A village getaway

A colleague recently said to me that the term 'holiday' is somewhat misleading, when used to describe travel with four young children!  Consequently we were glad this week to be able to spend a few days away in a village by the coast before we head off tonight as a family on a month of travel.  We stayed in a village called Maroni (about 1hour from Nicosia), in an old house belonging to some friends.  It was most enjoyable to take a brief glimpse of life in a small Cypriot village.  The village is comprised of impossibly narrow streets and blooming Bougainvillea everywhere.  In the centre of the village, many houses have large open living areas that open directly onto the street, so as you walk through the village it feels a little like you are in someone's living room.  Many of the houses are whitewashed, giving an impression and feeling of a typical Greek village.

The house itself must date back atleast 100 years, and has a simple design with rooms built around a large closed courtyard.  The outlook is fantastic: olive groves, pines, wheat fields and the ocean.  For us it was great to stop for a few days, and also for the kids to be in a place where they need to make their own fun away from the normal trappings of home.  Also for Ross, given the busyness of the last few months at work, it was a good way to start winding down before we travel.   

So tonight it's off to Brussels, and then driving for the next few days to Denmark.  This will be Sam and Anna's first time off the island since we arrived, so all are looking forward to a break. Anna in particular is most excited about the prospect of having her own seat on the plane, and duly wearing her seatbelt when instructed (mum and dad still have flashbacks of her last flight 18mths ago, when she screamed for most of the way from Dubai to Cyprus because she didn't want to wear a seatbelt)!  

Let the 'holiday' begin!