Hello faithful readers (not sure if that should be pluralized as I would then be assuming more than one reader),
So, I promised someone by email that I would try to keep more current updating this blog. I had basically stopped because I was unaware that anybody was interested.
I wrote a nice post about my first day in Cyprus, complete with pictures, and added an apology for not being more current about my blogging. It was probably my best writing, funniest jokes, most interesting anecdotes. So, of course, the program crashed and lost all my work. I was so disheartened by the loss, I didn't write again for some days.
So, first the apology for the apology:
I'm sorry that I lost the apology and you didn't get to read it, but rest assured that it was very eloquent and heart felt.
Next, the apology:
I am sorry I have not been blogging so much. I have plenty of pictures and I will try to start working more often to provide you with entertainment. I have developed a new system that will help me remember things I want to write about. Too bad my trip is over and the new system won't help me for now, but I hope to travel more and make this an ongoing record,so we will see.
Now, Cyprus:
So, I am on Cyprus. Technically I am here for a wedding. No, not mine. Seriously who would marry me. The wedding of some friends I met in Russia. Doe to the vagaries of travel, I arrived a day before the rest of the wedding party. I rented a car and headed over the hill to North Cyprus (the Turkish part - if you are unfamiliar with the Cyprian geopolitical situation, there is a Greek speaking/ethinic Republic of Cyprus on the south of the island and a turkish speaking/ethnic North Cyprus. Like all silly situations like this one it is due to some weird territorial wars in the past and now they can't just find a way to live together in peace.
Anyway, in one of it's past lives, Cyprus was a British protectorate which means, yes, the don't drive on the right side of the road, but rather the opposite. They admit this, but like everywhere with this driving peculiarity, they claim that the opposite of 'right' is 'left' when the opposite of 'right' is clearly 'wrong.' Be that as it may, I had much more trouble finding my way through the city of Nicosa to get to the border. Of course when I finally stopped to ask where I was, I was 3 blocks from the crossing. Americans can cross the border easily and I just had to pay 20 euros for car insurance since the insurance I had purchased was not valid.
So I head out towards Kyrenia (or Gyrne as the turkish Cypriots call it - many cities in the North have 2 names this way, it can get a little confusing). You just drive straight over the mountain (or big, big hill) in the middle of the island and, boom, you're there.
On the way I see a sign for the St. Hilarion castle, which was one of the sights I planned to visit anyway so I pulled over and went to explore.
The St. Hilarion castle is built high up on the mountain and it has a great view of Kirenia/Girne. Here's me at the lookout.
St Hilarion Castle pictures
In my opinion it is much more likely to be the inspiration for the stairmaster. After climbing up and down to the many corners of the Castle, I am sure someone realized what a great idea it would be to put all that exercise right in someone's living room instead of having to travel to Cyprus to get it.
Here's two bad pictures of me at the highest point of the castle:
So, I promised someone by email that I would try to keep more current updating this blog. I had basically stopped because I was unaware that anybody was interested.
I wrote a nice post about my first day in Cyprus, complete with pictures, and added an apology for not being more current about my blogging. It was probably my best writing, funniest jokes, most interesting anecdotes. So, of course, the program crashed and lost all my work. I was so disheartened by the loss, I didn't write again for some days.
So, first the apology for the apology:
I'm sorry that I lost the apology and you didn't get to read it, but rest assured that it was very eloquent and heart felt.
Next, the apology:
I am sorry I have not been blogging so much. I have plenty of pictures and I will try to start working more often to provide you with entertainment. I have developed a new system that will help me remember things I want to write about. Too bad my trip is over and the new system won't help me for now, but I hope to travel more and make this an ongoing record,so we will see.
Now, Cyprus:
So, I am on Cyprus. Technically I am here for a wedding. No, not mine. Seriously who would marry me. The wedding of some friends I met in Russia. Doe to the vagaries of travel, I arrived a day before the rest of the wedding party. I rented a car and headed over the hill to North Cyprus (the Turkish part - if you are unfamiliar with the Cyprian geopolitical situation, there is a Greek speaking/ethinic Republic of Cyprus on the south of the island and a turkish speaking/ethnic North Cyprus. Like all silly situations like this one it is due to some weird territorial wars in the past and now they can't just find a way to live together in peace.
Anyway, in one of it's past lives, Cyprus was a British protectorate which means, yes, the don't drive on the right side of the road, but rather the opposite. They admit this, but like everywhere with this driving peculiarity, they claim that the opposite of 'right' is 'left' when the opposite of 'right' is clearly 'wrong.' Be that as it may, I had much more trouble finding my way through the city of Nicosa to get to the border. Of course when I finally stopped to ask where I was, I was 3 blocks from the crossing. Americans can cross the border easily and I just had to pay 20 euros for car insurance since the insurance I had purchased was not valid.
So I head out towards Kyrenia (or Gyrne as the turkish Cypriots call it - many cities in the North have 2 names this way, it can get a little confusing). You just drive straight over the mountain (or big, big hill) in the middle of the island and, boom, you're there.
On the way I see a sign for the St. Hilarion castle, which was one of the sights I planned to visit anyway so I pulled over and went to explore.
The St. Hilarion castle is built high up on the mountain and it has a great view of Kirenia/Girne. Here's me at the lookout.
Ok, that's mostly a bad view of me, but I hope you get the idea.
Anyway it is also supposedly the inspiration for the Disney castle in snow white. Here is a link to some pictures and I have to say that, personally, I just don't see it.
St Hilarion Castle pictures
In my opinion it is much more likely to be the inspiration for the stairmaster. After climbing up and down to the many corners of the Castle, I am sure someone realized what a great idea it would be to put all that exercise right in someone's living room instead of having to travel to Cyprus to get it.
Here's two bad pictures of me at the highest point of the castle:
This was good news. I had actually been worried that I was way past my peak.
Anyway, I went on down to Kyrenia/Girne and visited the old town. It was a very neat place with an old harbor and a great waterfront castle at the edge of the harbor. like this:
I love climbing all over history and you could walk everywhere in this castle (and in fact many of the historical places in Cyprus allow you to walk almost everywhere). It also had the shipwreck museum which is actually the remains of an old old wooden boat saved from the ocean floor and carefully preserved. It's seems small and minor until you realize just how old the boat is.
That's all for north Cyprus. Next I'll get to the Republic and the wedding (that will be a shorter post)
