After a quick breakfast, I went down to work on my blog.
(NOTE OF TODAY - Panos just stopped at the door to his office, and asked if it was my shift. I agreed saying that it works best for Anita and I if I use the computer in the morning and she uses the generally longer time in the evening. Today however, we have been invited to dinner with Panos, Xenia and their daughter, so Anita may not have too much time, unless we return from Larnaca earlier.) I was two days behind yesterday because of being overnight in Paphos. Although there were two public computers (pay as you type) in the hotel, both sported signs saying (out of order - sorry).I finished my entries in time yesterday so Anita could check her email. We both had reminders of events coming up for which we will probably not be available. Mine was for the Soroptimist Club to which I belong for the monthly meeting the day after we return from our trip. I probably would not have been able to attend due to jet lag, but instead I will try to stay awake because a group of friends have organized a welcome home dinner for Anita and me - we travel with these women from time to time so will be happy to see them and tell them stories about our adventures. Many of them have been reading our blogs as have you, my reader friends. Anita's reminder was for the annual picnic of the fireworks group which Jim and I also work with in State College PA to help created the show on the 4th of July. Jim and I have not been able to go to help for the last few years due to the time we have been spending in Kansas caring for his parents. Family trumps personal plans easily, and until Jim retires, he must use his vacation, which of course is not infinite.
Liz arrived a bit late because of traffic troubles caused by an accident.
Luckily, Lillian's home was 
not too far from where we are staying. Lillian is married to a French journalist whose newspaper posted him to Cyprus about a year ago, and Nicosia is the paper's middle east bureau. She estimates that they will be here for about another year before being posted to another unknown location. She was pleased to meet Liz as well as Anita and me because she has had little contact with Cypriot citizens, staying mostly with the news community. She is living in a lovely home in one of the oldest sections of the city right next to a mosque. It's right outside the gate to her backyard and as we 
left, the faithful were being called to mid-day prayers. Perhaps Liz and Lillian will find a way to become friends. Lillian told us of plans to be in State College in November to visit her mother, and promised Anita to be in contact again.
We parked Liz's car right across the street from Lillian's house and walked a few blocks to Ledra Street in the old town, an area that is filled with small shops.
Liz became a bit worried because most shops close at lunch time on Wednesdays and do not reopen until Thursday. However, since this area is visited by tourists regularly, most shops were open while we were wandering. Some of the side streets and alleys (especially in the Laiki Yeitonia 
area) are so narrow that the trees that grow in them create wonderful cool areas of shade from the hot Mediterranean sun. We walked from shop to shop, purchasing small items (none of our suitcases has much room for anything of any significant size!), and spending Liz's money for a selection of red jewelry - we found earrings, a bracelet and a necklace. Today or tomorrow we will look for a ring and perhaps and anklet bracelet.Anita and I both bought maps of Cyprus detailed enough so that the small villages where we have visited are shown. Suddenly, we realized that it was almost 2 pm and our stomachs were making it known that they wanted food. Liz wanted to take us to the cafeteria at the top of the highest store in the area where we could sit on the 7th story and look at the city. She also told us that at the highest floor of the building - 4 floors above the cafeteria, there was a small museum with a 360 degree view of the city. We found comfy chairs, filled our bowls with a variety of salads and sat for a quiet lunch filled with old-fashioned girl talk. It's a good thing George decided to stay at home - he would have been bored to death and impatient to leave.
We walked slowly back to our car after a visit to the highest level. The views were amazing, especially looking into the Turkish area of north Nicosia. It was most sad as well, because one of the oldest churches in the city - a Gothic cathedral - has been coverted to a mosque still complete with the original flying buttresses. The detailed panoramic photos in front of each view were marked with numbers corresponding to identifying paragraphs so viewer could easily know what was before them. The old gates and parts of the fortified green line that divided this city and country are still visible. There are some crossing areas now, such as where we went on our trip to Kyrenia last week.On the way back, I located the mosque tower and walked through the streets heading toward our car with the tower as the landmark. I went directly to Lillian's house and met her husband as he and Lillian left for a evening appointment. Liz and Anita took a short detour to some Turkish baths that Liz's father used regularly when her family lived in the same area. The baths have been renovated into a luxury spa. Anita suggested that Liz and Lillian might go together and get to know each other more.
We made a quick stop at the Archbishopric for a photo of the large statue of Archbishop Makarios that will be moved to the mountains near his tomb. The statue is virtually hidden due to paint that has been thrown on it since we arrived. We were only able to see it from the side and could see some of the paint on its front. Across the street is the high school where Liz finished school after she returned from the year she spent with my family. And her family home is very close so we tried going that way to drive past it. Unfortunately we were stopped at the final corner by a large truck that apparently was stuck and had hit a parked car. From where Anita sat in the front seat, she said it looked as if the wheels of the truck and the car were locked together.A final brief stop to pick up our laundry which Liz kindly did for us this morning and we were on our way home to our little rooftop apartment. Anita and I are realizing that our daily energy levels are not lasting as long as they did when we began our journey. We have passed the 4 week mark and are surprised and saddened to think that we will be home in another week. Having this evening to do virtually nothing seems wonderful to us. We have been invited to dinner with our hosts and their daughter for Thursday evening, Friday we will spend with Mike (Liz's twin brother) and his family, and Saturday evening we must pack for the return trip. We will go to the seaside on Sunday and stay until we leave on Tuesday afternoon.
Anita has gone down to try to get out of Cairo and into Cyprus in her blog. I have fixed myself a salad of lettuce, tomatoes and onions for dinner and am quietly sitting and reading on the roof patio. I will write in my journal when I finish and will try to post the entry tomorrow before Liz arrives.
Good night, my faithful readers. I hope you have all rejoined the trip after the long days without any entries. Please let me know if this part of our journey is proving as exciting as the animals. I know it's different, but Anita and I have discussed that the extreme differences between our countries have created amazing conversations between us. From the relatively new country of Botswana, to one of the most ancient of documented civilizations, to a country that predates all of them and has endured constant change of ownership and cultures.
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