Cyprus! It is an island famous for beaches. On the way back from the airport, we hiked up St. Hillarion, an ancient castle atop a mountain in North Cyprus. North Cyprus is controlled by Turkey. The hike was really more of an exploration of the castle and it's grounds. The kids had fun climbing the rocks and old steps to get to the top. It was pretty hot. I am convinced the sun here is more intense than in San Antonio. From the top you could see an incredible view of the coastline and blue waters. It was beautiful, and well worth the climb.

Next we headed over to the NATO base where Adam works. That was awesome!!!! We got to drive in pace/race cars that go help the plane land. They start just off the runway and screech onto the runway just as the plane lands. Their goal is to hit the runway just before the plane lands to help guide them in. Pilots that are not flying that day drive the cars. They hit about 150 miles per hour. Pretty cool. We also had a crew of RAF, British troops in the pace cars getting a tour, and got to see an RAF helicopter coming in.

The pilots have to wear space suits because they fly in such high altitudes. We got to check out the space suits too. They make them in bright yellow so that if anything happens over water, they'd be able to locate and rescue them. The kids also got to try space tube food. It's incredible machinery that Adam gets to manage. He lives just down from the airfield in a cute bungalow style house. The house is completely furnished with daily maid service. He is living the life.

We finished up the day at the beach, where the kids had a sand castle contest. It was too cold for me, but they all got in the water. We ate dinner at one of Adam's favorite kabob shops. Dinner was amazing. The shop owner knows Adam. He's lived in New York with two kids at school in the states. With full bellies and tired feet, everyone except Jeff and Adam fell asleep on the way home.