Military Slavery Still Rampant in the world

Conscription = Servitude = Slavery

“It is debasing human dignity to force men to give up their life, or to inflict death against their will, or without conviction as to the justice of their action. The State which thinks itself entitled to force its citizens to go to war will never pay proper regard to the value and happiness of their lives in peace. Moreover, by conscription the militarist spirit of aggressiveness is implanted in the whole male population at the most impressionable age. By training for war men come to consider war as unavoidable and even desirable.”

Anti-Conscription Manifesto 1926 — signed among others by Henri Barbusse, Annie Besant, Martin Buber, Edward Carpenter, Miguel de Unamuno, Georges Duhamel, Albert Einstein, August Forel, M.K. Gandhi, Kurt Hiller, Toyohiko Kagawa, George Lansbury, Paul Löbe, Arthur Ponsonby, Emanuel Rádl, Leonhard Ragaz, Romain Rolland, Bertrand Russell, Rabindranath Tagore, Fritz von Unruh, H.G. Wells

”Conscription subjects individual personalities to militarism. It is a form of servitude. That nations routinely tolerate it, is just one more proof of its debilitating influence.” :

Against Conscription and the Military Training of Youth  1930— signed among others by Albert Einstein, Sigmund Freud, H.G. Wells, Bertrand Russell and Thomas Mann  http://www.peace.ca/manifestoagainstconscription.htm

Now before anyone accuses of me of being anti military, I’m not. I appreciate all the sacrifices that our service people make to protect and defend this country and to aid those in need as well. And in general I am usually not vocal at all when it comes to these sort of things. With this country not having any mandatory military service any longer, to be honest I havent even considered the idea that it still occurs in so many other countries and to be perfectly honest wouldnt be writing about it now I dont think, if it werent for the fact  my fiancee’s son, JM,  is in the midst of now dealing with this antiquated and narrow minded system.

JM is a very clever and hard studying student and has been seriously planning a career in aviation,  a pilot,  now for the last two years, having enrolled in the RAF cadets program at the UK bases in Akrotiri around 16 months ago I am thinking. He has excelled in it and has had many opportunities through the cadets, and this last year received a scholarship to go to one of the bases in the UK where he had his first solo flight, from take off to landing! How many 16 year olds in this country or any other really can say they have given that much effort to a lifetime carreer? I have to laugh thinking of myself now when I was 16 and not even thinking about the next day, much less what I would do for a living! I admire him very much for his determination and his abilities. Proud of him too!  well he is at the end of school now and at a time he should have already been applying to university and seeking financial aid, here these things are done generally at the start of the senior year of high school and the students have a very good idea of what they need as far as finances and the like. Well there in Cyprus when a young man reaches 18 and is out of school he must enroll in a mandatory military service for a certain period of time, officially 25 months according to the web site of the Ministry of Defence. Well there are shorter times of service  reported in other various sites and quotes by officials ranging from a few weeks to 16 months, depending on circumstances. Well heres where the confusion starts. Of course like anyone ready to get his life started in his chosen profession, he would love to be able to apply to a few of these schools and begin to sort the financing, but he cant do anything specific as far as setting a date as the Army wont tell him a thing other than he cant get out of service until he is enrolled is their official statement upon each and every inquiry. Well there is a long list of meetings between the army recruiters and JM and Alison, as they began near a year ago just trying to get some idea of a decision and a specific date , Well not only for JM’s sake to get into school or start to work this summer to earn some money for what is going to be a very expensive tuition for this sort of career, but also for Alison and I to have an idea when we can begin to set a date for ourselves to be together too. Its one thing to be separated by this distance but being in limbo of the time we know is coming is just a hard ache to bear. And then there is JM’s anxiety too, heres this fine young man, so very capable of being whatever he wants to be stuck in just the same limbo, not having a clue when he can even start on his journey to what should be an exciting if nervous time in his life. He is waiting for answers too. When they first approached the army to inquire ahead of time to save the wait, they were told to first write a letter to the Minister stating their case and it would be reviewed and a decision would be made, well a month later when thy said it would be, a second visit and numerous calls had them writing yet another letter and restating things a different way, giving the urgency now of Alison leaving the country in very short time. Well another month is passed and still nothing, so Alison is getting perturbed now ( oh these people just dont know how much patience Alison is giving these idiots!) Well then after that its a trip to the main  offices in Nicosia for a meeting, and they come back from that with even less an idea only being told the case is being reviewed Oh but now they are starting to say he can only be released from service after he’s enrolled! Oh theres universal government brilliance at work there, cant take someone out of the system if they aren’t in it! ) Well now its seeming that is the official answer each time, well if it can be called an answer, they still have been giving no indication of a time or what length of service he may have to do.  Nor can he legally leave the country without being scrutinized like someone trying to hide from the system and they even have it if he does leave the country without proper procedures at his age, he could be arrested on returning and placed into service that very day of coming back! Well of course he wants to go back to visit Cyprus at some point, he was born there and part of his family is there. Well its just a mess all around as Alison of course would find it hard to leave JM there alone, as how would he live and where and just those simple things. Oh there is something seriously wrong when a family cannot plan to make some changes in there life such as to relocate to another country or get an education! Now this is not an attack on Cyprus, I love the country and would be there now if it were possible. Just these bureaucrats are making this a right mess for everyone. Well there are so many people who are just not even paying mind to the service and sneaking out one way or another, some going through the Northern areas to get out, some just leaving on trips and not returning, or planning to return! Well we all want to go through the proper channels to make it right, but just like everywhere the right way is the most difficult and most expensive. No wonder the world is in the state its in.

Well I will put more to this later, my baby is just getting home now from Akrotiri taking JM to cadets so I will meet her at the door and give her a welcome home kiss, ok I know I’m 5000 miles away, but the Internet is one lovely invention! thanks Al Gore! LOL

Technorati Tags: Cyrpus
National Guard,conscription,JM,Alison

Good Morning Kisses to my Love :)

X X X X X I love you Alison <3

Well this post is going to be a bit different in a way from most on here…  Alison and I have spent the last two years faithfully writing each other each morning and night and in between too. Only the rare occasion when one of us has been on a plane to see the other have we ever missed a mail to each other! It just feels strange to not be writing one tonight so I came up with this brilliant idea to not only send my Angel a kiss,but also tell her what I am up to this evening (and in the process I have another post on my site!   Well i could still send her an email but she may not get it until she is home as she’s in Protaras this weekend with JM and her longtime friend Anne, who is visiting her for a couple of weeks. They are staying at the Sunrise Beach Hotel. JM has his laptop and I can of course send a mail to his account, but I’m sure he’s not really so excited to be the middle man for mushy love mails! LOL Well i will mail the link to this post instead. I know they only may have just a few minutes online as the hotel there is charging for Internet access… unless JM can find an open WiFi connection that is! Its a shame really considering the prices of hotel rooms, especially these bigger ones, that internet service is not provided in each room free to guests. I know here there are a lot of them now offering it as part of the amenities. As are a lot of coffee shops and the like. Considering now how so many other devices besides PC’s are suing the internet and are Wifi enabled, cell phones (mobiles), game consoles, mp3 players, PDA’s.. oh the list is increasing all the time, it really should be something that becomes quite common now.  Oh l’m rambling here too in the post, just as I do in the mails! See Alison, its not just you I ramble on with! lol

JM and Aris

JM and Aris singing “Only You”

Alison’s son, JM and his mate Aris performing at ‘Spotlight’, a small show for amateurs , run by Premiere Society, a cultural society in Limassol. They have sung together on numerous occasions before. Aris us going to be going to school here in the states in the near future and has now left to go to Canada for a while first. so this is their last performance together for a while. They did a great job on this song and they are very talented guys!

JM – Sound of Silence – Cover

JM on YouTube, Sound of Silence
This is one of my favourite songs by Simon and Garfunkel, and a great job by JM, Alison’s son, performing at ‘Spotlight’ a small show for amateurs , run by the Premiere Society, a cultural society in Limassol.

A Very Special Thanks~

To Maureen and Jack for the wonderful engagement present! Alison’s mam and dad gave us a nice holiday within a holiday! We spent Monday through Wednesday in the Alexander the Great Hotel in Paphos. It was such a wonderful time and we both appreciate it so very much! Can’t wait to thank you in person, it’s a memory that wil last a lifetime!

Thanks also to Agneta and George for a wonderful lunch in Vouni, to Allyson & Marios and Thereza & Andros for making me feel welcome, to Dee and Philip for their hospitality, to Frosso for a lovely evening of chat and company, to Julie and the people at Mom’s bar on the base I met and had chance to speak to, to all of Alison’s coworkers at 3D for the welcome I received and a special thanks to JM for making me feel welcome and for getting the grill going!! lol , can’t forget Benji either! What a wonderful time I had there and can;t wait to go back! Love and best wishes to all

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Thank you for visiting our site! We both are so happy to announce our engagement. We have created this site to share our happiness with our family and friends as well as keep everyone up to date on all our plans. With the distance and responsiblities of both of us at the present we haven’t set a date yet, but trust us, when we do…. YOU WILL ALL KNOW IT! Feel free to browse around and celebrate with us this blessing of amazing love that has been destined since the dawn of time There are links to several photo albums that will be updated as we go along. Our latest pics from my trip to Cyprus are/will be in this post , Cyprus Trip. Be sure to check in to see what we’re up to, well as much as we are going to put on the web anyway! The Holiday Pics post has a link to the pictures from Alison’s trip to the US in May 2007, and ended up engaged to a man who adores and treasures her like no other! And she said yes very quick , by the way! We’d love to hear from everyone! Feel free to add a comment to any of the posts we have made, or If you want to say hi to us on holiday then click here! –>Thanks for dropping by!! Love to all, Chester & Alison x

Day 3 in Cyprus

We decided to spend the third day just staying close to home and resting as the time difference was beginning to catch up with me by the third day and I think Alison was a bit glad to have a break as well! It was still quite hot too so it was a good day to be taking it easy. Well we did venture out and about close to home during the day.

Pics for this post are here:

http://picasaweb.google.com/garazon/Day3Cyprus

We went out early in the morning to the cemetery where Nicos’ memorial is located, not far at all from Alison’s house. It’s a very large cemetery with some very elaborate graves and memorials. It’s a bit of a difference between the cultures here and there in so many ways. Well its striking the appearance first off, all are marble or stone memorials covering almost every inch of the place and most all of them have the photos on them, along with an oil lamp that burns continuously, or intended to burn. Most are maintained and filled with oil. And most have areas around them where flowers and shrubs are planted and there is something blooming everywhere. Seeing some of these large ones in Cyprus ( as well as the smaller ones in the villages) and then seeing the average cemetery here in the States with simple headstones and markers is sort of a shock. Just different cultures and customs. Well that is another post in itself as well for another time… maybe. From the cemetery we back to the house and just spent most of the day relaxing, a run out to the local Carrefour, which is similar to our supermarkets here but a bit bigger, nearer to a superwalmart than just a supermarket as they have everything, clothing, electronics, etc. Well that was another culture shock of sorts. First walking in I noticed all the cashiers were sitting! And nice seats too! lol I have to wonder what some of the cashiers form the store I work would say if they had seen that! those poor folks in the summer time here are on their feet the whole day and can only sit when they take a break in the back, if they’re lucky to even get one. I forget now what we went in to pick up, but I remember mostly just glancing at the brands on the shelf. Well there are a few of the brand new names out, but just the overall appearance of the American name brands that were there looked like a flashback to the 80’s! Even some of the old logo’s. Odd in a way, and then to have them mixed in with the local brands, most in Greek, well I would likely be lost! We really are a spoiled lot here in the US. too many choices I think sometimes. I was particularly wanting to see the meats , since that’s my profession. Well I was shocked at what I saw. Well first of all beef is not as readily available or as popular as it is here, but what they did have in the cases was horrible looking! days old at least and some eye round roasts that were so dried out from sitting in the case they were closer to chunky style beef jerky! they would have sacked the whole meat department on the spot if that was here in the US! None of it was prepackaged either, they were all service type cases and as they were cutting, they just dumped it into the case, and I mean literally dumped it! lol Well I guess its what people are used to, as they seemed busy. Pork and chicken were the biggest sellers and a lot of lamb too from the looks of the case. Well I personally would be afraid to buy anything, but I’m the same way here as being a meat cutter I rarely buy anything unless I cut it myself! It was interesting to see first hand the little differences between here and there, but I am telling all the Americans reading this, you have no idea how spoiled we really are as a nation and how wasteful as well. It gave me a new appreciation, and brought a feeling of shame as well for the nitpicking we do over what are really stupid things to begin with. Now that will be a post in the future, for sure!

We went back to the house and just stayed in the rest of the day. Watched a little tv, tried to take a nap but it was a bit warm and I think really I was still just excited to be there and didnt want to miss anything! We took Benji out for a walk around the neighborhood and I got chance to look around a bit more as up to now it was near dark when we had taken him out. Like everywhere these days its building up fast in Limassol. One of the things that I was amzed about was when they build a house the contractors oor owners will just have the material delivers and they sit out on the sidewalks or road! Same with the demolition debris! Well I guess they clean it all up when they’re done, but for all that time the stuff just sits there, and noboby messes with it! Can you imagine buying a pallet or two of roofing tiles and just storing them in the yard or on the street here? they would be gone the next morning! LOL And I swear I think I could have built a house with all the leftovers just thrown about. When we got back JM and I had a nice game of chess outside at the table while Alison fixed a fabulous meal. She had bought a chicken roll of sorts, well its a boneless rolled stuffed chicken wrapped in bacon and cheese. No not from Carrefour! lol theres a wonderful meat shop right down the road from her house which was very nice as I found out a few days later when we went to get some minced meat( ground pork ) We ate out in the garden and enjoyed a wonderful meal and some wonderful wine! I really have developed a taste for it… well some of it… After dinner Frosso came by and we sat and had another bottle and a wonderful evening just chatting and it was a pleasure meeting her. Well I feel I already knew everyone so well from all Alison had talked about them and it didnt seem I was meeting them for the first time really so that was very nice. Well it had to have been a couple of hours we sat out there enjoying the company, and the wine Another wonderful day in Cyprus~ I felt very at home, well, being with Alison… I was home!

Day 2 in Cyprus

A Trip to the Mountains

On the second day, Thursday October 11th, we decided to have a change of scenery and headed off to the Troodos mountains to walk through and tour a couple of the villages, Lania and Omodos. It turned out to be another hot day so it was good we decided to head to the mountains as it would hopefully be a bit cooler, turns out it wasn’t so much cooler at all! But still better than it would have been going somewhere near the sea. Its only a 20 minute drive or so from Limassol but it’s like entering a completely different place and time to see these villages which mostly retain the old way of life.

Photos for this post are here: http://picasaweb.google.com/garazon/Day2Cyprus

Before I go on about the villages I want to relate another story. We needed gas/petrol before we went out too far today and made a pit stop just before leaving Limassol. Well we pulled into one of the stations , can’t remember the name of it right off, well anyway I noticed a couple of employees near the pumps as we pulled in. I didn’t think much of it, one was sitting down in a small chair and I just assumed she was taking a break and I thought the other was just there to collect the money. Well Alison mentioned upon pulling in to see about getting someone to check the water as she had just had a new radiator put in the car and wanted to make sure things were ok before we headed up, and asked me to see is there was 50¢ CYP laying about to tip the guy. Well being from the states I was used to nothing but self service stations and was wondering what the tip was for. Ok we do have a couple of places that come pump the gas for you and collect the money, but that’s all they do. well the guy puts the gas in and heads back to the pump and then I found myself dumbfounded as the guy turns and comes back with a bucket and a squeegee! He then proceeds to clean not only the windshield, but the door windows and back window as well! I was in shock almost! I haven’t seen that kind of service since the late 60’s here in the states! Well he didn’t stop there, Alison popped the hood and the guy checks the oil and topped of the coolant tank as well! WOW! It was one of those twilight zone moments almost! well it made me smile too to see that there are still places that do this sort of thing in the world, I was loving Cyprus even more then.

Well with the car filled up we set out on our way. Our first destination was a smaller village that Alison said was one of the more picturesque, Lania.
She was right as usual
(description from website ) LANIA
Lania is a small, beautiful village, built at the foot of Mount Troodos on the main Limassol to Troodos road, about 26 Kms from Limassol. Lania is one of the main wine producing villages.
According to tradition, Lania got its name from Lania, daughter of the Greek god of wine and pleasure: Dionysos. This indicates the deep roots of the village in the field of vine-growing and wine-making. The village is well known for the high quality of its grapes and wines.
At the time Erricos was King of France, the country’s vineyards from which champagne was produced were destroyed by disease. The King went in search of healthy plants, which he found in Lania. The plants were loaded on a ship, transported to France and used to replant the Champagne vineyards. It is believed that during his stay in Cyprus, Erricos used to spend time at the Royal Oak of Lania, an 800 year old oak tree which sadly collapsed in 1997. In the same area, only a few metres from the Royal Oak, there is another oak tree, even bigger and well worth a visit.
The inhabitants of the village are occupied with vine-growing and the production of wine-related products including Zivania, Commandaria and Sousouko. Amongst the flower-lined streets and traditional architecture lies the village church, dedicated to St Mary. The Icon of St Mary of Valana, one of the oldest paintings in the world, is displayed in the church.
In Lania one can find an ancient and authentic Linos, a wine press, formerly used in the production of Commandaria. The entrance to the village is dominated by the old fountain from which villagers would get their drinking water and still today brings back memories of bygone times.

I totally fell in love with this village with it’s narrow stone streets and old stone houses, many of which have been restored and updated but kept their look and feel. And the amazing variety of floral plantings all along the streets and houses was beautiful. Somehow we missed the church, but did see the Linos. I guess because of the time of the year some of the places that usually are open, artists galleries and souvenir shops, even the Linos, were all closed. It was so quiet and peaceful and as we strolled the streets you could sense it. I could live in a place like this, long as they have Internet access!

Omodos was the next stop. (from the website) Omodhos is located in the district of Limassol and is one of the best wine producing villages in Cyprus. It is about 35 kilometres (26 miles) from Limassol, 80 km from Nicosia and 7 km from Platres. The first view you get when you arrive in Omodhos is of its enormous big square, surrounded by whitewashed stone house, mulberry trees, tavernas, coffeehouse and souvenir shops. The village consists of many narrow streets, white houses and a picturesque church. The villagers speak the original Cypriot language and are very devoted to the contact with each other and their religious believes. Without doubt, when visiting Omodhos, one will be astonished by the women, farmers and traders who still maintain the traditional way of working.
For centuries, the people of Omodhos have worshipped and established this richness with care and devotion, which explains their, and my, proud. The inhabitants of the village Omodhos form a close community, who sometimes tend to exaggerate in their proud for their village. (Of course, we are just as common as any other villager in Cyprus, but we like to think of ourselves as the best people of the island. The village has a rich cultural heritage and is especially famous for its agricultural and natural resources, for example the many vineyards that can be found in and around the village.

A more detailed site for Omodos can be found here, giving the history of the village, the church, the wines and more. Including some links to photos of the inside the church. We weren’t allowed to photograph inside ourselves.

Omodos was much larger than Lania and of course had all the little tourist shops open as well as a few restaurants and taverns. We parked near the large village square and went there first. The entire square is paved, if that is the word to use, with stones and rocks mostly set on edge rather than flat, and you need some good shoes to walk on it very long! The walk down the square leads to the Monastery of the Holy Cross, a really lovely setting with the church in the center and the surrounding structure housing some artifacts and restored rooms now, as well as a museum for the National Struggle and a folk art museum as well is housed in one of the areas. We spent a good while in this area taking a few photos, outside of the church itself.
Being about lunchtime we decided to grab something to eat and drink and have
a sit down for a bit. Even up in the mountains it was still warm this day. We decided on a spot just across from the entrance to the square at a grill/restaurant/tavern. Like most place here the seating is outside as well as inside and we opted for a table out in the breeze under the umbrella. It also gave us a good view of all the activities. I had my first taste of Calamari here and actually liked it!. Well actually Alison ordered that, and me being the adventurous American tourist ordered a … cheeseburger! LOL Well it wasn’t the best tasting thing in the world mind you, probably some frozen beef patty, maybe containing beef somewhere in it, and some kind of very bland cheese. Cypriots do some really wonderful and great tasting Greek and Cypriot dishes, but they suck at American ones! LOL Well nevermind I ate it and it was filling. I tried the local Keo beer too, but wasn’t so fond of that either. Well what else goes with a burger… oh yes.. Pepsi please! lol Anyway we had a nice time sitting and talking and yes smooching too! Right across the street there is part of a winery and all the time we were there the local farmers were transporting their grapes to sell. A steady stream of pickup trucks hauling crates of grapes and waiting in line to unload them. Quite interesting to see this side of things, instead of just seeing the bottles in the stores! We sat a right good while and then strolled around a bit more. We had been walking around 2 days now in the heat, between that and me trying to adjust to the time we were both ready to call it a day!
The villages were lovely to see and I liked Lania the best, just smaller and quieter and less touristy than Omodos., but both gorgeous villages and I loved it. Loved the guide more though Thanks my love for everything! XXX

In the evening I rode with Alison and JM to take him to the base at Akrotiri where he is in the Air Training Corps as a cadet. He wants to be a pilot and this program at the camp has given him a lot of good expereince and this summer he had his first solo flight! Amazing, he’s only 17 and already took off and landed a plane himself and I have just for the first time set foot on one!
So while he was doing his thinkg alison took me around to see some of the places she hangs out while she waits for him to get done with cadets. Most of the time she goes and caht with some friends at a little bar called Mom’s. Just a small place but a very nice relaxed feeling when you walk in. I got to meet Julie, a friend of Alison’s who has a son also in the cadets that she met and passes the time with. We sat there a short while and chatted, but had to leave before too long as we were supposed to go and meet Dee and Philip who live in Kolossi and then go back and pick JM up. Julie was nice enough to offer pick him up and to drop him off on the way so that we might have a longer visit with Dee. Dee works with Alison at 3D and is a lovely and very funny person. They have a gorgeous home and we sat and had a glass of wine or two and talked and the time passed so quickly. There are so many people I have come to know through Alison that she always see and tells me about I really would have liked to have met them all and spent more time with them, but we just couldnt manage to fit it all in with the short time we had. Everyone made me feel so at ease and in a way I felt I had already met them and they said the same about me! Well we had to meet up with Julie to get Jm and then headed home. We hadn’t eaten yet so aliosn stopped at a take away place and I had my first taste of sheftalia, a Cyrpriot style grilled sausage of sorts . Oh I loved this! it was in a pita bread with tomatoes and cucumbers.. wonderful taste, and I have been craving it ever since I got back to the states!

Another wonderful day that passed much too fast, but memories that will last me a lifetime. I love Cyprus, and especially one Cyprus angel!

Day 1 in Cyprus

What an incredible time we have shared on my first visit to Cyprus. I don’t think I could even begin to describe how perfect it was. Every minute I felt so happy, so at ease and so content. And that was just from being beside my Love for 10 days, the rest of the island was nice too and wonderful to tour

It really wasn’t even close to enough time to see and explore everything I would have liked. The island is so rich in history and culture, so beautiful that it would take a month to go see and do everything and that would just scratch the surface. And then there are all the stories I can tell about the lifestyle and day to day things that you don’t think about until you actually experience them firsthand. Cyrus driving and traffic is a post by itself! lol

So let me start with Day 1. The first few days were really hot, as they are having a warm October just as we are here. Oh we think its dry here having so little rain, well it is, but there you can see the dust in the air at times and everything gets covered so quick in it. The dams are all so very low right now. I think even though we think about conserving water here in the states we don’t realize just how good we have it until you go to restaurant there and have to buy water!

After breakfast and coffee we headed out to explore. I was most wanting to see some of the archaeological sites and that sort of thing, so we took the first day and planned a trip to Curium and the Kolossi and Limassol Castles. It was probably too hot to do it, but we were not having so many days to do everything so we journeyed on. The area of Curium is beautiful really. You could spend the entire day or two just in that area alone. The first place we went was to see the Curium amphitheatre. Today the theatre is used for cultural events. I’ve had a few mails since we met and Alison has often spoke of going to see performances there so this is one of the first places I wanted to see and experience. It was originally built in the 2nd century B.C. but what is preserved today dates to the Roman period with 2nd and 3rd century A.D. additions and restorations. In the curved auditorium the spectators’ seating area accommodates around 3500 people. The stage only preserves its foundations but it originally rose to the full height of the auditorium. You can Google up Curium or Kourion and get more detailed history of the theatre and the surrounding city itself. It was a wonderful feeling though to sit on those steps and think that almost 200 years ago how many people have sat there with the same view I had of the sea and it must have been magnificent to sit under the stars. There was a tour group there when we were walking around and even though they were situated near the top seats of the theatre as she was giving the history, we were down below and could hear quite clearly her voice. Amazing the acoustics in these places! Right next to the theatre is the remains of The House of Eustolios, which consists of many rooms with fascinating 5th century AD mosaic floors and a complex of baths. The majority of it all protected by over walks and a large canopy. The photos show many of the different mosaics that once covered the bottom of the baths and its not hard to imagine how splendid it must have looked in its day. In some of the photos of the rooms you can see the pillars that once held the floors up, as well as the clay pipes that served as the conduits for the water, a system that is still in popular use today as well in the area! You look at things like this and think that with all our advances in technology have we really come so far today in just the basic day to day living? I don’t think so.

The Amphitheatre is directly above the Curium beach, and you may see hand-gliders riding above the Curium cliffs. One of the most appealing beaches on the island, Curium is a beach of unspeakable beauty. The sea is rough and wild, whereas the beaches are gentle to have fun on. This beach is also a popular sailing spot but can get overcrowded with swimmers. We left from here and rode down to get to the beach area. We stopped just before the beach area to a little stone church still in use, St Ermogenis. The Entry door can’t be much more than 5 feet tall. And inside probably has less than a dozen wooden carved seats, the walls are covered in the icons which are in all the churches here. Over on one side is the tomb and burial site of the saint the church is named after, St Ermogenis . I thought we had a picture of it but I don’t see one. Itwas very quaint and you could feel a deep sense of it being used continually as a place of prayer and peace.

From there it was just a short drive down to the beach . We didn’t go on the Beach itself that day. Forgot about our swimsuits really, so with it being hot we went to one of the restaurants right on the beach and had a cool drink and just sat in the breeze a while. That’s one of the things that struck me all over Cyprus, no one seems to be in a hurry (unless they are driving lol) and you can go and sit in a place like this without feeling you are rushed to leave. I was absorbed in the beautiful view from there, you can see the cliffs and the sea and its quite a striking site. the photos really don’t do justice to it. And the colour of the sea itself amazing. It makes the ocean and sounds around NC look like mud! I took a ton of pics of the sea from all over the island! And the rocks too

With more than half the day already gone we made our way back with a stop at the Kolossi Castle. It is still in very good shape. The Castle of Kolossi was initially built in 1210 and rebuilt in its present form in the middle of the 15th century. The castle first belonged to King Hugh I who gave it to the Knights of St. John in order for their support in his fight against the Muslims. The knights controlled sixty villages on the island and being such good farmers and having a great business sense, all villages were strengthened. Kolossi became one of the Knights most valuable overseas possessions when they produced the famous Commandaria wine, which was sought after all over Europe and brought the knights fame and fortune. According to tradition the Kolossi Castle is where Richard the Lion-heart and Queen Berengaria spent their honeymoon.

Next on the agenda was a quick stop at the Limassol Castle or fort as some places call it. Located near the old port, Limassol Mediaeval fort was built in the 14th century, on the land of an earlier Byzantine Castle and it houses the Cyprus Mediaeval museum. This is where it is believed that Richard the Lion-heart married Berengaria Navarre crowning her Queen of England in 1191. We didn’t go inside this one as by this time we were both drained from the heat and climbing stone stairs all morning long! Theres tons of links though to its history and pictures if you ant to google it.
From there we decided to make our way home. We took out some chicken kebabs to do on the grill for supper. Even that was a surprise to me as we had to go get some charcoal for the grill. Another one of those things you don’t think about until you are in a different country. I love my Matchlight charcoal, pour it in light it and 10 minutes its ready! Americans really are a lazy bunch!! Well its nice! lol Anyway the charcoal here is just that, chunks of charred wood! There are all sizes in the bag, not uniform at all ,and you have to use paraffin to get it lit! JM did a great job getting it going! Poor guy about wore his arms out fanning it with a dustpan to get it fired up hot enough to cook the kebabs. Anyway they turned out great and we had a wonderful supper there in Alison’s garden under the stairs and in
the cool evening air.

Wow I think It will take me a month at this pace to recount all all of my trip, well it will not be leaving my mind anytime soon and after I get the day to day posts done I will come back and elaborate more on some of them.

All the pics for this post are here http://picasaweb.google.com/garazon/Day1Cyprus
Thanks for reading and for keeping up with us~ love you all
Chester and Alison

Cyprus Trip!

Update 5
Thursday- WOW my last night in Cyprus and I finally found a Miller beer!! Would have preferred a Miller Lite but hey I’m over the moon with the regular! I’ve tried the local Keo beer and its ok, the next biggest one here is Carlsburg which I really dont care for either, but I’m not a big beer drinker anyway. Anyway I’m glad to have run across the Miller at the nearby Carrefour store. Its really an eyeopener going to shop in a country foreign to me. I’ll speak more of all the experiences later.

I’ve had a fabulous time the last 4 days. We went on Monday to Paphos and I have tons of pics on my camera from the archealogical sites we went, and some breathtaking views of the sea and mountains. I’m having trouble getting them from the card to Alison’s pc so I’ll have to wait until i get back to the US to put them online.

We’re going out to eat tonight for my last time here in Cyprus. I really am going to hate to get on that plane in the morning. I would have never thought in a million years I would have ever been anywhere out of the country, but God works in wonderful ways and I’m so happy now to be here and to be in love. Will try to update once more before I leave, but if not I’ll see you all when I get back tomorrow night. hope Jan remembers to pick me up! LOL

Update 4 Sat and Sun Saturday went to Governors Beach in Limassol and had a very relaxing afternoon. I couldn’t believe how clear the water was. Standing with the sea up to my neck I could see my feet! You cant even manage seeing a couple of inches in the water there at home in NC! The water temps were lovely too, It was a wonderful afternoon doing nothing!
In the evening we wnet out to eat at the Pizza Express which from the sound of it is nothing like you would see in the US. Quite a fancy menu and live entertainment on the weekends. Still havent found a Miller Lite anywhere yet though!

Sunday we rode to Vouni Village and had lunch at one of the local tavernas, Taxis, with George and Agneta… it was very nice and quite a relaxed and cozy atmosphere. Of course the wine here is making everywhere relaxed! Afterwards it was back to Agneta’s for a coffee and another wine and to meet up with more friends of Alison, Allyson and Marios, and Thereza and Andros. Of course they were all seemingly so familiar already as I ahve seen their photos so many times since meeting Alison and hearing of all the get togethers, I felt very comfortable every minute as if I had been here before.

Heading off for a couple of day now, Monday and Tuesday, to go to Paphos for another holiday within a holiday! Thanks to Alison’s mam and dad!!

Update 3 Friday
Another wonderful day, we stayed near home today to just rest up and relax. Finally now getting adjusted to the time, ran out to a few shops off and on. Had a lovely dinner, the food here is wonderful. I’ve even tried Kalimari now! hey I liked it! Spent a nice evening in the garden and meeting Frosso was winderful. Having a bit of trouble these last two days with the internet being slow so I havent got all the pics uploaded. Tomorrow is going to be another rest day, a trip to the beach and sit in the sun and a dip in the sea.

Update 2 Thursday Had a wonderful day doing the tourist thing, started with a visit to Curium and then the Kolosi and Limassol Castles the photos are here http://picasaweb.google.com/garazon/Day1Cyprus

Got a real education on cypriot traffic and driving too! LOL It’s crazy!!!

Ended the evening with a brandy and coke and JM’s wonderful chicken kabobs on the grill!
off today to a mountain village, will post later

UPDATE!!!

I’m in Cyprus!!! YEA!!! I love flying! Oh it is one long trip and very tiring but worth every minute! I crashed right out after we got back from the airport but agood nights sleep has me feeling good and we will be off to explore after coffee and breakfast!

Almost out the door now to the airport!

Doing some last minute things now, just some odds and ends and waiting impatiently for the time to pass! I’m so excited now I can’t stand it! I’m going to post the pics as often as I can to share with everyone and use this site to keep in touch, so drop in from time to time and check back for anything new and just to say hi. I dont know that I’ll take too much time to post much other than the pics for now, but if anything comes up we’ll put it here. See you guys when I’m in Cyprus! Maybe Alison can add some updates until then

love and best wishes to all,
Chester & Alison

Travel Itinerary
all times are local to the cities of arrival and departure

Flight 1: Northwest Airlines flight 1447 (Non-Stop)
Depart: Norfolk , VA (ORF) – Terminal Information Unavailable
‘ Mon, Oct 08 at 4:15pm
Arrive: Detroit , MI (DTW) – E.M. MCNAMARA TERMINAL
‘ Mon, Oct 08 at 6:12pm

Flight 2: Northwest Airlines flight 32 (Non-Stop)
Depart: Detroit , MI (DTW) – E.M. MCNAMARA TERMINAL
‘ Mon, Oct 08 at 9:25pm
Arrive: London Gatwick , UK (LGW) – SOUTH TERMINAL
‘ Tue, Oct 09 at 10:05am

Flight 3: British Airways flight 6844 operated by GB AIRWAYS LTD (Non-Stop)
Depart: London Gatwick , UK (LGW) – NORTH TERMINAL
‘ Tue, Oct 09 at 1:15pm
Arrive: Paphos , Cyprus (PFO) – Terminal Information Unavailable
‘ Tue, Oct 09 at 7:40pm
______________________________________________________

Flight: KLM Airlines flight 3398 operated by CYPRUS AIRWAYS LTD
(Non-Stop)
Depart: Paphos , Cyprus (PFO) – Terminal Information Unavailable
‘ Fri, Oct 19 at 10:20am
Arrive: Amsterdam , Netherlands (AMS) – Terminal Information Unavailable
‘ Fri, Oct 19 at 1:40pm

Flight: Northwest Airlines flight 55 (Non-Stop)
Depart: Amsterdam , Netherlands (AMS) – Terminal Information Unavailable
‘ Fri, Oct 19 at 3:35pm
Arrive: Minneapolis/St Paul, MN (MSP) – LINDBERGH TERMINAL
‘ Fri, Oct 19 at 5:40pm

Flight: Northwest Airlines flight 2808 operated by NORTHWEST AIRLINK
(Non-Stop)
Depart: Minneapolis/St Paul, MN (MSP) – LINDBERGH TERMINAL
‘ Fri, Oct 19 at 7:08pm
Arrive: Norfolk , VA (ORF) – Terminal Information Unavailable
‘ Fri, Oct 19 at 10:58pm