The Monkfish seafood Restaurant and Paphos harbour.

Has Spring arrived in Cyprus or is another false dawn ?  Well, on Sunday we woke to bright sunshine so jumped in the car and drove over to Paphos harbour, it was a pleasure to walk around and feel the sunshine on our faces.













It seem as if we have had another long wet Winter here in Cyprus, the Winters did not seem as long and wet when we first arrive on the Island.

On Friday evening to Celebrate Rob's birthday we drove over to the Town of Paphos for dinner, we were joined by our friends, Jane and Arthur.  Our first stop was the New Horizon pub for a quick drink, we then made our way over to the Monkfish restaurant.













Rob and Arthur started off with oysters, a first for Rob who had not tasted them before, the lads then chose to have the fish meze while the girls chose the salmon. All the food that was served was delicious and the owner/ chef, George, made a point of coming to the table to explain how he prepared the fish.

A worrying time for the residents of Pissouri

The article below was published in the Cyprus Mail.......

Burglaries in Pissouri said to be targeted at expats.

British expats in Pissouri say they are the target of a widespread burglary campaign as residents have expressed deep concern over the spike in break-ins over the past few months.

Pissouri is known for being home to a large number of expats.

“It’s undeniable there is a big problem in the village,” a British expat living in Pissouri told Cyprus Mail.

“The village is known for being home to foreigners and this attracts thieves and burglars, it’s inevitable,” he said.

“The fact that only expats are being targeted is undeniable proof of the seriousness of the situation”.

Local residents feel very little has been done by the authorities to prevent or at least curb the issue.

“The police haven’t exactly been helpful or even active,” the resident said.

“I personally know a British couple whose house has been burgled three times in less than a year. And we, the expats, feel the burglaries have even increased since October. We don’t know who else to turn to.”

Limassol CID Ioannis Sotiriades said the police are aware of the gravity of the situation and said he is in constant contact with the Pissouri police station to find measures to stop the ongoing issue.

“The issue, however, is the fact that all the houses that have been burgled belong to British expats. It’s clear they are being targeted.

“The fact that they might not always be in Pissouri, as some often return to the UK, unfortunately makes them easier targets.

“We recognise there is an issue and we are doing our best to solve it as soon as possible. The Pissouri residents need to feel safe at home,” Sotiriades said.

While waiting for a solution, expats are claiming the situation is even worse than the one painted by Sotiriades.

“We just don’t feel safe anymore. We have arrived at a point where the same house has been burgled multiple times, how much more do we have to endure?

Pissouri community leader Lazaros Lazarou admitted “the issue is worrying.”

“Even though these kinds of incidents take place everywhere around Cyprus, house burglaries targeted at our expat community, is a big issue,” he said.

“We urge the people of Pissouri to be extra careful and to share every information they might have with the police.”

Farewell Lunch and Cold weather

The Hillview restaurant was the venue for a farewell lunch for Sheena and Bryan, as always, the food and the service were excellent. We were also joined by Jane, Arthur, Jan and Alun.

A cold snap has hit Cyprus with temperatures  dropping to three above zero at night. That is the coldest we have know it during our time on the Island

Bryan and Sheena Leaving Cyprus

A Sad week for us due to the fact that our good friends, Bryan and Sheena, have decided to leave Cyprus and return to live in the UK. We have been friends with them since we arrived in Cyprus nearly Fourteen years ago and have shared so many happy times with them. They have been truly wonderful neighbours and friends.

We wish them well in their new Adventure and we know they will share some Wonderful times with their family.

Returning to Cyprus

As the old saying goes, it's nice to go travelling,  but its nice to come home.

After a long a tiring trip home from Gran Canaria we arrived in Cyprus to some pleasant Winter sunshine. 

We did make a brief stopover in Bristol where the weather was cold and foggy.

While we were away the village of Pissouri had a number of water issues due to damaged water pipes outside of the village. Pissouri had been without water for several days and even made the National News.  

Day 40 - Final day in The Canaries

We woke up to a cloudy and blustery morning in Las Palmas.
The weather improved  later in the morning so went over to Santa Catalina park for a bite to eat before heading back to start packing. 

So that ends of tour of The Canary islands, we have a wonderful time, it has been a busy few weeks but we have seen and done so much and met a number of lovely people.

Tomorrow we start the journey back to Cyprus. 

Day 39 - Las Palmas Rock show

On another beautiful day we caught a local bus for the fifteen ride over to Infecar entertainment centre to watch a Rock festival. There was a very good atmosphere and the event was well organised, with plenty of food and drink  outlets.

The show began at 1.00pm and ran late into the night. There were a number of tribute acts were Dire Straits, they were followed by U2.

Next up were AC/DC and then the was a very impressive tribute to the Band,  Queen. The production of the Queen tribute was of a very high standard.

Day 38 - Back in Las Palmas , Gran Canaria

We arrived back in the port of Las Palmas on Gran Canaria and disembarked around 10.00am  and our accommodation  for our short stay in LP was minutes away.

On a beautiful, sunny afternoon we walked over to Las Canteras beachfront for a salad and a drink.

We then did some grocery shopping in preparation for a well earned night in. 

Day 37 - Puerto del Carmen - Lanzarote

Our final port of call was Arricife on the island of Lanzarote. We hopped onto a bus and made the short journey over to the seaside town of Carmen del Carmen. 












The town really of just one main road with restaurants, souvenir shop and bars, but the seafront promenade is quite pleasant and the backdrop of the mountains is quite striking. 

Back on board we enjoyed our final evening meal and sunset. We then watched part of  the evening entertainment which was a copy of the TV show,  The Voice. A number of passengers belted out some tunes with the help of a live backing band.

Day 36 - Puerto del Rosario - Fuerteventura

We sailed into Puerto del Rosario on the island of Fuerteventura on a beautiful, early Thursday morning. 

After a quick breakfast we went ashore and wandered down the short boardwalk that allowed us to get some good shots of the Aidanova.

There was not a lot to see in this small port, wanting a quiet day after quite a lot of travelling we decided to return to the ship. 

In the evening we watched yet another superb show by the Aidanova  showtime  team, this time it was called Steampunk Circus. 

Day - 35 Santa Cruz - Tenerife

We arrived at the Port of Santa Cruz on the island of Tenerife on a warm, sunny day.

In the morning we wandered around the old picturesque streets,  plazas and gardens of the City near the port. 

We the decided to jump on a local tram and see where it took us. We alighted at the final stop of La Trinidad.  This proved to be a huge slice of luck because it was at the entrance to the old town and original capital  named Laguna .

This area was full of old buildings,  churches and narrow cobbled streets. We stopped off for a light but delicious meal at Rincon Lagunero

We then caught the tram back to the port where we enjoyed a final drink overlooking the marina and Port of Santa Cruz.

In the evening,  to celebrate Mandy's birthday,  we dined at the Rossini restaurant.  Afterwards we watched the "Aida Love " show which was a mixture of old and new songs.  At the end of the show one of the passengers proposed to his girlfriend on stage.

Day 34 - At sea

On leaving Madeira we woke to much better weather on our second sea day as we sailed to Tenerife. 

We took advantage of the good weather by finding a sun trap , out of the wind on the top deck and using the outdoor hot spa.

In the evening we watch the outstanding  "Nashville " show in the the theater , a variety of classic rock and country music with a superb backing band.

We the dined in the "East" restaurant  and were joined by a lovely  couple from Berlin. 

Day 33 - Funchal- Madeira

Our first port of call was Funchal on the island of Madeira. The first thing to say is that Funchal is a stunning city set on the coast with a backdrop of high mountains.

We started off the day with a visit to the small port  of Camara de Lobos. This small fishing village is known for the fact that British prime minister, Winston Churchill used to holiday at this spot. We stopped of for coffee at the Churchill restaurant.

We then moved onto Cabo Girao which stands high on a mountain with dramatic views along the coast. 

We returned to Funchal and visited the impressive farmers market and then took the famous cable car high into the hills above the city and enjoyed the incredible views of the city. 

We returned back down via the cable car and strolled along Funchal’s sea front promenade. 

We finished off our visit with a couple of drinks at The German beer house that sits alongside the marina.

Our visit to Madeira was simply superb.

Day 32 - At sea

Our first day at sea, we woke up to grey skies and a chilly wind, not the weather we ordered.

So it was a few brisk laps of the deck to walk off our breakfast and a relaxing morning reading inside watching the Atlantic roll by.

In the evening we had dinner on a restaurant called The Yacht club before watching the night's entertainment.

Day 31 - Aidanova Cruise ship

Today we begin the final leg of our Winter tour as we board the Aidanova ship for a short cruise around the other Canarian island.





 








It's a German ship and 95% of  it passengers are German, so it was an interesting experience.

These days ..... I am just thankful that the there are no overalls or visits engine room involved.

In the early evening we attended the Lifeboat drill and then  we went to the theater to watch the introduction show.

Day 30 - Crocodillo and Castillo del Romeral

On our final full day in Aguimes we awoke to our first rain of our visit, but only light showers. 

So we decided to pay a visit to The Crocodillo animal rescue centre. Some of the animals kept here were from that time when those despicable people used young tigers and chimps to photograph with tourists at Spanish beach resorts.

The other animals have come from zoos and private collections that are no longer wanted. 

In the afternoon we drove over to the sleepy coastal town of Castillo del Romeral for a late lunch.