Birthday week

Wow, what a week! So exciting, varied, thrilling, emotional, alcoholic, brilliant, controversial, lively, complex, refreshing, delicious, colorful, entertaining, fantastic, nostalgic... oh, where does it end?!

The best friend came from Norway and stayed with us for a whole week. We had many plans in advance and I have to praise us because we planned as it is appropriate for our age (*cough*) and the accompanying condition and actually realized most of it. We were:

* at the Camel Park

* at the Spa (oh, that was good)

* extracting salt from the Salt Lake (I made an awesome body scrub out of it)

* in Lefkara (there will be a separate blog post about it, because this picturesque village impressed me sustainably)

* at an olive plantation

* in Larnaca (of course), specifically: at the fort, at the city beaches Finikoudes, Mackenzie and Dhekelia, and at the pottery Emira Pottery

* at the botanical garden

* in the (!) sea

* watching flamingos at Lake Oroklini

* in the Byzantine church Panagia Angeloktisti in Kiti

* at the Golden Donkey Farm

* in the small fishing village Zygi

* in Kellia (why didn't I list this place in the blog article about the farms?)

* and, of course, in cafés, restaurants, and (souvenir) shops.

I'm only reporting a little bit about places that haven't been mentioned in the blog yet. First, there are the Salt Lakes of Larnaca, which have various legends. I like this one the best: On his escape from Bethany, St. Lazarus passed through Larnaca, where there used to be a large vineyard. He asked the owner of the vineyard for some wine to quench his thirst, but she refused, claiming that there was no wine here and that the basket she carried with her contained only salt, not grapes. St. Lazarus was angry about this audacious lie and as a punishment, he turned the vineyard into salt lakes.

Of course, there is also a scientific theory about the formation of the lakes, but it is nowhere near as entertaining.

Visiting the Salt Lake reminded me of the frozen Alster a few years ago, only this time I stood on the ice... uh, sand, in shorts and sandals. By the way, as soon as the lakes fill up with water in winter, you can also find flamingos here. However, we were able to see them in Lake Oroklini.

Our visit to Terra Oliva, the olive plantation, was spontaneous. We were the only guests (of course, it's off-season) and the owner took exclusive time for us, explained something about her grove and her products, and then invited us to taste various olive oils, olives, tapenades, and sweets with olives. We also stocked up on some things, even though we already suspected that the prices here are overpriced. But the lady was so nice (sales genius) and really provided us with something. I would recommend a visit here to anyone who wants to experience a piece of Cypriot culture, but keep your money together.

We visited Cyherbia, the botanical garden, in the middle of the week, just to take a breath, slow down a bit, and it actually turned out to be the best destination for that. First, we strolled through the main facility, which is built like the island of Cyprus, and as you walk from city to city, you pass the typical trees, bushes, and flowers of the island. Many things are labeled, so you don't have to be a botany professional or have your smartphone constantly ready for checking. Visitors are expressly encouraged to pick plants, but in as small amounts as possible, just for smelling them.

Then we went through the labyrinth and, miraculously, we found the exit without taking big detours and without orienting ourselves from above.

The third and final tour led through the herb garden, where there was once again plenty to explore and sniff. Finally, we were served iced tea in the café (included in the entrance fee) and browsed through the shop for a while.

In Zygi, there was a beautiful little fishermen's harbor and the most expensive fish we have ever had, which didn't impress us much in terms of taste. However, the octopus was even more delicious!

And now? By now, we have recovered from this fantastic week. Recovered is a good word because even though Ulli's visit was so wonderful, all the driving was pretty exhausting. And in the afternoons, the kids naturally demanded the same attention as always. Now we're facing the next challenges: 3rd birthday and Christmas! We already have some Christmas decorations, even though the Cypriots don't know what to do with the Advent season. Besides, it's supposed to go up to 26°C again next week - the Christmas mood doesn't really come up. But hey, thanks to LIDL, we already have a Dresdner Christstollen and a kit for a gingerbread house. Fortunately, the living room is big enough for a tree, and we will make the tree ornaments out of salt dough ourselves in the coming weeks (at least that's the plan). At this point, I would like to wish everyone who has read this far a lovely and contemplative pre-Christmas season!