in bloom

Drove to Akrotiri with car full of kids who initially wheren't that keen on a nature excursion. When we passed lovely fields of Poppy Anomones we decided to have our lunch among them.

After our lunch we wandered admiring the maquis landscape for an hour or so. The more we discovered the happier kids got. There where lots of flowers, mushrooms, snails, shrubs and windswept trees.

I admired Juniperus Phoeniceus (pic. 3) and many possible orchid plants, one about to burst in bloom (pic. 5). We where particularly curious about some kind of small plants with a really thick woody stems (pic. 7). And we found blue berries which we didn't try, probably True Myrtle (last pic.).
 
Nice blog about Cyprus orchids: here.

Up in the mountains

Raw weather and yellow leaves. Sitting close around a heating source, watching rain outside the window and enjoying each others company. We found autumn. Oh, and I think I had the best souvlakis ever. Still dreaming about it.

So inspired by Maison Martin Margiela for H&M, so much classy androgyn awesomeness and quirky details.

seeing the sea in sun set

After the sun went down into the sea we stayed another few extra moments to see the sky turn red and then fade out into dark.

our second living room

The sun goes down at 17:20. Just in time for dinner. He did some reading. I found some colourful pebbles. Kids played. It was simply a good afternoon.

afternoon activities

It's warm this November. Around 27 degrees daytime. We go to the beach a lot for the kids to play, for beachcombing and enjoying sunset.

a circuitous route

An enchanting djungle with broadleafs and some confiers all covered in lianas in Akrotiri. Exotic birds sounds and huge birds suddenly taking off, maybe Common Buzzards or Marsh Harriers. Flocks of various smaller birds busy flying this way and that over the nearby salt lake. A close study of natural salt crystals. These where some of the things we where side-tracked by on our circuitous route to and back from the Lady's Mile beach.

colors of the sea

It was a very welcome re-opening of Limassol city promenade, or Molos, this Thursday. Even if there's still things to be done. Curious I went there the following day with Eddie and I especially liked watching the sea life in the clear blue waters from the pier near the old port. Later that warm evening we where back with the rest of us admiring the beautiful colors of the sea and the sky at sunset.

Btw, couldn't resist color coordinate some lately collected beach stones. Oh, and see those mini bananas on same pic. They're really sweet tasting Paphos bananas, in season now.

the magnificent sound of far-traveled cobbles

For a second I halted to search for the source of the deafening sound, resembling a busy high way. We had just stepped out the car after a bumpy drive from Kourion in an eastwardly direction. There where no people, no vehicles as far as I could see. Then I realised it was the sound of cobbles and pebbles bumping into each other when the waves where tumbling them around.

It fascinates me that the stones at Episkopi Bay have traveled along Kouris river for ages from Troodos mountains and probably where part in building up this "tombolo" beach. Much later when the dams where built the rivers dried out and the island connecting the mainland via this tombolo (see old maps) transformed into the current peninsula and it's consequential built-in salt lake.

After many stops along the bay we ended up by a plant producing something definitely nutritious resulting in massive amounts of molluscs and small crabs. To the great joy of the children, and myself.