Days 474-478, 29 Sept-3 Oct '15, Maroni (Larnaca Region), Republic of Cyprus (the Greek part not the Turkish part!)

We arrived late on Monday night and didn't see any of Cyprus until Tuesday when we headed out for an orientation of the area with our new owner. Phew! Just when it was cooling off in Spain, we appear to have jumped back in the frying pan. Very warm here in Cyprus and they've had a long hot summer. Oddly enough the countryside is very reminiscent of the middle east - more so Jordan than the Med. We've located the main points of interest - beach, supermarket, bakery and vege/fruit shack near the beach. Our home for the next month is a renovated stone cottage in a small village. The pool pictured above is not there, just a 5 minute drive away, but we have the use of it while we're here and thus are enjoying the warm weather vibe. On our orientation day we visited a little village in the hills called Lefkara known for its lace making and silver. Neither of which actually turned us on as the prices resembled postcodes - but we did have a cracking lunch in a stunning cafe/restaurant. Initially the owners were just renovating a house... but crises came and went and money dried up and now we think of them as the reluctant restaurateurs - nice lunch and a drive back via a small and no doubt ancient orthodox church with some impressive frescoes. After our marathon sightseeing venture in Athens, we've had a super quiet week - spending the days at our pool with the dogs, taking them for a walk daily, watching sunsets, having siestas and getting our heads around the things we're going to see and do in Cyprus. Larnaca town, Limassol and Nicosia (both north and south) just to name the obvious ones. And sushi. There seem to be several "all you can eat" sushi joints in the towns of Larnaca and Limassol. Last time we had sushi was Christmas in Paris. It's overdue. Look out for more news next week once our sightseeing boots are back on the ground.