7/5 - The Village of Voroklini

Had our first group dinner last night at a little outdoor café. We are actually staying in a small village up the hill from Larnaca called Voroklini. The streets are narrow and winding, there is a tiny market that opens on the whim of the owner, a couple of restaurant/bars, a church, and a somewhat out of place nail salon. We all have the sneaking suspicion that all (and maybe half the village) are owned by Antonis G himself- wait until you see his photo, you’ll understand. He threatened to kick us out at one point; the first test of my conflict mediation skills. A couple hours (and about 25 Cyprus pounds) later we were all drinking Keo (the local Cyprus brew) together on his rooftop deck.

"Antonis G"

Since we missed the 4th, we were all ready for some beach time today. Lesson learned: “5 minutes from the beach” in Cyprus hotel lingo means a one hour hike (plus an extended bus stop wait for a bus that doesn’t exist). It was actually a fun walk, but it sort of reminded me of my first walk to the zoo in SD- feels like you’re walking where you shouldn’t, you’re never quite sure if you can make it across (a freeway in this case), and the destination could be a meter or a mile (I’m learning the difference) away. Regardless, with a little pushing we got the whole group to the beach and went for a great swim in the Mediterranean.

Our trip leader Stacey and her husband Gerald (also a professor at SDSU) met us tonight and took us in to the beachside town of Larnaca. We had our first taste of meze for dinner- the Cyprus version of family style where the dishes keep coming and you get to taste EVERYTHING- I loved it. We had everything from hummus and olives, to calamari, lamb, crab, and little fried fish with the heads on. I cut the head off, but I did take a couple bites. Then we hit the “strip” which kind reminded me of the Jersey shore… cheesy tourists, funny drinks, and greasy guys trying to show off.
Meze!
Jordan and her "San Francisco" Cocktail