art, food, & shopping... my 3 loves.

oh... and boyfriend.  4 loves, that's right:  art, food, shopping, and... eerrrmmm.. the boyfriend.  hmmm.
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saturday rolls around and we decide it's a good day to go searching for art/craft stores.  i'm in desperate need of wire for my jewelry, and ben has the magnificent new idea that he will make greeting cards.  in all fairness, it's a pretty good idea.  he's an extremely talented artist, and has come up with a plan to do some loose sketches of whatever it may be and have them printed on greeting cards to set up an etsy shop and potentially earn some money.  i'm all for it.... i think it's a great idea.


anyway, liiike i was saying, we're going to find an art store.  we google art shops in nicosia, and nothing.  google arts and craft shops in nicosia.. nothing.  google shops in cyprus. nothing. perfect. finally, a couple options show up somehow and we literally have to play detective to figure out where they are.  ben finds one, rainbow art, that he is convinced will have "everything." i, on the other hand, am not so convinced.  the photo on the website - if it even counts as a website - looks like a pile of junk sitting in the middle of an old beat up store.  you can imagine that i am less than intrigued.  i, on the other hand, find a craft store about 15 minutes away that specializes in beading, jewelry crafting, etc.  hmmmmmm... wonder where we should gooooo?  he picks rainbow art. awesome.


we proceed with a photo taken on the ipod... as if that's a surprise.  i'm not excited.  another surprise.  we get into nicosia and are wandering around pretty much aimlessly by this point.  i'm beginning to lose patience, in all honesty. driving in circles really isn't my idea of a fun time... who knew.  another half hour goes by, and we somehow wind up in the old town where the roads are about as big as my pinky finger. even better.  something is telling me this isn't where we're supposed to be putting a car, considering the mirrors are inches from the walls on either side.  cranky kimberly has begun to take over.  we're also nearing the border to the turkish side of the city, and i have visions of armed military men coming after me with ak-49s or whatever they're called & asking for my documents.  once i get going, there's really no stopping me.


we wind up making our way back out of the small street area, and i'm clearly beginning to loose all patience with this brilliant idea of benjamin's.  i can be a real bitch sometimes.  honestly, it was like someone knew that i was about to break, and just as we turn the corner, the place is on the right.  out of control!


we go into the shop and ben was right... kind of.  they have the wire i need, but the beads are pretty much a waste of time.  i'll give him half credit on this one, i think.  mister benjamin finds the sketch book and pens he needs for this new project of his, i grab my wire, and we are out the door.


on the way through the maze we took trying to find the place, we passed a farmer's market that i decide we should check out while we're here.  we leave the car parked by the shop and wander about a half mile back down the street past a really cute church, to the market.

opposite the farmer's market, for some odd reason, is a ferris wheel.  normal place for a ferris wheel, right?  wrong.  i'm not really sure, though, why we didn't hop on for a ride, because i would have enjoyed that waaay more than your typical person.  maybe next time?

we walk into the farmer's market and kind of realize that we don't really have a reason to be there.  ever had that feeling where something seems like a brilliant idea, and then you do it and you're kinda like ehhhh well that was fun...?  i come up with (another) great idea and propose to benboy that we go through the market and buy one of everything that we've never seen before.  i actually still really like this idea, but we didn't do it because it occurred to me that if we didn't know what it was, we wouldn't know how to cook it or if it was safe to eat raw.  not really in the mood for food poisoning, salmonella, or any of those other lovely visitors while i'm here.. just saying.  it really was a pretty great farmer's market, but my photo is terrible.  ya win some ya loose some.

rather than just head home, we wander back into old nicosia and have a walk around.  i somehow found myself drawn into a really great store.... and spending way too long (and too much) in there.  woops.  we finish the afternoon off with a late lunch at a sweet little asian-ish restaurant, where we are again surprised with yummy free desserts.  i'm finding that things always taste so much better when they're free.

practice is coming up soon, so we head back to the car and trip back home so he can get ready, probably eat again, and be on his merry way.  


he played for two days sketching in his new sketch book.  now, it is tossed in the corner & completely disregarded like a child after a week of playing with his new toy.  reason number 38723065723 why benjamin is a 5-year-old.


actually, he must have gotten some subconscious feeling that i was talking about it, because he just picked up the sketch book, flipped through his drawings, and tossed it back in the corner.  strange.


xox k

piecing things together

thursday we don't really have much planned other than to grab some groceries, so we decide to head into nicosia to exchange his shoes.  forgot to mention this, but he didn't like the first pair he got, even though he was so sure they were amazing because he'd played in them before.  i guess he got to practice that day and found out that they had changed something about the shoe since he had them years ago and the change didn't work with what he likes or something.  who knows.  that's the thing about men - they are always so indecisive, changing their minds and stuff... tehehe ;)  anyway, we are headed back to the store to swap them for different ones.


we decided on a different route to the store that popped up on google maps a day or so earlier, and are headed on our way.  as we start to get closer to where we're headed, things begin to look familiar.... and soon, we realize that we're in the same exact place as we were a couple weeks earlier when we were "super lost in an area of nicosia that doesn't speak english.." yeeaaaa, remember that? 


we pass the shop that we went into to ask for directions where the lady just kinda smiled and shrugged her shoulders at us, pass the pet shop that couldn't figure out what we were asking, and seriously in like two blocks, we are in downtown nicosia.  if we hadn't turned around and remained lost, we would have been right back on track that day in no time. goooood tiiimeesssss.


anyway, we get to the shop and ben swaps the shoes for a pair that he tries on & feels good in, and he's one happy camper.  he even cuddles with the shoe while he drives back home. i wish i was kidding.... i'm not.

we get back the the apartment, and he spends about a half hour showing me the tread on the shoe and explaining how it will be amazing... the way they've done it is trying to imitate the footprint and the small grips will help him on the court, and blah blah blah.


fast forward to after practice: he comes home & tells me they are shit, the tread doesn't work so he's slipping all over, and he can't play in them.  maybe third time's a charm??


xox k

old nicosia

wednesday was sue's final day in cyprus, and the plan was for her to bus it up to us and spend the day wandering through old nicosia.  she kind of ventured through a couple days earlier and was eager to show us all she'd learned.


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

opening game, the making of friends, & clubhouse dinner

monday, sue was planning on getting to us somewhere around noon, but with the way the buses were going, that turned into 12:30, turned into 1, etc.  eventually ben & i decided to lay down for a nap while we waited so he could get some rest for the game, and we could just kind of relax for a bit.


we get a text from her when she's down the street, get up, and head that way.  just as we catch up to her, she shows us a shopping bag with a KETTLE!!!!!! ben & i are by no means cheap, but we couldn't find a kettle that didn't mean paying a million dollars, and since we're not making lifelong investments while we're here, we couldn't really justify paying 50-60 euros for something that may or may not come with us when we leave.  somewhere in passing, we had mentioned it to suz, because she found a deal on one & bought it for us! such an amazing house-warming gift... we're so used to downing tea & coffee by the gallon, so it was seriously such a practical, amazing thing for her to bring us... i'm thankful for it about 6 times a day while i'm enjoying my teas & coffees!


we head up to the apartment, put the kettle on and chat for awhile.  after a bit, i make dinner (nothing fancy by any means, as we have to go grocery shopping) and we eat before heading out to the game.


until now, the only other girlfriend/wife i've met was the one of a serbian player, who barely speaks english.  their daughter, nina, is somewhere around 9 months i think and is the happiest baby i think i've ever seen.  as lovely as she is, it's very difficult to build a relationship with her because of the language barrier.  before tonight's game starts, though, we meet one of ben's teammate's wife & daughter.  eboni, kevin's wife, is somewhere around my age and from california, where i lived for a year and a half.  perfect!  finally someone i have something in common with.  irie, their daughter, is going on 2 soon, and is absolutely adorable.  she's got just enough of an attitude to keep her interesting, but warms up to you & is such a little love bug.  i'm thrilled at the thought that we might finally have people to hang out with!


the game has its ups & downs.  ben starts, but doesn't see much playing time... we chalk it up to it being his first game as a rookie, but are all somewhat nervous/upset about what the implications could be for the season.  at halftime, irie met nina, and gave her a kiss on her hand.. as well as sharing her half-eaten cookie..... so freaking cute.

they won, so we are all invited to go with the team & the committee to a dinner at the clubhouse, and do a pretty good job of keeping our heads up.  one of the guys on the committee finds out that i'm vegan and orders up a frenzy of greek vegetarian foods for me to try: baked mushrooms, peppers, salad, the works. petrou, the guy who takes care of the team equipment and stuff, teaches me how to eat it like a greek: drown it in oil and squeeze a lemon on top.  absolutely amazing. somewhere in the middle of dinner, sue got a terrible headache and had to leave the table to go get some fresh air, so ben & i kind of rush to eat and dismiss ourselves to take her back to larnaca.  truth be told, i was starting to get a headache myself, so it was good timing.


we get in the car and head back to the apartment to pick up her stuff before we head back down to the hotel, and my headache is getting MUCH worse as hers gets better.  i almost stay at the apartment and let them go on their own, but don't want ben making the return trip alone, so i stay.  as we make the trip down, i have my head in my hands covering my eyes from any bit of light, and occasionally a hand over an ear to make an attempt at blocking out any noise from their conversations. absolute agony of a migraine in the making.  by the time we get to the hotel, i'm visibly sick, and need a pit-stop in the restroom before attempting the return trip, which is absolutely no better.


we get back home, i crawl into bed, and don't get out for approximately 24 hours.  


tuesday is a day off from meeting up with sue, so i literally stay in bed for the majority of the day.  the one good thing about the day, though, was the sunset!!

xox k

my weekend with suzie q & more bus shenanigans

saturday & sunday was girls' weekend.  ben and i drove down saturday after lifting and spent a few hours as the three of us, and then he headed back to nicosia for practice, and i stayed with sue for some quality bonding time relaxing in the sun.

we spent the day by the pool, swimming in the mediterranean, relaxing, and chatting.  it was an amazing day, i think, for both of us.  mumma eaves is under a lot of stress at home with work and typical life challenges. meanwhile, i'm under a lot of stress here with what to wear, what to eat, where to go.... you see why we needed the mental health day... ;)

after the good sun starts to dwindle, we decide to head back up to the room and get ready to head out for dinner.  the plan is to catch a bus into downtown larnaca, (her hotel was about 20 minutes further east), and have a look around the town and find somewhere to eat.


we shower, dress, and are ready to go with plenty of time to get down to the bus stop for an 8 o'clock bus.  we're there with about ten minutes to spare, wait for a bit, and see a bus pass by without even pulling into the bus stop.  OUR bus.  pass.  without stopping.  you can understand why things get a little frustrating around here from time to time!  we wait for the 8:30, and that one doesn't come.  finally, we decide to scrap the original plan and head across the street to check out the local restaurants.


honestly, i'm glad we did.  the place we ate at was absolutely phenominal.  our meal was fantastic.. both of our dishes were about the size of double portions, which we finished off with no problems whatsoever, despite having said there was no way we'd be able to eat it all.  in retrospect, i'm not sure why i said that in the first place, considering the fact that i'm pretty much famous for my ability to eat my body weight in good food.  with dinner, we enjoyed an amazing bottle of local red wine (the wineries on the island, i'm finding, are outstanding), and finished up with coffee brandys.  it was an incredible night, really.  we sat down to eat around 9, checked a clock somewhere around 10:15, and the next thing we knew, it was going on midnight!  talk about a lot of chatting!


we head back to the hotel, change, and are asleep probably in under fifteen minutes.  guess that's what happens when you have a hard-working day!  try not to hate me too much ;)


sunday, ben comes back down pretty early since they don't have lifting in the morning.  we enjoy a bit of chatting, but mostly just the sun, have lunch, and before you know it it's time to head back to nicosia.  mister benjamin's first game is the next day, so sue will catch a bus up (hopefully) like she did last time, and we will all head over to see it pan out!


xox k

the first encounter with cyprus buses..

we decided that sue would come up to us the next day on the bus, and we'll meet around midday on our end.  she had a look at the bus schedules and where the different lines run, and it seemed like it should be a pretty easy journey.  we had given her my cell phone and kept ben's so that we'd be able to keep in pretty good contact about her whereabouts and stuff, and pretty much just had our fingers crossed that it would work out.


friday morning, ben gets back from practice, we have some lunch, and decide to take a walk to one of the few bus stops that are around the apartment just to get a head start (if that even happened to be the one she got off at).  we walk down towards "our" park, turn around, and there she is!  apparently, the only reason she knew where to get off the bus (short of guessing) was because we had told her the other day that we found a park to walk around in... but seriously, what a coincidence that as soon as we get down there, she's just turned the corner, right?


anyway, we decide to pop into a little gyro spot in the neighborhood for lunch, and i get my first gyro since i've been here. can i just say, ooooh my goooodddddddd.  it was honestly heaven.  i seriously can't wait to go back again, and i'm honestly not sure why we haven't, considering the place is literally across the street from our apartment!


after lunch, we take her back to the apartment, show her around a bit, and decide to wander into nicosia for a coffee.  we wind up sitting outside of starbucks for a couple hours chatting about randomness and hearing the story of her adventure into nicosia from larnaca.  it had taken her 4 hours to make a journey that should have been 2.5 because of the way the busses run around here (or don't run, for that matter).  apparently bus drivers have the same attitude as many of the people here regarding doing things they don't want to, and if it doesn't suit them to stop where/when they're supposed to, they just don't.  long story short, two of the three buses she needed to get in order to make it from the hotel to us were very late.


ben has an early practice, so it's a pretty short day.  we leave her in the city to catch a bus (hopefully) back to larnaca with plans to meet up again saturday poolside!  unfortunately, she misses out on a spectacular sunset....


amazing how having family around makes you feel at home in a foreign place, isn't it?


xox k

mother goose in town

late wednesday night (the 19th), ben's mom flew into cyprus to stay in larnaca for the week.  we planned to go down to see her the following day because it was really too late to do a round-trip journey at the time she got in.


thursday, ben had shooting in the morning and a practice at night, but the idea was to go in between, have some lunch, sit by the pool, and catch up.  mister benjamin gets home from shooting & the sole of his shoe looks like it's talking.  it is literally dangling off from the bottom of the shoe.  the first game of the season is in a couple of days, so we decide it's necessary to make a pit-stop in nicosia at the shoe place his team gets a discount at before heading down (in the opposite direction) to larnaca.


we stop, ben finds shoes that he's obsessed with, used to play in back in the day, change colors, sing, and dance, so we're good to go.


at about 2, we're in larnaca... only an hour or so after we had told sue we'd be there.  i take all of three seconds to take my clothes off and find myself a nice spot in the sun to enjoy the beautiful day. 

meanwhile, much to sue's dismay, ben didn't bring his shorts.  "i just can't belieeeeevee you're not going to take advantage of the facilities!"  she was right, though, ben pretty much looks like an idiot sitting in khaki shorts, a black polo, and a fitted hat, while sue & i are lounging in our bathing suits.

we chill for a couple hours, catching up, grab some food, and then have to make our way back home to get the big boy ready for practice.  the day flew by and was over way too quickly, but we made plans for her to bus it up to us the next day, and the whole week was in front of us, so it wasn't too bad.


pretty uneventful day, but sometimes those are the best, right? beautiful sunset to end a beautiful day :)

xox k