A Trip to Limassol

It was an early start for me today and for my co-pilot Nicky as we were going down to Emba and picking up Mum and taking her to Limassol for her cataract operation.  Our journey was reasonably uneventful until we got into the depths of Limassol and we were on what appeared to be the right road but there was no sign of the clinic.  Fortunately we had left with plenty of time.  We eventually admitted defeat, asked at a Chemists and then took the hit, put on my data and used Google Maps which was ok but sometimes the announcements were just a bit to close to a junction and we missed where we were supposed to be.  We got there dead on time and managed to park outside on the road because unbelievably there was no dedicated parking.

We dropped Mum off and set off for what used to be Debenhams and which is now ERA which I knew to be only a couple of minutes away and a suitable place for a wee stop and a coffee.

The coffee shop attached to ERA was very nice and housed a lovely delicatessen and the toilets.  We opted to sit outside and realised that waiter service coffee in Limassol comes at a premium!  Nicky nearly choked on her latte which came in a miniscule cup with a premium price!!!  Nicky had wanted to go to George's Material Shop which was about five minutes from ERA but that was five minutes in the car as we soon learned when we decided to walk there in the heat of the day!

We made it!!!  If you are looking for material then George's is the place to go - it is in the same place that is has been for years, and years - housed in little more than a hut but packed to the brim with everything required to 'make your own'.  Nicky was after some red material to make a dress which she found pretty quickly and also picked a soft fabric which she is going to make into a waterfall cardigan.  She was very happy with her purchases - lets just hope her dressmaking is better than her co-piloting!!!

We went back to the clinic at the allotted time and they said that there had been a delay so we were to return in about an hour.  We decided, having managed to park the car right at the front, to walk across to a dodgy old coffee shop we had spotted earlier to have a drink and wait it out.  When we returned they said that she was going to be another hour.  This freaked me out a bit and I began to worry that there was some issue because I had recognised that the clinic was the same one where Dad had gone and his operation hadn't worked.  No-one would tell us anything so we just had to sit it out until Mum finally appeared.  Apparently because of her diabetes they had done some additional tests and so that was why she was later finishing than anticipated.  They did however say that this operation may not be quite as successful as it might have been as a result of the diabetes.

We set off home starving and decided to investigate the culinary delights of the MacDonalds by Jumbos.  We struggled to master the touch screen ordering and were rescued by some spotty youth customer helper!!!  I almost never go to MackyD's but that was the best chicken in a bun ever and totally hit the spot.  We traveled home without incident and got Mum settled before returning to Droushia.

It being the Bennett's last night we had been invited to join them, Pam and George for a meze at Kyparissos in Kathikas.  Let's just say I don't think I have ever seen so much food since the last time we went there with Gregoris and Dora.  There was so much food but we made a fair old stab and eating most of it and at 16 euros a head a real bargain.   We had salad and dips, olives and pickles and toasted bread, pitta and homemade brown bread and halloumi, loukanika, pastourma, sheftalia, green eggs, ravioli, souvlaki, lamb chops and chicken and keftedes and then a lovely platter of loukmades (little donuts) boureki and strawberries.  

It was a lovely evening even though we were the only people in there which was a shame because the food really is very good and when John's mum, Jackie and Stan are here we are going to take them as they wont have been before.

Sorry about the clarity of the photograph, as I am in it you can see I didn't take it!!!  Thank you to Malcolm, Louise and Alysia for paying for our meal - it was lovely to see them all again and to have helped to start to make their dreams for Villa 11b come true.  See you again soon.