so i like to eat. a lot

monday night, we head to the butcher's grill buffet again.  i can see this becoming a part of our ritual.  i feel like anywhere where you can get good food and drinks, and as much of them as you want, should be somewhere you try to be a lot.  maybe that's just me?

this time, our group has grown, and we are there for a very, very long time.  i have the group of serbians who we have come to be very good friends with, all trying to teach me the serbian language, and i'm intent on learning.  i even took out my notebook to have stasa write down key phrases so i don't forget them!  talk about an a+ student, huh?

one of the words i learn is ziveli ("jhiv eh lee") ... which means cheers!  you then go around the circle and look each person in the eyes as you clink glasses... pretty much like we do at home, but a bit more organized and sincere.  

you probably already know how the rest of the story is going to go.  basically, i got a couple of glasses of wine in me, and fell in love with the fact that i could say something in serbian.  from there, it became my new favorite thing to do... and every five seconds, i was saying it, making everybody stop what they were doing and go around the (not so small) circle of us.  nikola pretty much wanted to kill me.. can't say i blame him.

two hours later, or so, i was still munching away, and the guys couldn't believe that i was out-eating them.

guess they don't know me that well yet... ;)

xox k

kicked out

the day after charlie left was the next game, and it was the first of two where we weren't allowed to have fans because of what happened at the last home game.  to make matters even better, it was against the number 1 team in the league, so fans would have definitely been a plus.  because we are family of the players, we have always been allowed to go watch regardless of the penalties against the fans, so stasa, nikola's wife maja ("maya") and i went to the game anyway.

we found our seats and were ready for the game, when this guycomes up to us and tells us that we can't stay.  we tell him that we are the player's wives (a little white lie never hurt anyone), but he insists that we have to leave because we're not on the list.  meanwhile, keep in mind that there are two cypriot women who came with another - "too good for everyone else" - player, (i say women because they were old as heck), who are still in their seats after having spoken to this guy.  it's pretty much just the five of us in the section we're sitting in at this point.

cico starts to talk to the guy about how we are there with apoel and we have always been allowed to stay, but the guy says that they wont start the game until we've left.  stasa tells him that we will leave when "everyone else does."  she was intent on the fact that we were not going to leave if the other player had (another) advantage over everyone else with his prima donna treatment.  the guy turns to the women and tells them in greek that they have to go... probably something along the lines of "these assholes are talking shit" (greeks love to swear).  they leave, so we do too, and we decide to go to second cup and get coffee and ask them to put the game on the tv.

it ended up being a pretty nice time.  i had just met maja when we got there because she only got to cyprus two days prior to the game, and it was a good time to get to know her a little.  she is serbian, and her english isn't the best, but it is definitely understandable.  because she knows she's not perfect with the language, though, she is very shy to speak it.  with stasa there to speak serbian to, we didn't do much talking directly to each other, but it was alright because i wasn't exactly conversing with her in serbian, either, ya know?

at the end of the day, we lost the game (though we gave up a good fight), and we headed back to the gym to meet back up with the guys.  when we pulled into the lot, we saw a bunch of people coming out of the gym who had obviously been there watching the game.  we weren't exactly the happiest campers, as i'm sure you can imagine.  come to find out, there was a "list" that we needed to be on (bullshit, i'm sure, since i know for a fact that the people we saw weren't connected in any way to the committee or to the camera crews).. note to selves, make sure we're on this make believe list for next time!

ya win some, ya loose some, eh?

xox k

the grand finale

saturday was charlie's last day :(

luckily, she was a smarty pants and booked her flight for later on in the day so that we would be able to get the most out of it before having to send her back on her way.  the down side was that ben's practice was situated at a very inconvenient time, where we would have to leave her a few hours before she really needed to be at the airport, but we all decided to make the best of what we were given.

we woke up super early and were in larnaca before 11.  we walked the beach for quite awhile, and were amazed at how warm the day was turning out to be!  we popped into starbucks, but got our coffee to go so that we could take them over to the sand and sit by the water enjoying the scenery and the weather.  for the first time since october, i was completely comfortable just sitting in a shirt with no sweater... in fact, i was hot, and wishing that i'd worn something even more summery!

as we finished our drinks, we all agreed that we were pretty hungry and could do with a bite to eat, so we perused the street front to chose a spot to go into and decided on an indian restaurant.

when we sat down, we noticed that this indian restaurant aaaaalso had a sushi menu.  bingo!!  we all know what i'll be eating for lunch then, huh? ;)

after our (very yummy) lunch, we set off for a little bit more of a walk, and ventured down the street where there was an old castle.  we circled the entire castle trying to find the entrance, only to find that it was on the side where we were originally facing.  the problem was that it was closed on weekends... what fun is that?!

5-year-old benjamin wasn't very excited about the fact that he wouldn't be able to go inside and play make believe.  he likes to act out the attacks of the olden days, envisioning fleets of boats sailing in to attack, etc.  poor benboy.

after a bit, it was time to head back to the car to take charlie to the airport.  i was not excited, to say the least.  we drove past the salt pond with the flamingos, and then arrived at the airport.  as much as i tried to drag out the goodbye, we really couldn't do it for too long because ben was on a pretty tight schedule for practice.  then, like the blink of an eye, she was gone.  or technically, we were.. but still. 

i guess it's right what they say... all good things must come to an end... :(

xox k

the cyprus life

because we had spent the night out, the next morning we had a bit of a lay-in and enjoyed not waking up early to an alarm.. we woke up late to an alarm instead.  taking it easy, we each showered and got dressed and tried to game plan for the day.  

by the time we were all set and reconvened in the kitchen, it was just shy of noon, so we thought we'd head for a walk around the corner to the best gyro spot ever.  when we get there, though, it's closed!  not really sure of our next move, we walk next door to a little coffee spot that ben & i haven't ever been to, and sit down for a coffee.

this was probably the most organically "greek cypriot" thing we have done since being here... sitting down for coffee in a tiny little local coffee shop where nobody spoke english.  i think, honestly, it was the first time we had run into a language barrier since being here!  with hand motions and words that are the same in pretty much every language ("caffe"), we manage to order our coffees... but wind up with hot drinks when we had actually intended for cold.  oh, well.

after enjoying our drinks and paying, we check back at maria's (the gyro place) and they're open!  perfectly just in time for lunch, as we were starting to really feel hungry.  we introduce charlie to maria, order, enjoy our meal, and then decide to head into nicosia to the coffee beanery for more coffee.

ben & i had been spending quite a bit of time at the beanery because we loved the way it was set up with an outdoor patio down on the grass where you can sit on a couch in the sun and enjoy your drink. i guess we had spoken a lot about it to charlie, because she was excited to head over and see what all the fuss was about.  we spent the next few hours in the sun sipping our coffees and talking about life, and in reality, it couldn't have been any better!

there aren't many things that beat the sun, a nice coffee, and the best of company!

that evening, we lounged around with a bottle of wine while benjamin did his basketball shenanigans, and then we enjoyed a nice homemade meal together.

...just livin the life!

xox k

gray skies in ayia napa

tuesday, we woke up and it was pretty cloudy skies, but we decided to head down to ayia napa regardless, figuring that it would be better for charlie to see it on a nice so great day than to not get a chance to see it at all.

we head down, and our first stop is nissi beach - the one that everyone "raves" about.  we hop out of the car and it's windy as hell... gray skies.. chilly.. but all is good because we're at the beach.  we spend the next half hour messing around at the shore, taking silly pictures, and just enjoying life.

from there, we head over to a gorgeous beachy cove that ben & i found at the end of a random street the last time we were down there.... the spot where i found all the tiny shells!  while we're there, the sun starts trying to come out, and it's not quite as cold, but then all of a sudden, it starts to rain & we're back in the car.

we take a little trip down the main street to show charl the shops and restaurants, thinking that maybe we'll find somewhere to sit for a coffee, but we find that they're all shut down and boarded up for the winter.  we knew ayia napa was a major tourist area, but we had no idea that everything would just stop and close up shop during the off-peak months.  our only option was really to head back up to nicosia and take it from there.

we wind up heading home and opening a bottle of wine to spend our evening with while ben had practice...

... all's well that ends well, eh? ;)

xox k

a day in the life

the next day, we don't have much time between practices, so we figure we'll play it low key & enjoy the local area. 

when ben gets back from his morning practice, we head over to old nicosia to show charlie the adorable old town that used to be all there was to nicosia back in the day!  we walk around for awhile, check out most of what there is to see, show her the ledra street border crossing where you can enter the turkish-occupied side of cyprus (we don't cross because we don't have our passports on us), and then it's pretty much time to head back so ben can eat and get ready for practice.

charlie and i had arranged with stasa to meet at the gym when the boys go for practice so we could head for coffee, which was pretty much the standard procedure for stasa and i most days.  we get to the gym, say goodbye to benjamin and hop in with stasa to head off for coffee.

when we were at the butcher's grill the other day, we noticed a sign on the table that said they do a buffet on monday nights that is all you can eat, and all you can drink wine and beer.  we had gone for their lunch buffet before, and it was really extensive and yummy, so we decided it was pretty much heaven on earth and that we couldn't miss out on it.  we mention it to stasa and cico, and they said they might meet us there, but that they weren't sure.

we head over to the restaurant and get seats.  not sure whether we were expecting company or not, we just figured we'd start to eat.  a bit later, they came!  we spent the night eating and drinking and laughing, and when we couldn't possibly stuff another bite into our tummies, we left for home.

it was a really nice day, as uneventful as it was, because it was pretty typical of what we're up to on any given day, and charlie got a chance to see how we really spend a lot of our time.

xox k

cyprus in a day

charlie's first day here was absolutely beautiful outside, so we decided to take complete advantage of it by tripping out to aphrodite's rock in paphos, where we had gone before with eboni and kevin.  we set an alarm and woke up early to be on our way so we could make the most of the weather.

to get to aphrodite's rock, you have to drive right past limassol, so we figured we would pop to the limassol shoreline to show charlie and have a coffee, rather than making a separate trip down there on a different day.  we sit with a coffee at the outdoor section of coffee beanery and enjoy the sunshine and the chance to take our sweaters off and just enjoy, and make a game plan for the rest of the day.

we decide to take a walk along the coast, and stop to take some pictures along the way.  the wind picks up a bit and i'm cold (as always), but charlie is loving the sun on her skin... especially considering that it was currently snowing in london, where she had just come from!!

after a good wander around, we decide to hop back in the car and head on to our next destination stop.  aphrodite's rock is one of, if not my definite, favorite place on the island, and i was so excited to show it off to charlie.  we finally get there, and i'm ecstatic because charlie thinks it's just as amazing as ben & i do... although, in reality, i think it would be very difficult to not be obsessed with this place!

we head down to get closer, and charlie and i decided to take our shoes off and play tag with the water. she calls it paddling... i think that's kinda crazy since there are no paddles involved, but it's not the first time those silly british people make zero sense ;)

we wind up sitting for a bit, and when we notice that the sun is pretty low on the horizon, we figure we should be on our way to paphos so we don't miss out on the sunset there!

we hop back in the car and are off to finish the last 20 mins of the trip to paphos, where there is an awesome seafood restaurant right on the water where we plan to eat.  we get there just in the knick of time for the sunset behind the warf.

we enjoy an amazing dinner - one of the things we tend to do best - and then decide to head back home, where we have a great night sleep after an even greater day touring cyprus with charlie!

...and to think, this is just the beginning!

xox k

day in larnaca & CHARLIE!

on saturday, feb 4th, charlie was coming!!!  we had spoken with stasa & cico and decided that we would all spend the day in larnaca, since we were picking up charlie around 7:30 or so.  cico told us about a salt pond down there where we could see flamingos, and i told him that i didn't have too much faith in this idea of his.  we planned to meet at second cup, the coffee shop, and follow them down with nikola too, and that was exactly what we did.

when we got there, the flamingos were pretty far away, but they were definitely there.. i apologized to cico, who was like, "come on kim, would i let you down?"  eh.... here's the picture of the flamingos.. you decide for yourself ;)

feeling a little let down, stasa and i decided to be our own flamingos.  it seemed like a good idea at the time..

from there, we headed to the mosque across the street to have a look around.

according to the sign at the entrance, "the building of the mosque in its present form is dated around the 18th century.  it is built over a tomb which according to tradition belongs to umm haram, foster mother of the prophet mohammed.  it is the main muslim pilgrimage site of cyprus and among the most important holy places of islam."  not too shabby, eh?

from there, we headed over to a semi-main area of larnaca, where there was a beautiful beach with a restaurant on the sand, etc.  we stayed for a few minutes, and then moved on to what i guess is the larnaca main street.

after having coffee and lunch with some of cico and stasa's friends from serbia, we spent the afternoon wandering around the streets and exploring the larnaca marina.

we walked by a children's park with a mini roller coaster, merry-go-round, etc, and being the 5-year-old that i am, i thought it would be fun to hand out in fred flinstones' car.

the best part of all of this is that as if it wasn't enough of an amazing, day, we still had yet to pick up charlie!  somewhere around 6:30, cico, stasa, and nik figured they would head back up to nicosia, so ben & i hopped in the car to head to the airport.


because we were a little bit early, we grabbed a coffee from one of the little shops in the waiting area, and decided to play hangman while we waited.  that's one of my favorite things about ben.. whenever we don't have something "real" to occupy our time, we so easily revert back to our child-like tendencies and find something to amuse ourselves with :)


before we knew it, charlie's flight was on listed on the board as having landed!  in true childhood form, i was jumping up and down with excitement, eagerly awaiting the minute when she would walk through the doors.  fiiiinally, she did, and we decided to sit for a coffee before getting back into the car to head back north.

somewhere along the journey, the subject of food came up (are you really surprised?).  ben & i had decided to hold off on groceries until she had gotten here so that we could all go together and plan out what we'd eat for the week,  so we figured that rather than trying to cook up something with the scarce supplies that could be found at the house, we should head to butcher's grille for a nice dinner out.

by the time we got home, everyone was pretty exhausted from a busy day: charlie with her travels, and ben & i with our excursion through larnaca.  we got home, and hit the beds... hard.

nothing like a week full of excitement to look forward to in the morning!

xox k

just a bunch of hooligans

the next game was against aek again, but for a cup game, separate from the standard league games.  it was home, and we had to win it by at least 4 points to win home court advantage for when we played them in the first round of the playoffs for the league.  you can ask me the details of how it works and why, but i really just don't know.


the game was going well, but as usual, the end of the game meant we dropped our level of play and allowed the other team to make a major comeback.  with three seconds left on the clock, the refs made a terrible call, that could have very well meant the difference between us winning by enough points to get the advantage and having to play away for the first round.


the crowd. went. insane.


trashcans thrown over the railings onto the courts.  screaming, yelling, whistles, air horns, fire crackers.


the aek players all jump the railing and run for the locker rooms to make sure they're safe and the fans can't attack them.


the refs run out, and the crowd swarms after them.  one ref is held against a wall by a guy with his fist around the neck.


absolute madness, and i was trying to take pictures.. typical.  these guys were trying to see through the tunnel to find the refs and throw things at them, i think.

so, while we're waiting for the game to continue, it's basically a joke in the gym.  one of the players, dullis (don't know how to spell) is actually sitting up in the stands with his girlfriend.  you can see him in the pic above, starting to climb over the railing.

ben's lounging in the middle of the floor, staring into oblivion.  even after they start to get reorganized, stasa and i are down against the railing talking to the guys, etc.  there was pretty much nothing professional happening at all, to say the least.

finally, the game resumes (for the 2.6 seconds that are left on the clock) and we win, but not by enough points to win the advantage.

c'est la vie..

xox k

shopping and a road trip

a few days later, the boys had a game in larnaca against a team called aek ("ike").  stasa and i decided that we wanted to make the trip down to watch the game, but that before we went, we wanted to go downtown and do a little bit of shopping.


ben and i had to go to the bank, so stasa and i arranged to meet at noon at the starbucks downtown and then head from there.  ben dropped me off, and stasa was already waiting, ready to go.  we spent a couple hours wandering around the shops and ended up with a couple of cute finds each.  when it was about time for the guys to go to the gym for the bus, we grabbed a taxi to head back to stasa and cico's apartment, and then went to the gym with cico.


finally, the guys were boarded on the bus, we had the car turned around and ready to follow them, and we were ready to go!  the trip down was interesting, following behind a massive red bus that was weaving in and out of traffic and around the roundabouts like a crazy person, but we made it down there safe and sound.


stasa parked the car, and we were off to find our way into the gym (which is way bigger and much nicer than ours, by the way).  we get in and find seats, and are ready to go.  the boys start warming up, and a police officer comes over the the two of us.  he asked if we were here supporting apoel, which obviously we were, and told us that it would be safer for us to move to the other side of the gym.  i couldn't help but think that this was going to be an interesting night...


anyway, he walks us down a set of stairs, through a few back hallways, and stasa and i are kind of looking at each other like, umm is this the part where he kills us?  we go through a set of double doors, and we are on the court!  he leads us across the court - literally - and then through more doors, up more stairs, and into the seating area opposite where we were before.  we were two of like ten people sitting on that side, and there were gates separating us from the other side.  fans must be pretty crazy, eh?


now can i just say, this gym, nice as it may be, is absoluuuutely freezing.  freezing!  we were sitting for a few minutes before we realized it, but then our fingers and toes started to go numb.  because it was a nice day out, i was dressed completely inappropriately for the temperature, in a mid-thigh dress and a cardigan, and i pretty much wanted to kill myself.  at halftime, we went outside so stasa could have a cigarette, and it was literally warmer out there than it was in the gym.  i wish i was kidding.  we would up going to the car to get her huge winter coat to use as a blanket, and for the second half of the game, we did just that.


the end of the game was a nail biter.  we had a pretty big lead throughout most of the first half, but apoel has been pretty notorious for messing it up towards the end of the game.  low and behold, they did it again.  the last minute or so was back and forth points where apoel and aek shifted a point here and there for who was in the lead.  stasa and i were going absolutely mental watching and trying to figure out what the outcome was going to be.  


luckily, we won!


we headed back to nicosia, again following the bus, and the committee ended up giving everyone money to go enjoy a meal or drinks or something to celebrate.  we headed to bennigans, a nice irish restaurant kind of like an applebee's type place, and spent a few hours relaxing and enjoying the night!


i'm really starting to get used to this lifestyle!  a girl definitely can't complain.... ;)


xox k