ben went to lift in the morning, and i somehow turned the alarm off and fell back asleep when it went off for me to shower. i was only just making breakfast when sue rang in from downstairs to be let in.. woops! we sat out on the balcony & enjoyed a nice cup of hot coffee made from the amazing kettle that she'd just bought for us while we waited for ben to get back from lifting.
once we're all set & ready to go, we hop in the car & are off to explore the old part of the city. we park across the street from where we're headed in a decent size lot that costs 3 euros for the entire day... could do worse! we park and head across the street to have a look around & wind up in debenhams, a popular store, that happens to have 7 stories. at the top is a viewing floor where you can see all of nicosia, including across the border to the turkish side. we obviously check that out, and can see where the crossing point is between the two countries' occupied areas (where the flags are).
old nicosia itself is adorable... very quaint, with cobblestone streets and small shops and restaurants lining the way. above eye level are absolutely gorgeous balconies and dormer windows that show the true character of the time period when this was the main downtown area.
we stop for lunch & an accordion player walks by serenading couples in the street and sitting enjoying their meal, and i feel for a minute like i'm in disney's the lady & the tramp.
we finish up with lunch and are back to walking around, as sue is just determined to find an even more quaint little area that she came across the other day. our failed attempts thus far have made her "quite cross" with the fact that she hasn't been able to stumble back upon it. ben & i remind her that today is not the end-all opportunity for us to find this spot - we are going to be here for approximately 5 more months and will have plenty of chances to make the 10-minute trip back into the area to have a look around.
we finally surrender and are headed back out of town because ben has practice coming up and sue needs to catch a bus back to larnaca in order to make it to the airport in time. as we're walking back to the car park, she recognizes a bit of the street and realizes it's the way to the area she wants to show us, asks if we have 5 minutes to flatter her and pop in for a look.
we head over, and in her defense, i can understand why she so badly wanted to go back to this spot.. it's amazing! we walk through an alleyway small enough that ben could probably touch both sides at the same time, standing in the middle, and it opens up into a secret little area. there are vendors beckoning you to have a look at their displays, and restaurants and shops even tinier than the ones where we just came from. it would have made for a wonderful painting.
we head back out of the old town, and begin our long goodbyes by the car as we prepare to leave her at the bus station and head back to the apartment. we've had a coffee too many, i think, because i am dying for a restroom.... i finally announce that i will most likely pee my pants if we don't leave, and we do.
headed back to the apartment, ben & i reflect on what has been an exhausting, but just amazing, week with his mum.
i'm asleep, i think, before he's even left for practice that night.
xox k
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