sammylou

This island is beautiful and so interesting. I have just returned from a two week field trip where we were based in Lemesos and took daily trips out across most of the island except the Turkish occupied area to the north.

It was a Geology Fieldtrip an so we were mainly there to visit the ophiolite complex. I recommend to any level of geologist or even anyone without any understanding in the subject to take a look at this sequence. It was my favourite field trip of my whole degree as it helped a lot of things finally slot into place.

We also got to visit some of the touristy things such as the tomb of the kings and Baths of Aphrodite. It was also worthwhile visiting the Green Line in Lefkosia (Nicosia), which is extraordinary and eerie at the same time.

The weather in late march was quite changeable but on the whole warm and sunny with several very hot days and some days it rained for a couple of hours. When you went up into the mountains it was cold which was great to drive up from such a hot coast into snow capped mountains. When the mist rolls over the mountains it is breathtaking.

The food is great and i think everyone can be catered for. I have to highly recommend the pastry shops as they have so many interesting things on offer. I cannot speak for meat products but the veggie options were great. I tried several types of breads with olives, cheese etc inside. Pastries with; spinach & feta, mushrooms, houlumi etc. Also i tried a cornish pasty shaped thing with pumpkin inside which was delicious. At one Lebanese restaurant our lecturers organised for a belly dancer to perform. It was amazing and wonderful and after a few glasses of wine we were all at it.

Restaurants do great offers if you chose the Meze, which basically is a continual flow of dishes to share and spead over several hours. They are usually meat or fish but if you ask they can prepare a veggie version. Always ask them what they recommend that day which will usually be the meze but they also mention what fish or meat is fresh in today and any specials.

Wine is cheap in most places (except the tourist pubs) and house wines are usually of good standard if a little strong.

The only thing of disappointment was the general upkeep of the place. I was upset to see sofas chucked down the sides of the troodos mountains and so much litter by the road sides. Also of aesthetical note was the unfinished look of most places, i presume there is a lot of regeneration but there is often unfinsished pavements or broken paving and metal protruding from the ground that can be a hazard at night whilst wearing flipflops – ouch! keep your eyes open.

Not to end on a down note, churches, temples, mosques are well worth a visit and trying out water pipes. The people were generally very friendly and ready to chat about all sorts. A wonderful place to visit.

I took my mother up Snowdon last spring just before her 60th birthday, i insisted it was something she must do before then.

As she is not as fit as she’d like to be, we thought it best not to tempt fate and climb, even though it’s not the hardest walk as the path it pretty accessible to all. We took the train up which enabled us to get fantastic views of the area and chat with other passengers.

Later that day we went for a walk up to Devils Kitchen, which is nearby. That was a gentle walk but it took it out of my mum. We stopped for a while at the lake and Mum told me about her holiday arranged by work, here in the early 60’s. She was delighted to at last see it again after so many years.

We stayed in a B&B near Betws-y-coed, which is lovely village with good selection of places to eat.

This place is so much more wonderful than you can imagine. I thought it was all hype but at long last found myself in the area and visited Stonehenge.

The work that is going on to divert roads away and make it more secluded and private is a really good idea. I can imagine it will be even more mystical once the work is complete.