So, we managed four real days out, around Cyprus, at the end of September and the first three Fridays of October (to Lefkara, Cape Greco and Kiti beach). They were enjoyable, exploring a few different parts of Cyprus. We wandered around, not doing anything too strenuous, and enjoyed a relaxed meal somewhere different. It was good to be away from the computers with time to chat, and reminisce.
Then we had a couple of busy weeks. Richard had meetings in Nicosia and Limassol, and no clear day that we could go out exploring.
I went with him to Limassol a couple of times. The first time, we drove a little way into Germasogia and found a nice little shawarma cafe where we had lunch.
It was pleasant, and the weather still warm, but we didn't feel like doing much else. Richard had a lot of work to catch up on, so we returned home early in the afternoon.
The following week he had to be in Limassol again, and we thought we might find somewhere to walk... but the heavens opened. We managed to avoid the worst of it when we were on the motorway, which is good; we heard later that the conditions were terrible for some of the day, which is presumably why we were somewhat slowed down - once on the way there, twice on the way back - by three separate collisions that had evidently happened earlier in the day.
Since we wanted to stay dry, we decided to visit the Limassol mall, somewhere we had not previously been. I'm not a fan of malls, or shopping in general, but I don't mind visiting new shopping places occasionally. And getting out of the rain seemed like a very good idea.
Our first impression was that it actually looks like a mall - or indoor shopping centre, as they used to be called in the UK. The mall in Nicosia is quite small - or was when we visited it. Apparently I've never blogged about the Metropolis mall in Larnaka. It has some useful shops including Public and Holland and Barrett; sadly it's meant that quite a few other local shops have been closed. The Larnaka mall is all on one floor, and the acoustics are terrible. We've occasionally eaten there, but the noise level is so high that it's not somewhere we can relax.
However, the Limassol mall, on three storeys, is spacious and not nearly as prone to echoes as the Larnaka one. There's plenty of natural light, too.
As a child, I had ice skating lessons and used to enjoy it very much. Somehow, it no longer appeals, though it was good to watch some of the skaters. Not that there were many on a weekday morning.
Richard took this wider photo to give a better idea of the layout and the ice rink:
There are several places to eat in the mall, and plenty of seating:
Unfortunately most of the options are fast food chains, which didn't appeal, or Asian food outlets which had soy sauce on everything. It's good that ingredients and potential allergens must be listed on everything; soy sauce is a major migraine trigger for me.
So we eventually decided to choose salads from Urban Fresh, a place selling organic, healthy food at reasonable prices. Mine was delicious!
On the other hand, the pear juice we bought was a bit tasteless. And Richard said his salad had rather too much lettuce, though the rest of it was good.
Then we bought some organic vegan chocolate bars from the same place, and coffee. The chocolate bars were delicious; the coffee a tad bitter.
I was disappointed to learn, when back in Larnaka, that Urban Fresh is not an island-wide chain; their only outlet is in the Limassol mall. So we can't visit it regularly, or order takeaway.
Just to lower the tone a little, I was amused by the signs indicating the ladies' toilets/loos/restrooms:
After lunch we walked around more of the mall and browsed the Public store, as well as Sports Direct. Not that we bought anything.
It only occurred to me on the way home, when - thankfully - it had stopped pouring with rain, that the only shops we had actually gone into were four that we can easily visit in Larnaka. Public, Holland and Barrett and M&S all have stores in the Larnaka mall, and there's a Sports Direct near Lidl.
So, as with many things, worth visiting once. But the only reason I'd go back - if we were in Limassol again - is to have another of those Urban Fresh salads and chocolate bars.
A few days later, early November, we were in Limassol yet again, in better weather. So we thought we'd visit the old marina. It was interesting to see, but nothing special.
And when we thought we'd have lunch at the advertised healthy vegan restaurant, we were told that it had closed for the winter - presumably at the end of October, as there were people inside putting things away and cleaning. There was an open restaurant but it was highly priced and didn't have anything I would have wanted to eat.
We had one more visit to Limassol a couple of days ago, when we went to meet a long-standing friend who was on a cruise with her mother. The ship had docked at Limassol, so we were able to go and see them. A shuttle bus brought them to the new marina.
We walked for a while along the sea front, catching up on news, and admiring one or two of the statues, such as this one:
It was a pleasantly sunny day, and there were hundreds of people sitting on the grass areas, having picnics or chatting, or listening to talks. From their looks and outfits we assume that most of them are maids, out in Cyprus from Asian countries for a couple of years taking care of elderly people, as is quite common here. Sunday is generally their day off, so they have the opportunity to spend time with their friends.
Our friend had obtained permission for us to visit the cruise ship and have lunch there. We had emailed our passport details a few days earlier. What she hadn't been told is that we also needed passes to get through the port. So when we arrived there, expecting to be waved through (our names were on a list that we could see) we were told that we had to wait for an agent... and, when he arrived about ten minutes later, he told us that we had to go to the port authorities to get a pass. He said this was five minutes' drive away, and that it would be straightforward.
He was correct in his estimation of the time it took. Unfortunately, it was not straightforward. The man we spoke to did not have our names on any list. Someone had forgotten to deal with this. So we had to wait at least fifteen minutes, while several phone calls took place.
Eventually we were issued with our passes (which we had to return later), so we could go through the port to the ship, where we were issued with ship passes.
We had originally arrived at the port car park with our friends just after one o'clock, and had expected to be eating by around quarter past one. In the event it was over an hour later, and I was extremely hungry, getting a headache. I don't do well with irregular meals.
Thankfully the lunch buffet stayed open until 3.30. There were many options, and the quality was excellent. We lingered at the table, enjoying a variety of desserts, then coffee. Then our friend took us on a tour of the ship. Apparently it's quite small for a cruise ship, though it seemed enormous to me, with eleven floors, and several theatre areas.
The only pictures I took were on the deck at the top where there's a swimming pool - kept heated to a constant temperature - and a jacuzzi.
There is, of course, a lot more to Limassol and its district than our brief forays might suggest. The best-known attraction is probably Kurium, which we have visited many times with visiting relatives and friends. There are also two castles, one of which we visited many years ago. There's the Paradox museum which is excellent for a day out with older children, if a tad pricey, and a large park with a zoo (which we failed to locate when we visited the park).
But for now I think - I hope! - we've finished our trips to Limassol, at least for the next few months.
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