Tag: Holidays

The colours of Reykjavik

20 December 2016

The Icelandic daybreak we’d been anticipating since midday when we’d stood by the Saga Museum and seen pink clouds in the sky seemed to be a bit of a mirage. There was certainly more light than there had been when we set out but, an hour after the sky first began to get lighter, the sun appeared to have stalled on the horizon and risen no further, leaving us in a kind of perpetual dawn. It was a strange state of affairs but at least we could now see the colours of Reykjavik. Continue reading The colours of Reykjavik

The land of the midday moon

20 December 2016

Iceland, the most sparsely populated country in Europe, is often dubbed the land of the midnight sun because, during the summer, the sun barely sets. In winter of course, it’s a different story. Sunlight is a rare and fleeting thing. Even after a slightly disconcerting shower in sulphurous water, a leisurely breakfast and a great deal of Google Map exploring, it was still as dark as midnight when we left the hotel just after eleven this morning and the moon was the brightest thing in the sky. Continue reading The land of the midday moon

The land of the ice and snow

19 December 2016

The day began with a foggy early morning journey to Heathrow and a late airside breakfast. For once we weren’t heading for the sun, but flying north into the unknown. Our cases were bulging with thick jumpers and thermals and, despite Commando’s insistence that I wouldn’t need them, I had my trusty Yaktrax in my hand luggage. It seemed to me the clue was in the name. Iceland was sure to be icy wasn’t it? Continue reading The land of the ice and snow

All good things come to an end

28 November 2016

With the end of the last race our little Cypriot adventure was drawing to a close. This has been a holiday like no other. Quite a lot of our holidays have a race in them, usually a marathon but this had four races in four days. Between them, Commando has, understandably, spent a lot of time snoozing beside the pool and I have spent a lot of time wandering about on my own. Of course, wandering about on my own is one of my favourite things and, with all the interesting race venues, I’ve seen some places I would otherwise not have even known about. Continue reading All good things come to an end

The last race, medals and beer

27 November 2016

Our long day didn’t quite end with the sunset in Paphos yesterday. Although Commando’s legs were weary after three back to back events and my temperamental Achilles tendon was grumbling at a week of almost non stop walking, we still had to eat. There was one last walk up the hill in the dark to the Coral King for a leisurely dinner. As we sipped our after dinner coffee I noticed we’d been sitting beneath a fresco of the Greek warrior Achilles.  It seemed quite an irony in the circumstances. Continue reading The last race, medals and beer

Another day, another race, the Akamas Multiterrain Half Marathon

26 November 2016

Today we had an even earlier start. A coach picked us up from the hotel at 7:45, still struggling to digest our hasty breakfast. Sue seemed none the worse for her tumble yesterday and was as chirpy and giggly as ever. We were headed for the mountains again, this time for the Akamas Multiterrain Half Marathon. The journey was long but the views from the coach window kept boredom at bay. White painted cuboid houses with terracotta tiled roofs and shady balconies gave way to craggy rock formations dotted with stunted trees, contorted and bowed down by the weight of the relentlessly beating sun. Every inch of flat space was covered with bananas, pomegranates, oranges, cabbages or fruit bushes in rows. What I wouldn’t have given to walk the interesting looking trails we passed. Continue reading Another day, another race, the Akamas Multiterrain Half Marathon

Really ancient history

25 November 2016

Once Commando was back safe from his epic run up the mountain we collected his bag from beneath the row of bronze busts on plinths, a memorial to the men who died in the EOKA struggle for unity with Greece in the 1950’s. Then I finally got my ice cream. The pleasure was short lived though. The first coach back to Coral Bay was preparing to leave and Commando was eager to get his tired legs onto a sunbed as soon as possible. With no food allowed on the coach, most of my ice cream ended up in the bin.  Continue reading Really ancient history

Akamas National Park, mountain running

25 November 2016

We were awake early this morning after what felt like a restless night, at least for me. We ate far too much in the restaurant, preparing for the day ahead, and that, combined with worries about how Commando would cope with an 11k run up a mountain with a gain of more than two thousand feet in elevation, didn’t make for a restful night. For once, Commando ate hardly anything at breakfast, a first for us on holiday, and he was waiting for me to finish my granola and gloriously nutty bread with homemade jam.  Continue reading Akamas National Park, mountain running

The Coral Beach 6k Time Trial and a Cypriot sunset

24 November 2016

This morning was mostly about resting, sitting on a sunbed by the pool reading in fact. Commando wasn’t reading, he was mostly snoozing, because he had the first race of the Cyprus International 4 Day Challenge ahead of him. When I got fed up with reading and my eyes began to close I went for a little wander in the hotel grounds admiring the bourganvillia growing in huge stone pots in shady areas. There was no time to wander any further, besides, I needed to conserve my energy because, one way or another, I had a bit of a walk ahead. Continue reading The Coral Beach 6k Time Trial and a Cypriot sunset

Sea Caves Road

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23 November 2016

Even before Sue joined me on my walk to the shipwreck I’d planned to return along Sea Caves Road. For one, it was a far shorter route than the meandering rocky one along the cliff top weaving in and out of all the little coves. It was also, in part, the walk I’d taken this morning with Eddie. Then I’d been busy talking and I hadn’t had my camera with me. There were a few things I wanted a closer look at.  Continue reading Sea Caves Road