The Coastal road Reopens.

After several years of closure due to land slippage, the B road that passes Aphrodite's rock and runs from Pissouri to Paphos finally reopened this week.

There are some stunning views of the coastline, the Mediterranean sea and Cape Aspro along this drive.

We drove onto the village of Mandria for a coffee under the grape vines of a local taverna in the square.

A Video of our recent trip to The Canary Islands of Tenerife and Gran Canaria.

Cyprus and a 75th Birthday

 Back in Cyprus it was lovely to wake up to blue skies and temperatures hovering around the 16 degree mark.

In the evening we made our way over to the Tree house taverna in the village of Timi.

We were there to help our old friend, Paul, celebrate his 75th birthday. The was a very good turn out of friends and neighbours who wanted to show their respect for Paul.

Day 32: Returning to Cyprus

 So after a month away, on a cold and foggy day we made our way back to Bristol airport for our Easyjet flight back to Cyprus. The flight took four and a half hours and was slightly turbulent over the Pyrenees. 

Tania was kindly waiting for us at Paphos airport to take us back to Pissouri, tired but happy to be home.

Day 31 : The City of Bristol.

 We awoke to a cold, crisp but beautiful morning in Bristol. 

We took a walk around the shopping centre and then headed over to Riverside area. We were both impressed by the City centre and some of the lovely buildings in the area.

We continued on to the small marina with its array of colourful small boats.

Next stop was Bristol cathedral and the impressive College Green. I wish that we had a bit for time in Bristol, it was a City worth exploring and we only scratched the surface.

In the late afternoon we met up with Lisa and Andrew who drove over from Cardiff to wish us Bon voyage. 

We met in the Revolution bar and then mooched onto the Boardroom before going to Cafe Cuba where we enjoyed some great hospitality and they even squeezed us in and for a delicious meal. 

After dinner we crossed over to The Attic where Lisa made friends with a Freddie Mercury look-a-like.

Day 30 : Flight to Bristol

 We turned up at Las Palmas airport to be told that the flights were delayed due the French air traffic controllers being on strike. Thankfully the delay was only about forty minutes. 

A strong head wind meant that the flight took slightly longer than normal, but it was a comfortable flight over the Atlantic. 

We arrived in Bristol airport about 7 o'clock in the evening as as soon as they opened the cabin door you feel the cold air rush in.

We walked to the airport bus station and they were already spreading grit on the pathways due to the fact that they were expecting sub zero temperatures. 

We checked into our hotel and the popped over to the Bay horse pub for a drink and a bit to eat. It felt pretty cold as we left the pub.

Day 29 : Last day in Las Palmas

 A day of sunshine and showers,  Rob was still not feeling too good so he took it easy while Mandy did some last minute shopping. 

In the evening we walked to the corner to Pizza Royers Isleta, for a takeaway Pizza. We the packed and weighed our cases ready for tomorrow's flight to the UK.

We have thoroughly enjoyed our time in Gran Canaria, visited some lovely places and met some nice people.

Day 27 and 28 : The Journey home via Las Palmas

 On Monday morning Rob woke up with some kind of bug and felt very Sluggish, so we had a rest day only walking up to the Hyperdino supermarket. 

On Tuesday we began the long journey back to Cyprus  the first leg was on the Fred Olsen Banaderos express ferry from Tenerife to Gran Canaria. The sailing time was about one hour 15 minutes with just a slight sea roll.

We arrived at the Port of Agaete on dull windswept afternoon, hopped on the ferry's bus and made the 40  minute journey to Las Palmas. 

We settled into our accommodation,  unpacked and headed over to Canteras beach,even though it was overcast it was not cold.

We then stopped off for dinner at Las Canteras Family Restaurant which was a real find, the food was tasty,  the hospitality very good and the extras at the end of the meal only enhanced our evening.

Day 26 : A Birthday, Botanical gardens and An Impressive Auditorium

 On a bright and breezy morning we went over to the Botanical gardens that are set on the seafront.

 The gardens have hundreds of different types of palms from all over the world. 

We then strolled over to Auditorio de Tenerife Adán Martín, this impressive auditorium has a similar feel to the Sydney opera house.

We called in the auditorium cafe for a slice of cake and a Barraquito, local coffee with slug of liquor. We sat with a local couple who we chatted to via Google translate. 

On the home we passed a huge flea market with hundreds of stalls spread over a couple of streets. We briefly browsed as we walked through. 

We the stopped off at Casa de la Noria restaurant that is set in a leafy street . We sat outside for a glass of Sangria and a couple of lovely salads.

In the evening we used the Tram to ride up to La Laguna where we strolled around the cobbled streets and  celebrated Mandy's  birthday with a lovely meal at a local restaurant.

Day 25: The African market and Radazul Marina

 On a beautiful morning we took a walk over to the African Market in the City centre.  The market is a riot of colour, smells and sounds. 

We spent a while walking around the various stalls and bought a few nick nacks. 

We then caught a bus to the town of Radazul, a steep walk took us down to the Marina and small beach. 

We made our way to La Terrace restaurant for a well earned beer, from the restaurant there were some great views of the coastline. 

We enjoyed a very good lunch and a bottle of wine before making  our way back to Santa Cruz. 

In the evening we caught a cab to the Estadio Heliodoro Rodríguez López football Stadium to watch the local team play in the Spanish league second tier.

Sadly we were told that the game was a complete sell out, still, there was a superb atmosphere around the stadium.