A Matter of Choice

Last weekend was the second Daxifest - a charity music festival and great family day out to raise much needed funds for local charities KEPA and the SBA Food Project, both of which feed and look after underprivileged families in the area. We attended the first festival held in Achna last year, it was a brilliant day out,  although was not as well attended as the organisers had hoped.  As with most events, especially the first one, and especially in Cyprus of course it was not perfect but they took into account the feedback that came in after the event and made great efforts to improve for this years festival. The promotion of the event, stall prices,  location, entrance fee,  Cypriot entertainment and more were all looked at and amended as the feedback suggested.  So this year I was sure it would be an absolute smash hit - not only a fantastic day out but a huge amount of money raised for the cause. We had a stall with the Klik Photo Booth so we were the...

Today was a strange day, today we watched as part of Varosha, (the abandoned city in Famagusta which is under control of the Turkish military) was engulfed in smoke as a large fire spread through the empty city. I noticed the smoke around 3.30pm and rushed to the balcony surprised to see anything happening in the area which has been deserted for almost 41 years. The flames were fierce and the smoke was intense and we could see that it must have been covering a large area. Fire in Varosha - Image credit Since the Turkish invasion of 1974 the area has been off limits to all but a few UN personnel and heavily monitored by soldiers. Local newspapers reported that the fire was being dealt with by Turkish Cypriot firefighters, the Turkish Cypriot leader,  Mustafa Akinci had given instructions for assistance to be sought from the United Nations,  British bases and Greek Cypriot side if the TC crews were unable to cope.  Fire engines from the Republic of Cyprus (Sout...

Since the launch of the FPN I am often invited via facebook to all kinds of different events,  by all sorts of people, which are often only written in Greek.  As much as I try to translate if I can't figure it out I won't share it (it could be anything!)  and I usually dismiss them until if and when it becomes apparent what they are.  Once such event was the ' ΝΑ ΑΝΟΙΞΕΙ Η ΛΕΩΦΟΡΟΣ ΤΗΣ ΕΠΙΣΤΡΟΦΗΣ'   It was only once I realised that many of my contacts had been invited and after reading an article in the Cyprus Mail that it got my interest and I realised it was an event to try and get the checkpoint in my village Deryneia opened.  With the peace talks between the Cypriots leaders having just restarted I excited to see another positive step being taken towards the future and I knew I had to be there.  I quickly put together an piece for the FPN website using information from the Cyprus Mail and the event pages on facebook to spread the word in Eng...

Although I have a huge interest in the division of Cyprus, and fate of Varosha, opening of the dividing line etc it's something that I have very rarely mentioned on my blog.  The reason being is that although I try and find out as much as I can, I am by no means an expert and I wish to avoid getting anything wrong. The subject is fraught with difficulty as you try and remember the correct way to mention it - its very confusing for someone who is essentially an outsider to remember that the difference between saying border / checkpoint,   whether you say the north of Cyprus, or North Cyprus,  the Republic of Cyprus or Southern Cyprus,  the Green Line / the dividing line / the border / the buffer zone / Atitila Line and the list goes on. This is of course because it is a very sensitive subject and so close to many peoples hearts, even though the troubles had been brewing for years it was only 1974 that the island was divided, a long time to be separated but in liv...

Many years ago I sat with Cyprus guidebook excitedly flicking through the pages dreaming of all the places I would visit when it became our new home, no need to pick the best few things to fit into a 2 week holiday, I was anticipating going everywhere and doing everything. Of course, when we first signed our 'UK' lives away and made the decision to move we were yet to have children - footloose and fancy free with no consideration to driving distances, nap times, pushchairs or little toddling legs on uneven ground or whining children. Five years on and I still feel I am yet to see the 'real' Cyprus, or even the 'real Cyprus' as portrayed in the guide books,  the museums, archaeological sites and traditional villages. With absolutely no intention to do so, most of our friends seem to be fellow British expats and on the still rare occasions we go out we end up in 'expat pubs' as that's where our friends are which doesn't really help in...

How many times have you asked a question to be met with 'Google it' as a response? These days we have come to expect information at our fingertips, and it came as a big surprise to me when I first arrived in Cyprus to find that Google was letting me down! I looked for places to go, baby groups to attend, local information, bank holidays, how to register for schools, you name it I looked for it  and for the most part I couldn't find it.  A while ago, due to my frustration I set up the 'East Coast Mum's' facebook group which in the end had over 100 members, I often shared information I saw online that I thought might interest other Mums, everything from local events to scheduled power cuts and enjoyed spreading the word to those who might not have heard, here it's not always that easy to know what's going on! Over the last 4 years things have improved a lot but our little bit of Cyprus seems to have always been sadly neglected! Well, no...

Just before Christmas we had a visit from Aaron's Mum and his two nephews, I love having visitors as not only is it lovely to see people again after so long it makes us much more likely to do 'tourist stuff'.  For some time now I've been meaning to visit the Famagusta view point and mini zoo in Kapparis, just down the road from us. I went with Leo and a friend of mine a couple of years ago but he was a little bit young to appreciate it.  It is situated at the end of Kapparis, as far as you can go along the coastline towards the closed of city of Famagusta. It's a fascinating, yet sad, when you remember the reason it exists. As a trip out it's not too expensive (€4 for adults, €1 or children) and has more to keep the kids entertained than the other viewpoints you can visit. There is a small museum with information and displays about the invasion of 1974 and the effects it had on the island. Photos of Famagusta and Varosha prior to 1974 when it was the isl...

I'm enjoying the Expat Blog hop hosted by Tales from Windmill Fields  which I have taken part in the last couple of weeks. This week we are invited to... Tell us about a bit of history from your Expat country that fascinates you, impacts your life there, means something to you. I live in Derynia, a very well known village in Cyprus as it is right on the Green Line , the line that partitions the island of Cyprus into the southern area known as the Republic of Cyprus and the northern area controlled by the Turkish Army. The Green line came into being in 1964  originally  drawn up as a ceasefire line but then became  impassable  after the Turkish invasion of Cyprus  in 1974.    Derynia is home to the Cultural Centre of Occupied Famagusta , situated at the road block at to the occupied area. It is where the all the demonstrations against the occupation take place and attracts many visitors from all over the world as well as students from all ...

Let me take you to my favourite beach... Welcome to Konnos Bay, situated between Agia Napa and Protaras and said to be one of the most picturesque beaches on the island.  We first discovered Konnos when on holiday in 2008 and I declared it my favourite beach of all time, quite a bold statement!  The Cyprus Tourism Organisation says this " One of the most picturesque beaches on the island, it is well sheltered from heavy winds and has practically no waves at all. It is 200 metres long by 35 metres wide and covered with fine golden sand." My reasons... It's lovely for kids, (expect the walk down to it if you are laden with bags, towels, assorted beach toys and a buggy, and especially the walk back up!) as the sea is almost free of waves and is shallow for a very long way out.  There is a cafe which does lovely food, (especially the bacon and halloumi sandwich) and the best view I think I've seen. View from the cafe. (and my blog he...

Our apartment is in the village of Derynia which is on the east coast about 2km south of what is often known as "the ghost town" of Famagusta - the old tourist town which was abandoned in the invasion of 1974 by Turkey. You can actually see some of the abandoned hotels from our balcony. It's about 5 miles from Ayia Napa and Protaras so close enough to visit but far away enough that we're not surrounded by tourists all summer long! The apartment is a large one bed penthouse appartment, I say large as it is 79 sqm and if it was 80sqm it could be classed as a 2 bed! Aaron has completely redesigned the kitchen (It's what he does!) and so we now have a lovely big kitchen / living area with a breakfast bar and big patio doors which almost take up the whole wall, opening onto a balcony where we will have our dining table. There is a lounge which will become our bedroom and the main room (as it's furthest away) will be Leo's. There is another larger b...