High school and college before losing contact and only meeting up again last year.

Using Artificial Intelligence to make a podcast about this Blog.

To celebrate Mike and Tina's wedding anniversary they kindly invited us for Sunday lunch at the Two Arches taverna in the village of Prastio, we were also joined by nine other guests.

Georgenia and the family made us feel so welcome at their typical Cypriot taverna.

We started off our lunch with salad, toasted bread, a variety of dips and local olives.

 The special on the menu was Kleftiko,  lamb slowly cooked in an outside oven over several hours, served with Cypriot potatoes. 

We finished off with honey covered pancakes and Cypriot brandies.

Kato Pyrgos - Day 3

 We woke up to a change in the weather, strong winds blew in and the life guards put out the red warning flags on the beach.

We hopped into the car and headed towards the lookout point that sits on the outskirts of the town, close to the Turkish border of Northern Cyprus. 

The lookout point has superb views of the town and in the other direction are views of out to Morphou bay. There is a small ruin at the top of the lookout point but sadly no information about it.

We the stopped off at Drakas beach for a coffee at a local cafe that overlooks the small beach.

 For lunch we visited Alexis restaurant that sits right on the seafront, infact some of the waves crashed over it the courtyard of the restaurant. 

The Alexis is primarily a fish restaurant and we all enjoyed our meals sitting outside, underneath old grapes vines that gave excellent shade from the afternoon sun.

Kato Pyrgos- Day 2

 The day started with Rob going for a walk around the beach as the dawn broke over Omega bay.

After breakfast we made our way over to the Omega beach bar that sits above the bay next to the hotel. The Omega beach bar has undergone renovations and has a lovely shaded area next to the restaurant overlooking the sea.

We made base camp and the wandered down to the beach for a cooling swim in the sea.

In the evening we made our way to the Klimataria restaurant  to watch a local singing duo. There was a good crowd of locals who took to dance floors to show off their Cypriot dancing skills.

The owner of the restaurant was even kind enough to drop us off back to our hotel.

Kato Pyrgos -Day 1

 To celebrate our 20th Wedding anniversary we joined up with Steve and Mary and took the drive from Pissouri up to Kato Pyrgos, which lies on the North West coast of Cyprus. 

We stopped off at the Santa Barbara restaurant where we noticed the celebrity Baker,  Paul Hollywood, was enjoying lunch with friends. 

We arrived at Kato Pyrgos just after lunch time and  checked into the EJ Pyrgos bay hotel. We entered into our room and were impressed with the views of Omega beach  from our balcony. 

We then popped down to "Grape by the sea" for a drink and a spot of lunch. This beach bar sits right on the coast and has a very relaxed feel to it.

In the evening we made our way down to the Psaro taverns restaurant for an evening meal by the sea. Even though there were scattered clouds, it wa still nice to see the sunset over the sea. 

ELO - The Encounter and the Bunch of Grapes

 The Pissouri amphitheatre was the venue for a return visit from the tribute band "ELO - The Encounter ".

This top quality band once again put on a top notch show for the crowd in Pissouri. 

ELO The Encounter" is an exceptional tribute band that brings the magic of Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) to life in a way that feels almost indistinguishable from the original. 

What sets this tribute apart is the genuine enthusiasm the band has for ELO’s music. It’s not just a cover show, it’s a celebration of one of the most innovative bands in rock history.

 

Whether you're a longtime ELO fan or new to their music, ELO The Encounter delivers an unforgettable experience that honors the legacy of Jeff Lynne and his timeless songs.

The following evening we made our way down to centre of the village to meet up with our old friends, Mary & Steve.

We had a quick drink in the village square before heading over to one of our favourite restaurants, The Bunch of Grapes. 

This really is a superb place, with its covered garden setting, the attentive service and quality food, its always a pleasure  to visit.

We even got a wedding invitation to a family wedding later this month. 

We then strolled over to the newly refurbished village coffee shop where we met the new Mukta(the elected leader of the village council) and sat and chatted with him about some of the issues regarding the village.

Pool party Afternoon

 On a noticably cooler afternoon, we popped down to The Pissouriana hotel for one of thier afternoon "pool parties".

The entertainment was provided by the female vocalist, Aimee J.

There was a lovely atmosphere and a good crowd turned our for sing along and a fun filled afternoon.