Doug's Week in Cyprus!!

So last Saturday, I went to the Larnaca airport in the afternoon to pick up Doug! He made it all the way here safe and sound!!! It was fantastic. We caught a cab back home with another girl in my program and her friend who had just flown in on the same flight. We came back and hung out with Kelley and Kelly (Lauren was at the beach for the weekend with her friend visiting from Paris). We spent that night and most of the next day not doing too much because of his jetlag but we showed him around our area of Nicosia and of course took him to Zorbas and to get some true Greek gyros. On Monday, I didn't have classes so the Kell(e)ys and I took Doug to the Old City of Nicosia to have lunch, etc. We bought some sweet souvenirs, explored a church or two, and found our way to the top of the observatory. The observatory was of course closed but in true Cyprus fashion, you were still allowed to take an elevator to the top and the huge windows opened so we were able to enjoy a sweet view of the city and mountains at sunset fo free. Which is everyone's favorite. In effort to even save some more money, we neglected to take a taxi to or from the old city (it's about an hour walk). On the way there it wasn't much of a problem but after dark, everything looks different. But we tried to do our best and even asked for directions which ended up taking us right past the US Embassy. We thought awesome, the US! And of course in true patriotic fashion, Doug wanted to take a few pictures. Funny thing is, you aren't allowed to take pictures of embassies, especially the United States Embassy. Sure enough we were called over by a few guards carrying very large guns. They started in on the questions and had Doug delete the pictures. It was pretty much just very humorous. They asked if we had our passports, only Kelley did and they took Doug's driver license. It ended up being about a twenty minute ordeal which was quite ironic that we have been here for two months and the only time we get into trouble is with the US.

Tuesday I had a morning class and the weather was beautiful so we all spent some time on the roof enjoying the sun. I had to take some time from sunbathing to star in Lauren's music video of "You Were Meant For Me". Who knew I could be a popstar?!

Tuesday night was the much anticipated Erasmus Bubble Party. We were all given bubbles at the door and of course it was open bar. It was a great time and Doug had a chance to meet alot of our international friends.

On Wednesday, Kel, Kel, Doug, and I went back to the Old City, this time to explore the Turkish side. We ventured around for awhile before working up an appetite for meze. We returned to the Greek side for a fantastic meal at our new favorite restuarant in the Old City. About thirteen courses later, we were full. We spent the rest of the night hanging out and at some point made it to Bennigan's for some late night milkshakes.

On Thursday, Martin drove Doug and me to Ayia Napa to spend a few days at the beach. It was completely wonderful. We had a hotel right on the beach. Most things were still closed because its the off season but that means it wasn't crowded and weather was beautiful. We hung out on the sand for a while and grabbed a late lunch right on the beach.

Friday was a great day. We had some cereal on our seaside balcony before setting off to explore. We spent the rest of the day exploring the rock cliffs and crystal waters of the Meditterranean. The water was really calm early in the day and Doug even let me swim next to the rocks. Very surprising considering all of it was terribly dangerous. The pictures really say more than I can write. I've never seen ocean water that fantastically clear before in my life and I'm so excited to go back again and again (it's where the girls and I just booked a hotel for our spring break in April). The weather was of course perfect and we both got sunburn : )

Saturday was Doug's last day in Cyprus before making the long trek back. We got up early and spent some more time by the water. It was a bit cooler so we went back, showered, had a quick lunch, and then it was time to wait for the taxi to the airport. It was only about a 30 minute ride to the airport and the drive is beautiful. The highway runs along the coast and in the Spring there are yellow wildflowers everywhere that cover the empty fields.

His flight was delayed for a bit but too soon enough he was headed to back home. It took him almost two days to get back to the burgh but he's a trooper. It was an awesome week that went by all too quickly. That's how most things go here.

I hope everyone is still enjoying my blog, not really sure if anyone still reads it but o well : ). Still much more to see and do!!

Bienvenidos a Egipto!

So this weekend I went to Egypt! Real live, located in Africa, Egypt! It was completely awesome. Only four of us went. Kelley, Martin, Dana, and Me left on Friday for the airport around 5. Our flight left on time and was super short, only an hour. They gave us a full meal on the plane so by the time we were finished, it was time to land.

We were greeted at the airport by a guy from the travel company who helped us with immigration control and took us to meet Abdul, who was our tour leader for the weekend. Our tour group consisted of us and just one other guy, Christos, who was also from Cyprus. The airport wasn't that far outside of the city but the traffic is Cairo is absolutely insane. I've never seen anything like it. No one pays any attention to the lines on the road and often there are more lanes of cars then the number of supposed lines. It was all very entertaining and a bit nerve racking at first. After dropping Christos off at his fancy 5 star hotel, they took us to our hotel. The President Hotel was our home for the next three days. Our rooms were clean but our hallway was covered in tarps and hanging wires. It was all good though because the beds were comfortable and the shower was hot. Once we settled into our rooms, we were starving so we went to the restaurant in our hotel for our first Egyptian meal. The restaurant had a great view of Cairo and the food was good. After, me and Kel retired to our room and watched CNN (our first television experience in months).

The next morning we got up bright and early and had breakfast and started our tour at 9. First stop: The Pyramids!!! Once we beat throught the Cairo traffic once again, we finally saw the tops of the Pyramids! It was unbelievable!! They sit right outside the city. We had to go through metal detectors and everything (which is really common here, theres even one outside our hotel). Our guides left for a while and we took pictures and tried to take it all in. Some school girls came up and introduced themselves to us and asked us to take pictures with them. We had been warned about the people with the camels and how they try to scam all the tourists. But, of course, Martin fell for it so I went along with it too. So we rode on the camel for a bit before we were completey ripped off. 100 egyptian pounds each!! (1 euro = 7 egyptain pounds, don't worry the conversion still gets me confused). Bottom line, I rode a camel at the Pyramids. Once we finished exploring we hopped back in our van and they took us to the proper place to ride camels for half the price. It was like a field of camels and Martin couldn't resist poking them. We had a great time riding about even though Kel was terrified and used her death grip on Martin the whole time. After our camel fun, it was off to see the Sphinx. It was great having a tour guide the whole time because she would explain little bits of history at each place we went.

Also, everywhere we went, even at the Sphinx there are people basically harrassing you to buy things. One little boy wouldn't leave Kelley alone and kept trying to get her to buy bookmarks until his dad came and dragged him away. It always pretty humorous. Afterwards, we went to a perfume place that was covered in beautiful perfume bottles and a guy told us all about how they are made. I tried this drink called Karkade which is made from hibicscus flowers and it was delicious. Once we were swindled into buying some stuff we were swept off to see how papyrus is made. We had a completely full day of seeing and learning new things. We were so busy that the guides said we only had enough time to stop and grab McDonald's for lunch. McDonald's in Egypt is fantastic. Everything is crazy cheap and they even have McDelivery and a McArabia! On our way out some little boy walked right up to Dana and tried to take his milkshake right out of his hand!! Very strange. We had our lunch on the run on our way to the Egyptian Museum.

The museum was amazing. Its nothing like places in the US because you can touch everything pretty much. There were tombs covered in hieroglyphics and just lined up with nothing surrounding them. And we also saw King Tut's belongings and his coffin. It was alot for one day but we really did get to see everything.

Then they took us to the Al Khalili Bazaar which is massive and pretty overwhelming. This is where true haggling happens. When you walk down the street, every shop owner calls at you to come see what they have. It makes it very difficult to show even the slightest interest in anything. But I got a few good deals and Martin managed to get a watch for 200 pounds that was first 800!! We were only there for about 45 minutes but that was enough for Kel and I. One guy asked Martin how many camels it would take to buy Kelley and that was only the beginnning of it.


Once we left, we sped off to catch our dinner cruise on the Nile. Our tour leader, Abdul, even came with us. It was really great to have them with us all the time. It was an open buffet with live music and dancing throughout the night. I floated down the Nile! I still can't believe it. The rest of the night was some more CNN and sleep.

The next morning was a really early one because we were off the Alexandria which is about a 3 hour drive from Cairo. I slept on and off through out the drive but I was awake enough to see us driving through the Sahara Desert. Awesome. Alexandria is definately a different place. It has a strong Greek history because it was founded by Alexander the Great. Our tour guide took us to Bombay's Pillar and the underground library that Alexander the Great had built for himself. Then we went to the Meditteranean Sea for a while to visit a castle that looked like a true sandcastle. It was gorgeous and Martin ended up buying a real shark for 50 Egpytian Pounds (about 6 Euros). One of the strangest things I've ever seen purchased. One problem was that dead fish tend to come with an unappetizing scent. He ended up leaving it with Abdul who I'm pretty sure did not want it.

Next we were off to the Alexandria Library which one of the most amazing examples of modern architecture. Its home to the largest reading space in world (2,000 people in one room!) It was a gorgeous place. We stopped and had a quick lunch before we headed off to the Montaza Royal Gardens, which home to beautiful views of the sea and the President of Egypt's summer home. Our driver bought us all ice cream and we played with a bunch of cats. Apparently there are a plethora of random cats in every country besides the U.S., I guess. After all this, it was time to head back to Cairo. It was a long drive back so we slept for most of the way. It was a long day but it was still far from over.

In order to continue our procession of constantly eating, we walked to a restaurant a couple doors down from out hotel to get some dinner. Everything was so cheap so we made sure to fill ourselves with everything possible. We met four American girls who were staying at our hotel who are studying abroad in Athens this semester. It was nice to hang out with them and we even got their number so we can call them when we go there in April.

The next morning was an early one again. Kel, Dana, and I got up really early so we would have time to walk down to the Nile which was only a few blocks from our hotel. We were staying in the district where all of the embassies are so there were several guards on every corner. We found a little park and watched people rowing down the river. Afterwards we headed back to pack up and head out. Abdul came and picked us up, as per usual. We had one last stop before the airport.

We went to this huge, seven floor mall! It was kind of random but it was massive and awesome, and the last place we could buy some souvenoirs. We bought some great stuff and we went to get lunch. Then something amazing happened. Kelley pointed and I looked and there was a Chili's!! I got so happy because my favorite meal of honey chipotle chicken crispers come from Chili's! I ran upstairs and grabbed a menu . . . and THEY DIDN'T HAVE THEM! Bummer. so I had lebanese food instead. Its a lame story but o well.

Back to the airport we went with all of great finds and lots of pictures. An hour later, we were back in Cyprus.

Yesterday was my birthday so my roommates invited some of our friends over and we had a good ol' fashion pizza party because I've been dying for pizza. Afterwards we went out all night and had a great time as always. I'd been given a balloon with clowns all over it and I kept it tied to my shirt all night so I was easily marked. It was great. And I got so many phone calls that made me very happy! : D

So far today, I woke up and laid on the roof in the sun because the weather is fantastic. Now, I'm going to clean and food shop because Doug is going to be here tomorrow!!!!

Things continue to be great. Oh! We've booked plane tickets to go to Ireland and Paris at the end of the month!!

Much more to come!!

You Can Have Whatever You'd Like.

This past has been quite amazing, yet again. It seems like everyday just brings new and exciting things which makes me think I've been running on adrenaline for basically a month. Well I love it and I hope it doesn't stop.

Let's see . . . Tuesday I had class in the morning and in the afternoon we met with this woman named Nitza who is the sister of Kelly's dad co-worker. But anyways, she lives here in Cyprus and within walking distance of our apartment. Being here makes the world feel so small. She took us to her apartment and gave us wonderful treats from Zorba's and American coffee. She told us about how she was in her 20's when the invasion of 1974 occurred and she was forced out of her home in Famagusta. Famagusta still remains a complete ghost town today which means her house is still empty but she can't live there. We told her about how we had gone to the Turkish side and she explains that she refuses to show her passport to go home. She was so nice to us and sent all the extra goodies home with us and told us to call her if we needed anything.

We came back from her apartment so that I could go to my Greek class but it was cancelled : D

Tuesday night there was a International Student party at Club Teez. The whole thing was well organized that there was even a bus to take a group of us to the club. At the door we were all given name tags of celebrities or fictional character and in true European fashion, the whole night was open bar. It was a great time hanging out with other students from all over the world.

Wednesday was a quiet day spent recovering from the night before and preparing for the weekend ahead.

Thursday was another full day of classes (my only real day of alot of classes). At night, Kelley and I went to Club Fusion in the old city with a bunch of Erasmus students (foreign exchange students from Europe who study at the University of Cyprus. Basically the counterpart to GLS.)

We had never been before and we weren't sure what to expect. They played a great mix of techo, international, and R&B music and we had a fantastic time! Afterwards we went to Carlos and Antonio's apartment, only a few blocks from our home, for an 'afterparty' which was basically just hanging out and reviewing our Spanish vocab with great criticism from Carlos. Around 5, Carlos walked me and Kel home so we could make him his first ever grilled cheese. Which of course he thoroughly enjoyed. Once we saw the sun starting to rise, we knew it was probably time for bed.

Then it was Friday! This is the good stuff!!!

We woke up around noon, showered, packed, and called a service taxi and off we went to Paphos!! Martin had already gone the day before so he wasn't able to drive us there. So instead we called the service taxi which came around 3. A service taxi is a van that is used to get from city to city and airports. We picked up a few more kids in Nicosia and headed south. We had a short stop in Limassol where we switched vans and picked up some other people and then we went to Paphos. We go there sometime around 7 and Martin picked us up and took us to our hotel. The hotel was completely empty and we had to call once we got there so they could come and check us in. Regardless, the hotel was fantastic. There were four beds, a kitchen, and a huge balcony that had a view of the sea!

Once we were settled, we walked to a tavern next to door that was scheduled to have live music to try and get some dinner with Martin and his wonderful friend, Rochelle (from England). The owner of the bar informed us that because it was the off season all he had were a few portions of lamb and two portions of pork so we took it all. I attempted the lamb but I was not a fan so I had some pork instead. The place was kind of dead when we got there but it ended up being a great time! Once they found out we were from America, they gave us so many rounds of free drinks I can't even count. The music was great and we ended up dancing and singing for hours. The owner's son, Stephanos, ended up being a professional traditional Greek dancer and showed us all a few things. Also, Kelley showed off her Irish dancing skills to a group of couples from Ireland. All in all it was a fantastic night with great music, food, and people. We went in there around 7:30 and didn't leave until 2:30. After that we went to sleep as quickly as possible so we could enjoy the next day.

We woke up at 11 to beautiful blue skies so we put on our bathing suits and wandered down to the shore. The water was cold but not too cold to stop us from swimming. We jumped off some rocks into a lagoon where you could see straight to the bottom. Of course I was the first one in : ) I am proud to say. We swam about for awhile before drying off on the rocks from the sun. I could not have been happier. We watched the sunset and Kelley and I even met two guys from Iraq who were super nice to us, surprisingly enough. Afterwards, we made a quick stop at a supermarket to get some supplies to make our Valentine's Day dinner. After dinner Martin came over with his travelling hairdresser and I had him cut my hair! It was a risky endeavor considering Martin has ZigZags shaved into the side of hair but I love my hair now! And it only costed 5 euros!

Then we went out to a bar called Robin Hood that was shaped like a castle and had fun drinks like margarita's and pina coloda's. The music was great so we stayed and danced for a while before we went down the street to a karoake bar. We all had a great time and I may have sang The Devil Went Down to Georgia . . . and I Want You Back with Kel and Lauren. Good times. Around 4:30 we headed back to the hotel where I insisted it would be a good idea that Kelley and I jump into the pool. It was a freezing but it was a good laugh. At some point we made it to sleep.

Sunday. Sunday we got up and checked out of hotel around 1 and had lunch at a great pizzeria with a view of the water. It was a bit cooler out but we still went and laid by the water. We watched the sunset again and explored this really nice hotel :D Anyways, we finally met Martin's mom before we went back so we could talk to her about our plans for Egypt. She was very nice and it seems like everything is set. Less than 2 weeks! I can't believe it! Around 8, we all piled into the little hatchback for the two hour drive and headed home.

Yesterday was a lazy day but I finally got my hands on some stamps so some things are on their way back to the US of A. Oh and I have my first test today in Greek at 6 so we will see how much I've learned! Today is also Lauren's Birthday which means it should be another great day here on the island in the sun!

Hope everyone likes the posts and I always love emails! And don't trust Doug to tell me anything including a simple "Hello" > : o . . . : )

Love everyone and hope you all had a great Valentine's Day!!