Today we all joined Sharman and Sophie for an 8 am 3 hour hill walk. It was another beautiful day with more bird spotting and lots of wild flowers. This afternoon we’re catching up on rest and reading and a few boat chores. Tomorrow we’ll head off to Büyükkonuk for the Sunday market and end of the month festival. We will also do some of the Büyükkonuk Walk # 28 listed in my Walks in North Cyprus book. We’d saved lots of adventures for when Linda and Charmain arrived and now it’s full speed ahead!

Ru

Friday’s Adventure…..

We set off early Friday. The first stop was the rental car company in Boğaz to add Charmaine as a driver. Next came an ATM stop. Then we were off for the Friday market in Iskele. Randal and I had been to Iskele but not on a Friday. Also, when we’d been the Icon Museum was closed so we thought we’d try again. From there we’d head to Kantara Castle where we’d have a picnic lunch! Everything was perfect except I forgot my camera card and my spare held only 3 photos?@^#^%#$#!!!!! Good thing Charmaine took some great photos and I could include them here.

Iskele Friday Market

We bought lots of dried fruit and a dried fruit and nut concoction that is really good but not really sweet. Even the prunes taste good! There were lots of great looking veggies and strawberries but we didn’t want anything to sit in the car all day, so we took a pass on the fresh produce. We will visit the market in Büyükkonuk tomorrow and our own in Yenierenköy on Monday. (One of my 3 photos! All photos are Charmaine’s unless noted.)

ICON MUSEUM OF ISKELE

“This museum was inaugurated on 23rd May, 1991 in the main church (Panayia Theotokos- Blessed Virgin Mary) of the village as a result of work carried out by the Department of Antiquities and Museums of the Ministry of National Education and Culture.

The church housing the museum was built in the early 12th century. It originally had a single isle and a dome, with arched recesses on the side ward. Such churches represent the popular church architecture of 12th century in Cyprus.

In the 15th century a vaulted aisle was added on the northern side and at a later date an extension at the west. The church was soundly repaired in 1804. A carved railing (Thorakion) taken from the original iconostasis was installed on modern belfry standing on the north – east corner of the church. Some of the wall paintings dating back to the 12th century still stand today and are rare examples of the art decoration in the island.

Apart from these magnificent wall – paintings, icons belonging to this church and some other icons from other parts of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus which have been put under protection are displayed in the museum. The tiny little chapel of St. James is one of the most charming miniature churches in Cyprus. The interior has porcelain plates in the vaulting, but the icons and iconostasis are without interest. An exact model of the church has the erected by the Queen of Romania, at her palace on the Black Sea, to serve as her private chapel.” http://www.north-cyprus-villa.com/north-cyprus-historicalplace-iskele.htm

http://www.whatson-northcyprus.com/interest/iskele/icon.htm shows more photos of the restored wall paintings these being the most famous.

Church paintings being restored

A photo of ME! And the church and icons.

Linda surrounded by icon paintings rescued from the Greek Churches in North Cyprus.

Our next stop was Kantara Castle.

http://www.mydoramac.com/wordpress/?p=8096 Randal and I visited Kantara Castle in August and this is the link to that entry. This visit everything was green and there were hundreds of lovely cyclamen. Last visit we wore shorts and short sleeves and this time we wore layers of clothes!

Another photo of ME! and Randal, Linda as well as a Swedish tourist.

Looking east towards Karpaz

Linda and Charmaine (with their camera)

On our way home looking back towards the castle built on top of the mountain.

We’d arrived back in Yenierenköy about 3:30 pm and I talked Charmaine and Linda into a walk home from there. We met two Sipahi coffee friends and also saw the local cheese factory truck collecting large yellow containers of milk put out in front of a house. One container was not yellow and we wondered if that was goat’s milk rather than cow’s milk, or the other way round. Alas no photos so hopefully we’ll see the milk being collected again.

Back at the marina and home.

It had become quite windy but the laundry hadn’t blown off the back of the boat. We’d done a load just before leaving at 9 am.

As if that hadn’t been enough exercise, Linda, Charmaine and Randal all went to the gym. Randal did the treadmill and machines and Linda and Charmaine yoga. When they got back to the boat C and L made a great Mexican dinner for us. It will be a sad day when L and C go home and Randal and I have to eat my cooking.