Holiday Blog Day 3

There are many things that differentiate life in a foreign country to life at home.

The blood red dragonflies that engage in complex dogfights above the pool before returning to claim their bit of territory on the edge, the tiny lizards that scuttle from one shady spot to another, the as yet unidentified birds of prey that wheel overhead and the very cute water vole that I had to fish out of the pool overflow.

Life has a different pace here as well - I woke with the sun for the first swim of the day, before heading for the shade of the olive tree. Jan was not quite so cautious and she has picked up some rather sore shoulders after a fairly brief exposure. Jamie seems impervious, luckily enough, although a constant supply of factor 25 suncream will have helped. Another trip out, and I'm getting a bit more confidence on the roads. The trick for the journey back is to follow the signs for Errol's Restaurant.

As the afternoon heat started to fade we ventured out to Kyrenia to see the harbour and find something to eat. The car park was reasonable easy to find and the 1 Lira (about 40p) charge was eminently reasonable. The back streets were a jumble of shops and restaurants, each with a charming major-domo out front, selling the delights of their particular venue. We plumped for the Harbour Delight - one of the recommendations in the villa visitors' book - and it was a good choice, although the bit of harbour it was next to was not particularly delightful with a combination of rotten walkway, scraps of rubbish and numerous crabs competing for space between the boats moored up at the harbour wall. The food was excellent - I lost count of the numerous Mezze dishes that kept appearing, followed by a magnificent selection of different char grilled kebabs, not to mention drinks, ice creams and two generous brandies for something around thirty pounds or so.

It was wonderful to watch the sun set and the lights appear dotted amidst the profusion of ancient buildings. The culture clash was typified by the neon lights and techno soundtrack that we could hear from one of the bars mixed with the call of the Muezzin from the central mosque. Ancient and modern, indeed.

Back to the villa again, and the track looked like a monochrome moonscape in the light of the car headlights. The night was hot and humid again, so the dvd we picked to watch had to be 'March of the Penguins'. Stunningly filmed, but mawkishly anthropomorphic it really was 'Cute Overload - the movie' particularly when the baby chicks hatched. Maximum fluffitude, beakitude and small stubby wingitude.