Living in the foreign country during the first year is like being newly married , you look forward to experiencing everything for the first time. You wonder how the holidays will be this year, if the Christmas will still feel like Christmas and what kind of weather you will have in January… Speaking of winter, I find it great wearing sandals in November, the boots will have to hibernate forever! Before moving to TRNC, I’ve lived abroad long enough to know that being a foreigner has its ups and downs. But I see the glass as half full, otherwise I wouldn’t be travelling the world, meeting new people and learning about their culture and traditions.
People in North Cyprus strike me as very friendly, they make you feel warm and welcome. I love it when you run into someone on the street - a perfect stranger that treats you with such kindness and respect it really overwhelms you.
One Sunday morning my husband and I took a trip to Lefke for a Date Festival. Lefke is a small town with population of about 6,000 people. The area is famous for its citrus gardens and dates, and at the festival you could purchase and sample them all. The local crafts were proudly exhibited and you could get some cross stitched purses and linens, coasters and woven chairs, hand-made jewelry as well as olive oil, jams and other preserves.
It was about an hour’s drive from Girne to Lefke, and even though we had breakfast at home, the freshly made köfte and börek were hard to pass by. So we loaded a plate full of food and kept making rounds in the market.
After we have satisfied our palates and bought kilos of oranges, lemons and mandarins we went for a stroll to have a closer look at the date palms. As we were taking in the stunning scenery a car pulled up and a man asked us what we were up to. I mentally prepared to defend ourselves as I thought he was going to confront us about something, but instead he offered to take us to his property and show us around. Mahmut turned out to be an agronomical engineer that has developed the gardens in Lefke area in the 60’s. He told us he worked all over Cyprus making gardens, but now he lives in Istanbul with his family while a gardener is looking after his property. Mahmut told us that the date palms are dioecious, that is they have male and female plants.
The mandarins from the tree were so juicy, the aroma of citrus awakened all senses. In this sunny country with such tantalizing smells, how can anyone ever be unhappy here? It seems like the nature and everything around want to bring you joy!
After our private tour Mahmut took us back into town where we picked up our car and headed to Vouni Palace, which is 9km west of Gemikonagi and it sits on top of the cliff, 250m above the sea level. There is not much left of the palace, but the views are breathtaking, the blue of the Mediterranean and the green of the cypress trees what a perfect combination!
On the way back we stopped for a meal by the sea. The restaurant was very busy, so we decided it was a good sign and we weren’t disappointed. White wine and seafood added a perfect touch to our Sunday getaway.
Greetings from the Island of Love,
Your Tanka Lou
