Exploring the Melanda coastline

We took a trip to Melanda which is about 10 minutes drive from Pissouri, the coastline here is rugged with small stony coves. We both said that this would be a great place to watch the sun go down and promised ourselves to return with a picnic and hopefully get some good pictures as the sun sets over Pissouri.

Relaxing by the Sea

We headed East of Pissouri and spent a lazy day relaxing and reading the Sunday Papers by Curium beach. There are 3 tavernas along the beachfront and it a great place to relax with a coffee. Behind the beach is a tall cliff and where we  watched the paragliders jump off and slowly float down to the beach.

We popped into the local store because Mandy wanted some envelopes, unable to find what she wanted she asked the young assistant for some help, the young lady returned with the envelopes, and then said “With these envelopes, if you need to put money inside”, we both listened seriously for the following pearl of wisdom, “then make sure that you put my address on it! and her face broke into a huge grin.

Mountains and wine

We took a drive into the mountains and stopped off to wander through the narrow streets, a passing van stopped and a local farmer sold us 4 litres of red wine for 4 Cypriot pounds, we tasted the wine that evening and it was very good.

Making Contacts

Last night we made our way to the Pissouriana bar, this is the place where the Brits in the area tend to meet.

We were greeted by our friends Liza and Dom, Dom and some of his friends were holding a meeting, they plan to Cycle around Cyprus for a charity event in November 2007. 

This morning we drove up to the mountain overlooking Pissouri, from there you have superb views of Pissouri Bay, Pissouri village and the surrounding hills.

Getting Stoned in Pissouri

We flew out from Cardiff airport to Paphos in Cyprus, there were only 19 passengers on the plane so we had plenty of room.

 We drove to the villa in the village of Pissouri that we had rented and settled in, then we drove to Paphos to buy mobile phones to keep in contact with the outside world.

 That night there was a violent electrical storm that caused a certain amount of damage in the area and some local flooding. We woke the next day to find piles of hailstones in the garden, not what we expected to find in Cyprus !

A Farewell gathering and Packing

Mid October and we are begining to pack our things for our trip to Cyprus, Mandy is having trouble deciding what to pack in her case,

"so much she wants to pack, so little room"

Our family and friends gathered up at a local restaurant to wish us well on our travels, it was also a chance to celebrate Lisa’s 25th birthday.

Today in Wales, we have had nothing but constant rain, so hopefully the next entry in the blog will be from the sunnier climes of Cyprus.

Booking our Winter visit.

We have booked our flights (one way) from the UK out to Cyrpus for late October 2006. We have also booked a two bedroom villa in the village of Pissouri. Now we have to decide what we will need to take with us to get through a Cypriot Winter.

Today we are going out for Sunday lunch with our family to celebrate our second wedding anniversary, we have chosen to go for a pub lunch at The Three Horseshoes in Moulton in the Vale of Glamorgan.

Rob pictured with Cousins Lee and Lisa.

Snowdonia, Anglesy and The Elan Valley

While our Cyprus plans progress we decided to visit The Spectacular National Park of Snowdonia in North Wales. One of those places we had long talked about, but experiencing it firsthand was something else. 

So we set off from Cardiff and joined the A470, the road that runs from the Capital City, through Mid Wales and continuing up to the North West of Wales.

This road has the nickname of  "The Yellow brick road".

We drove on through some of the pictureque towns of Mid Wales including Brecon, Builth Wells and Newtown.

We stayed in the quaint and picturesque village of Beddgelert, tucked away among the lush valleys and dramatic landscapes of North Wales. The village felt like it had been lifted from a storybook, with its stone cottages and the tranquil River Glaslyn flowing through it.

 

We took a stroll through the village, enjoying the serene atmosphere and the legendary tale of Gelert, the faithful dog. The story was everywhere, and we couldn’t help but be moved by the legend as we visited the stone monument dedicated to the legend of Gelert.

The scenery was stunning, but as we set off to explore the surrounding areas, a thick, low-lying mist hung over the landscape, giving everything a mysterious, almost otherworldly feel.

We drove along winding roads that cut through the valleys and hills, barely able to make out the towering peaks of Snowdonia in the distance, hidden by the mist. Every so often, the mist would lift just enough for us to catch glimpses of the rugged mountains and lush, green landscapes.

We also made a visit to Caernarfon Castle a stunning medieval fortress in North Wales. They marveled at the castle's impressive stone walls and its strategic position overlooking the Menai Strait.

We then drove over the  Menai Bridge, admiring the impressive engineering that connects the mainland to Anglesey, with stunning views over the Menai Strait. We spent the day exploring this well known Welsh Island. 

We also took the chance to visit the stunning scenery of the Elan Valley in Mid Wales. This valley is the location of several dams and resivours that supplies the English City of Birmingham with its fresh water.

While we were in the area we just had to visit the Famous old Station at....

Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgerychwyrndrobwllllantsiliogogogoch.

We arrived at the famous old station, which is charming in its simplicity, though the station sign, stretching almost comically long, takes centre stage. It’s surreal to see the name written out in full, and we couldn't resist taking a picture standing proudly beneath it, the whole sign towering over us. Mandy had a laugh trying to pronounce it — I gave it a go too, though I won’t say I was any better!

We drove over to the West Coast to visit the coastal town of Barmouth.

The town had this charming mix of rugged coastline, Victorian architecture, and that distinct feeling of an old seaside resort with its promenade and colourful beach huts.

We parked the car and wandered down to the beach first, where golden sands stretched out before us, meeting the blue-grey Irish Sea. It was one of those typical Welsh days—clouds hung low, but every now and then, the sun would

We also stayed overnight in the charming town of Rhayader in Mid Wales. We enjoyed a leisurely stroll along the river Wye in the late afternoon, taking in the peaceful scenery and the gentle sounds of the water flowing by. 

Memories of North and Mid Wales

Cyprus Friends and a New car.

Our friends Liza and Dom who live in Pissouri village are now activley searching for suitable accommodation for our proposed Winter in Cyprus.

We have decided that as our plans mean that we are staying in the UK in the short term that we needed to change our car, our old one is 10 years old and it always needs some work doing to it. 

We went down to our local dealer and got a car that is 18 months old. Its not a big car, it’s a Ford Fiesta 1.4 Zetec, but its big enough for us and hopefully will be reliable.

Our first outing in the Car was to the Brecon beacons National Park in South Wales. The Beacons are an area of outstanding natural beauty.

A visit to the Polis and Latchi area in Cyprus.

We returned to Cyprus in July 2006. This time we went to the Polis/Latchi area of the island which is North of Pafos. We booked into the Souli Hotel on the seafront of Latchi, it’s a small family run Hotel and all the staff were friendly and Helpful.

This is a beautiful area of Cyprus, much Greener than the other places we have visited. The Polis/Latch area loosk a good area for coastal walks and bike riding…when the weather is cooler.

The sea at this time of year is perfect for swimming in and if you take a boat to some of the more secluded coves then the water in an unbelievable shade of blue.

Our plans for a move to Cyprus had changed slightly, we now intend to hold onto our UK property for now and spend a couple of months in Cyprus this coming Winter. We think this will give a better feel of actualy living on the Island.

CYPRUS (LATCHI) ...July in Souli Hotel

In July 2006, we once again returned to Cyprus, this time we made our base in the small coastal village of Latchi, which is North of Paphos.

We stayed in the Souli hotel, a small family run hotel that sits right on the coastline.

On our first evening we strolled down to the harbour, had a couple of drinks, dinner and watched the Sun set.

The following day we hired a car  and explores the Paphos forest, we also drove  West of latchi to the edge of the Akamas National park.

The Next day we popped down to the harbour to take  Boat trip along the coast to the Blue lagoon.

Memories of Latchi