7/18 - D&B's in Old Town

Our morning class ended a little early today (Any relation to Sarah and Mike partying with us last night at the Beach Club? That's up to you to decide.) So the ladies decided to take in lunch at Chicken World- a restaurant far more sophisticated than its name might suggest. Most important to me was that I was able to satisfy my 4-5 day craving for pilav (yes, that’s rice).

Full stomachs were a bad match with discussing the many political parties of Cyprus, but we made it through. After class we went to a travel agent in town that Ahmet suggested as many wanted to travel to Istanbul during our upcoming free weekend and I wanted to get some more information about the possibility of traveling to Israel to visit Aaron. Unfortunately another power outage shortened our trip and we returned feeling like we took a long, hot walk for nothing.

The view from my seat at dinner (and John strategically reading his menu.)

We returned to the old city walls of Famagusta for some more exploration, shopping and a group dinner at the D&B Café. The food was average, but the prices definitely included a premium for location. Hearing the call to prayer 100 feet from an ancient mosque during sunset inside of castle walls is worth a couple of extra Turkish lira in my book. All that, plus a mellow duo covering songs by the Eagles, Otis Redding, Cat Stevens, and the like made for an atmosphere not easily recreated.

Jordan, Nadia and I weren’t quite ready to return to campus after dinner so we took a night walk through the old city. Nothing was open, but the low lighting gave a different perspective to some of the ruins and the small neighborhood gatherings of people playing backgammon on card tables provided an authenticity that you can’t see through the souvenir TRNC flags or imitation Dolce & Gabbana purses.

The D&B Cafe.
Houman, Chris, Jordan, and Tanya.
Another view from my seat at dinner.

7/17 - International Cocktail Party

After class today and a lunch on campus of borek (sort of like a quesadilla with spiced potato- can also be meat or cheese) we were treated to a cocktail reception and beach party at the EMU Beach Club. A group of about 35-40 international students participating in a 2 week program arrived today so it was a good chance for us to meet a bunch of people. After the Rector welcomed us we were entertained by a group of young Turkish Cypriot dancers performing a traditional Cypriot wedding dance as well as some African dance by our friend Clarence (again not even close to his actual African name) and his troop and then the flip flops came off and it was beach party time. The dancing started with a lot of (uncensored) American hip hop (high/lowlights included Busta Rhymes, Tupac, and Tag Team) and moved in to some Turkish pop as well as some more African dance. As the night went on, the activities became more and more interesting including our 3 boys showing off their Euro shorts, Houman in a speedo, and some things better left un-blogged.

Courtney, Frankie, a little bit of me, Jordan, and Nadia.

The Rector welcoming us.

Traditional Cypriot Wedding Dance.

7/16 - Monday, Monday

Mike (looking a little like Dwight Schrute) teaching us about narrative mediation.Matt deep in thought- either about the value of listening in conflict resolution or about what type of kebab he would be having for lunch. Lion's Garden by daylight. See the Turkish Britney Spears post below... The secret gate to EMU.
Me sneaking through the barbed wire after the beach club and a stop at the Kurok Market for the best mango iced tea. Nadia prefers to walk and take photos at the same time, so that bluriness is really just so you can "feel" the action.

7/15 - Keep to the Left!

After a long day of touring and a lot of sleeping we had a lazy Sunday today – everything but our campus staple (Café Espresso) was closed, so we hung out there and enjoyed some A/C, some MTV, and a mocha frappe. Houman put the wedding trip up to a vote and when we found out that it would basically be a receiving line of thousands, we opted not to make the hour and a half drive to Nicosia. I was bummed not to take part, but it was probably the best decision. Rather than waste our showers, we all decided to get dressed anyway and host our own party- college dorm style. Nadia and I decided to take a trip to the market in Houman's car. The left handed stick shift was not too much a problem for her, but I did have to politely suggest that she not drive on the right side of the road for our safety. We definitely took the long way and pulled ourselves over when a cop appeared (just in case) but we made it back in one piece and I am proud to say that I won my first game of Beirut in 5 years and represented Valpo as only a true Crusader could.

Nadia driving Houman's Suzuki (on the left!)John (in shirt, tie, and Euro shorts), Me, and Matt.

7/14 - Castles and Kyrenia

The Queen's Window
My Three Sons: Chris, John, and Matt
Dodger Blue in Kyrenia Harbor

Four hours of sleep later, we awoke to meet our new tour guide and the EMU mini-bus outside of our dorm. This would be our farewell to Stacey and Gerald as well as our introduction to Sarah and Mike. Our tour guide, Umut (the self proclaimed “King of Famagusta”) was an experience in himself- a whirlwind of narratives, information, and shouting (particularly the “Meep, meep!” sound of the Road Runner which was his call to mean everything from “Stop!”, “Let’s Go!”, “Hi!” and every other exclamation in between).

Our first stop was the St. Hillarion Castle in the northern coastal mountains of Kyrenia (Girne in Turkish). Built as a watch tower to give warning of approaching Arab pirates (Carly!) in the 10th century, it is reported to be the inspiration for the castle in Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The long and slow hike up slippery limestone stairs was worth it when we approached an area referred to as the “Queen’s Window” where you can see out over all of Kyrenia Harbor.

Next was the Bellapais Abbey or Abbey of Peace. A much needed lunch was had closer to town- a pita wrap with a choice of either slow roasted beef or chicken or mix (my choice of course). Refreshed and ready to go, we visited Kyrenia Harbor and Castle for the best scenery of the trip so far. When we finally got back we took a long nap, woke up to watch a movie, eat a little bit, and went back to bed.

7/13 - Salamis, Famagusta and the Turkish Britney Spears

Today was our first field trip in the North. As Stacey and Gerald went down to Nicosia to pick up Sarah and Mike, Houman was our tour guide. We went back to the Salamis ruins and explored the amphitheatre again plus the gymnasium and the ancient baths. The Olson in me wanted to get to the highest point so I started climbing – skirt, flip flops and all. The guards did come over and suggest that we might like to get down… oops.

Next we went back to the Old Town Famagusta area. I gave Nadia the tour that I had read up on the night before including a dungeon which once held an exiled Turkish poet for which our dorm is actually named (Namik Kemal). After a couple hours of intense heat we headed back to the Beach Club. Houman came along and Sharif met us for a drink and some American football on the beach. Nadia, Jordan and I floated out to sea for a little while.

Since we arrived on Monday we had been anticipating the arrival of Turkey’s biggest pop star: Demet Akalin. Sharif arranged for us to get tickets and we piled in a couple of cabs to the Lion’s Garden – a huge club/outdoor venue for concerts, dancing, weddings (one was actually going on as we entered), and other events. The show got off to a slow start, but we were able to secure a private area upstairs with enough seats for all of us. A Madonna impersonator kicked it off with hits like “Holiday” and “Like a Virgin”. Next was another female who did Shania, Shakira and maybe a couple other “Sh” artist renditions. Finally, the worst version of Elvis took the stage – who does “In the Ghetto” at a dance club?

When she took the stage in short black soccer shorts, a gold metallic bikini top and a flowing full length animal print robe I knew we were in for a treat. Of course we made our way right to the front and danced until we couldn’t dance any longer. We were instantly popular as all of the local girls on the floor stood stoic while the boys jumped and sang and screamed. When we finally left around 3:30am there were reports (and maybe photos) of dancing on tables but the cigarette smoke was so thick (more flashbacks of college in the mid-west) that those reports can not be confirmed.

Prom '07?

7/12 - Lunch with the Rector

After morning class, we took an internet break and then headed to lunch with the Rector (President) of the University. The food was very good- an artichoke salad (two full artichoke crowns with a sort of vinaigrette dressing) then a crepe like wrap with chicken and vegetables served with rice. Dessert was a flan like square (I’m now pretty sure the flan/custard dessert is an international standard) but it was well done, not so jiggly, and tasted like a toasted marshmallow- yum! We finished with Turkish coffee and successfully shaved an hour and a half off of our afternoon class.

In the midst of conversation, the Rector (a former SDSU professor and good friend of our President, Dr. Weber) mentioned that his son was to be married on Sunday and that we were all invited to attend the celebration in Nicosia. Apparently Cypriot weddings average 3,000-5,000 people, so look for that entry in a few days!

The boys decided that the way to start our weekend was to start drinking and included Houman in the festivities. Although well over 6 feet and a couple hundred pounds (defensive line here at EMU) he apparently can’t keep up with the California kids and it got a little messy. I did a little babysitting, read my travel books and went out to eat with them when they sobered up a little.