Life Observed

Just imagine living somewhere that was like this* every single day. Would it be wonderful, or would you pine for grey drizzle or a light frost? *The Akemas peninsula, Cyprus.

Be careful where you park when you are abroad. Check the neighbourhood. You might come back and find someone has stolen the wheels off your boat.

You may think that bricks and mortar are universal, but here in Cyprus they use stones - and more stones. It is true that some of the buildings have that half finished look. This is the local Post Office. And some buildings have that half started look. Here we see the Asda car park at Paphos.

Here is a curiosity:  As you see, its an array of radar dishes aimed at the horizon clearly intended for an early cold war missile early warning system.  I have to observe however, wood is a strange choice of material for this particular application. I expect it was all held together with hazelnuts.

Luxury ethnic sundial in Cyprus.  This one has an hour hand and a minute hand.

Here are the changing rooms on the beach at Latsi in Cyprus. Surely it's got to be a tight fit in there.

I was once told that yachting is like standing in a cold shower tearing up twenty pound notes. Well, here's what happens if you stop tearing up the money

Ah! Lovely laid back Cyprus . Well, parts of it are laid back. For example, when you go out it is perfectly acceptable to sellotape your door shut. There is an agreement that sticky tape across a door is equivalent to locking it.  What a good idea. Here is an example of a front door owned by a trusting citizen. However this degree of trust does not extend to the local Banks. Chastened by the financial crisis they have now adopted stern security to combat unauthorised withdrawals at the weekend.  Note the sturdy chain and padlock here.

Different micro climates on Cyprus support different forms of agriculture. Down in the valleys there are serried ranks of citrus trees. Oranges and lemons are common here, and can be seen lying at the sides of rural roads. This is where you will find olive groves* Up in the Troodos mountains you will find conifers and goats.  Between these two zones, farmers appear to grow stones or luxury villas. Why is it always a grove when olives are involved? Why is it not an olive forest.

Here's an artificial rock cliff. These huge rocks keep the sea at bay in Latsi and are used to create an artificial harbour where there was none before. The harbour wall doesn't need to be very big. The Mediterranean has a very small tidal range and acts more like an inland sea than an ocean.  In fact tidal range is more to do with the shape of the land and the sea bed. The Severn estuary has a huge tidal range (a natural resource that we seem determined to ignore). The sea is trapped between Wales and Devon, and the sea bed shelves upwards forming a large underwater funnel.  Tenerife does not have such a large tidal range despite being in the Atlantic, because the underwater topography doesn't cause it. Now here is a completely natural cliff, complete with sea caves. Excellent.

I think it is always useful to put a picture into its context. It also helps to include something to add a sense of scale. Here's an uncharacteristically stormy sunset from Cyprus.  The sea and the shore need the mountain to establish the context of the picture. The ensemble also needs the single human figure to give a sense of scale.  Ideally I would have liked a couple walking on the sand, but you have to work with what you have got.

On the margin, where sea meets land, where life meets death and where the green line divides Cyprus at Pachiammos on the north west coast. If you stray one hundred meters to the right you are at risk of creating an international incident, and that really could be the end.

Dark skies over the Mediterranean.  I was hoping I would get a spectacular Milky Way photo with my twenty second exposure. However I discovered that the 12mm wide angle lens was nowhere near wide enough. I also found the 20 seconds isn't really long enough, and it you expose for longer the stars start to streak. On the good side, my improvised lentil bag worked well and saved the weight and inconvenience of a tripod* I also found that the sky isn't dark enough. You need to be up a mountain away from the damp air by the sea and miles from any sort of street light. *Who takes a tripod on holiday anyway?

Old Greek, old Orthodox church, old icons and an old microphone to spread the Word. Fantastic...

See this?  We climbed this part of the Akemas range in scorching temperatures. We traversed this trackless wilderness, climbed over the boulder field and successfully reached the summit. We suspected we were the very first people to conquer this rugged mountain and rest on the thoughtfully provided seat at the top. Afterwards we followed the little signs back to the car park, got back in our hire car, and drove to a bar for a beer and a pancake.

Over in Cyprus, pottery grows in the wild. This is a peculiar result of the geology and the weather. Some farmers have managed to grow wild pots in secluded orchards, but large ceramics are unpredictable and dangerous. I risked this picture in the lazy heat of the day because the pots were asleep and hemmed in with loose stones. This domestic example in Trimiklini has clearly caused trouble in the past and is now restrained with wood and iron. I took my picture from a considerable distance.

Here are two opposite ends of Greek Orthodox architecture: A simple monastic chapel at Agios Georgios. One door. One tiny window. No decoration: And here is a preserved Orthodox church. This has more or less everything you could want: Icons, huge chandeliers, wall paintings, ornate furnishings.

Take a break. Have a Cyprus coffee metrio . Sip it and watch the world go by . Don't add sugar, there is some already in it, and don't stir it whatever you do. There's a glass of water provided to make it a longer experience. Quite useful if you are using your metrio as an excuse to sit in the cool shade and do nothing. Alternatively, you could collapse in a gutter outside a bar. Maybe the waiter will bring you a low table and some wine.

Here are a couple of panorama shots from Cyprus. Click on the picture for the full size view. The first is the restored jetty at Limni. Copper and gold ore were mined and shipped from this jetty for years. In fact some of the mines on Cyprus pre-date the Romans. In this case the shift in global markets made the mining uneconomic, and the land is being developed as a new resort with golf courses. For myself, I hope the development fails, like the mines. And here from an earlier era is a Greco-Roman amphitheater. You could still use this today. Awesome, as they say on da street.

Here we are, well into Autumn and as you see from the picture below, the weather is turning chilly. It is late afternoon and the temperature is only 29 degrees. O cruel and unforgiving Equinox: Why do you arrive so soon and ruin our lives?