Looping through Leith

A few weeks ago I decided to take my day off and go on an adventure to Leith, on of Edinburgh's oldest neighbourhoods and very much attached to marine life, as it is on the water.  So I took my Frommer's Edinburgh & Glasgow, a city map, canteen, letter writing essentials and was on my way.  I was in for a bit more of an adventure than I had planned because it takes a half hour to walk to the City Centre from our flat and from the City Centre I had to walk all down Leith Walk (a very pleasant walk) to the statue of Queen Victoria to begin my tour.  I took it as a good sign that my tour started with Queen Vic, since she and I are such pals.  At this point I was also a little worried about how long my legs would hold out since I had already walked an hour, the tour was supposed to last for an hour and then I would have to get home again...

Queen Victoria

But I was being an adventurer, so I put all negativity out of my mind and set out to enjoy not only the beautiful sunshine, but also a part of the city I'd never seen before.  Although not a golfer (does grade 11 gym count?) it was fun to see what remains of Edinburgh's first golf course (now a public park) where the rules of golf were agreed upon in 1744.  It was also neat to actually pass by Valvona & Crolla deli - a famous Italian/ Scottish deli that I have heard so much about.  But the best was yet to come.
Buried in amongst more modern buildings and along a twisted alley, you come upon the Lamb's House.  Described by Frommer's it is, "a handsome, harled red-roofed building with an odd window built into the corner of the facade," and is apparently, "a masterpiece of the type and era, with crow-stepped gables and corbels." It is an old merchant's house from the 17th century (!) and has these neat windows that are wood on the bottom and glass on the upper half.  (Gladstone's Land on the Royal Mile is similar because it, too is a merchant's house of the same era).  I still cannot get over how much history there is here and how old things can be.

The Lamb's House

And of course everyone likes coming to Leith to visit the waterfront.  It really is charming with colourful buildings lining it's curve.  And it is not just tourists who flock here, local businesses also compete for space and a lot of really good restaurants (we're talking Michelin Star, here) can be found on the water's edge, many of them specialising in sea food (go figure!).

Leith's shore

Boats docked in Leith

By this point in my journey my legs felt as if they were the consistency of Jell-O, so I went into The Shore, ordered a pepsi and plopped myself down to write some letters home.  I think I made that pepsi last about an hour!

After my break I was able to continue on my way.  On the loop back I passed by The Vaults, dating to 1862 and so named because they were used to store wine.  Now a trendy restaurant they are still beautiful.

It was hard to get a good picture of the whole thing...

Detail on the side of the wall of naval life.

Also remarkable is Trinity House and South Leith Parish Church.  The church dates from 1848, but a church has been standing on that site since the 1480's, so like Lamb's House or the Vaults, it too, is kind of just plopped in the middle of things since the city grew up around it. During my walk I got to see it  from all angles (that is, when the stone wall surrounding it afforded views of it).

South Leith Parish Church - I took this picture through the iron grating that replaced the stone wall for a bit.

South Leith Parish Church from another angle.

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed Leith but wished I had thought to take the bus home as three hours of walking is a bit much for me! :)

Spring has Sprung!

One afternoon in late February I was walking through Princes Street Gardens, as I often do, only that day flowers caught my eye.  The Gardens are tiered and at first I could only see a few flowers, but as I walked towards the lower part of the garden, I gasped in wonderment at the breathtaking array of crocuses in bloom.  I simply stared at so lavish a display of beauty. I couldn't get my mind around how many crocuses there were!  Because they don't have to push through snow in Scotland, they literally carpeted the slope.  The following Sunday I returned to the Gardens armed with my camera and below are a few of my favourite snapshots.

A riot of crocuses.  The taller green bunches are the daffodils just coming up.

My favourite are the lilac crocuses because I think they look like they've been painted.

No flowers were harmed during the taking of this photo. 

I am very proud of this shot, as I took it by accident!  It looked so amazing that I did another, pictured below.  The Scot Monument is in the background.

Turkish Delight

One of the highlights of my time in Cyprus, both this trip and the trip 6 years ago, was the time I spent on the Northern, Turkish side of Cyprus.  If Cyprus feels like a different world, then The Turkish side seems almost magical.

Although crossing the border is sometimes an uncomfortable experience due to the political tensions on the island and the bombed out green line you pass through to get to the passport control (thankfully not patrolled this time by soldiers with machine guns), from the moment we crossed I was in love.

Greeting us, picture perfect in front of the mosque, were two flower vendors.  A casual stroll down the street led us to a side walk bazaar and the most amazing little shop just choc-a-bloc full of everything imaginable.  We lunched at a little outdoor cafe nestled beside the mosque.  We enjoyed the sunshine and the stillness and the occasional squeals of children while drinking Ayran - a salted yogurt drink that I am completely taken with.

Flower vendors outside of Saint Sophia Mosque (so named because it used to be Saint Sophia Roman Catholic Church).

Some of the wares for sale at the sidewalk bazaar.

Cafe beside Saint Sophia Mosque.

After lunch we headed out to explore more of the crooked, narrow streets.  Matthew pointed out how many of the old, concealed balconies can still be seen on this half of the island.  They jut out over the streets, shuttered and worn-looking but still beautiful.  That particular architectural feature is so prominent because it allows Muslim women to get fresh air and sunshine from the comfort of their own home and no one can see in.

Covered balconies.

Our meanderings eventually led us to the Haan, an old hotel that has been cleverly transformed into a modern market.  The two-storey structure encloses a courtyard that now boast an outdoor cafe and a wee little mosque in the centre.  Each individual room has been transformed into an artisan's stall.  We walked slowly around, admiring giant amphorae that I could have fit into and browsing all the unique wares - some beautiful, some mysterious.  I hated to leave, but eventually we had to.

The Haan. That is the mosque in the middle.

Giant Amphorae!

On the steps of the Haan.

A vendor's stall.

On our way back, we had a very touching experience with children that proved to me that people can care and communicate across any boundaries that might exist.  At one point Matthew and I came to a street that we needed to walk down to get to the border, but the street was filled with an ankle-deep puddle with no sidewalk.  We stood there for a few moments, pondering our situation while Matthew mentally reviewed whether he could remember another route home.  A group of children was playing nearby and one little boy must have sensed our need of help.  He came up to us chattering in Turkish and merrily hopped from one strategically-placed brick to another, and then hugged his way along the wall of a building, showing us how the locals bypass the puddle (and proving that this water was a continual problem).  He was very encouraging and very endearing and I managed to circumvent the puddle without too much difficulty, although I did rough up my hands a bit clinging to the rough wall.  Matthew, however, being larger than I had a few more problems and at one point got a little stuck.  By this time, we had attracted the rest of the children as an audience and they all seemed to be giving suggestions and encouragements and when Matthew finally forded the water they all cheered and waved us on.  We laughed back to the crossing, brushing cement dust off of one another.  We will probably never see those children again, but I will never forget them.  Despite a difference in age, race, religion and language, we had understood one another.  It was a beautiful few minutes.

The Blessed Isle

Late January of this year saw my return to the island of Cyprus.  I had last visited in 2005 as a Christmas surprise for Matthew, who worked there for a year while we were dating.  Although my last visit to Cyprus also took place in the winter, I did not have many memories of how the island itself looked. I think I was much more excited about seeing a boyfriend I hadn't seen in months and getting to meet all the new friends he had made.  It probably didn't help that I was horribly jet-lagged on that occasion.

But starting from the UK meant that the jet-lag was non-existent so I was wide awake and in awe for the whole trip.  In the ancient world, Cyprus was known as "The Blessed Isle", so named because of how rich in minerals and sea life it was, and for how abundant the harvests were.  It is an apt descriptor.  For a Canadian, to be able to eat outside several times a day in January, to feel the sun on my skin and  to see the open, unfrozen Mediterranean was absolutely thrilling!  It felt so foreign, like maybe I was in a dream that was lasting for a week.

Enjoying the Mediterranean.

Matthew had his first-ever Cypriot coffee on our last day on the island.

Our excuse to go to Cyprus was that Matthew's friends and former co-workers were getting married.  What a joy to actually be close enough to go!  The bride's best friend suggested we keep the visit a surprise so it was fun to just casually stroll into the church before their rehearsal and stun them!  So, that was the motive for going, but we decided to make a holiday of it and stayed for a week.  I am quite enjoying having a job where I get paid to go on vacation!

Rick and Madara walk out of the church as man and wife!

The happy couple

 

The Cyprus team back together again! Matthew worked with Madara and Renate during his time in Cyprus.

Our first and last day on the island were spent in Paphos, where we had also gone on a day trip during my last visit.  We had spent most of our time in the archaeological park on our last visit, but had missed out seeing all of the ancient churches.  So we went and saw Ayia Kyriaki, the ancient Greek Orthodox Church, now used by the Anglican and Catholic communities in Paphos.  There I got to climb up into the pulpit (one of those ones that wraps around a structural pillar) which was a weird dream of mine.  I don't know if I was technically allowed to, but there was no barricade and no one to tell me not to!  Just outside of the church is a ruined agora, where Paul's Pillar can be found (as in, St. Paul, formerly Saul, who became a missionary) and we strolled through admiring the ruins and the mosaics and befriended a delicate kitty.

Ayia Kyriaki in Paphos.

St. Paul's Pillar in the ruined agora.

The interior of Ayia Kyriaki.

I try out my hand at preaching.

The pretty kitty we befriended among the ruins.

After our visit we ate a little cafe where we could stare at the ruins and we made friends with two other cats while we ate.  I had forgotten how full of cats Cyprus is.  Legend has it that St. Helena (the mother of the Emperor Constantine) stopped in Cyprus on one of her journeys. When she heard of their difficulties with mice, she was said to have gifted them some cats and to this day the cats are know as St. Helena's cats and can be found everywhere. For the rest of our trip every time we ate outside or went to a park we were sure to make a few feline friends.

Having gyros outside of Ayia Kyriaki.  On a patio in January!

Queenie (bottom) and her friend kept us company while we ate.

Later in our trip we saw about three groups of cats this size all having their dinners at dusk in the park.

The bulk of our time in Cyprus was spent in Nicosia, where Matthew's friend Maggie generously lent us the use of her beautiful flat while she was away traveling for work.  I have always wanted to live in a house with real shutters and for 5 days, I got to!  We left the front and back shuttered patio doors open as much as possible to let the breeze through the flat, and I had a ball taking care of all the plants in Maggie's pots and garden.

The Flat where we stayed.

Leaving the shuttered doors open in January!

Watering Maggie's outdoor plants.

After the wedding, Matthew and I just did whatever we felt like on that particular day.  We went on a lot of walks to all of his old haunts, including his old flat, we hung out with friends, visited the Greek Orthodox priest that he befriended while living there and has kept in contact,  and sometimes were just plain lazy!  Going on walks was my favourite part of our vacation because the scenery so fascinated me.  I still cannot get over palm, orange and lemon trees just growing in people's yards!  And cacti - oh my!  What a beautiful world we live in. :)

Lots of hedges and bushes were flowering while we were in Cyprus.

I thought these were lemons, but apparently they are papayas! How neat!

Crazy cactus!

Palms in Paphos.

Palm tree leaves grow right out of the ground and the trunk comes later.  Weirdly wonderful.

I liked that there was a natural cavern in these rocks in Paphos.

A cacti...hedge? Near Paul's Pillar in Paphos.

I like rows of palms.

The countryside between Paphos and Nicosia.

Oranges and terra cotta rooves.

Me under the palms in my favourite park in Nicosia - only they've taken away my fountain!

Matthew points to the awesome plant-life.

Palms surround the Venetian wall in Nicosia.

Matthew at his old flat in Acropoli, Nicosia.