So yesterday we took the bus to Tel Aviv and then walked the promenade to Jaffa to visit the old and new parts of the city.  Today we went into Herzliya for "made in Israel" Naot sandals for Randal and me.  Linda and Charmaine got a part for their stove that was lots cheaper here, but we were out of luck looking for propane for our cooking stove.  Israel only sells butane so we’ll have to see how that will work.  Tomorrow we’ll take a walk to the Apollonia Park with findings back to 5000 B.C.  I am taking photos everywhere we go and eventually you’ll see them..probably when we get to some other country and I have time.  So for now we’re back in North Cyprus.

Ru

Morning photo from Heidi’s Kitchen

We arrived Wednesday in Heidi and Kalle’s house.  Thursday morning was Heidi’s life drawing group so everyone was up early,  we to go off adventuring and Heidi to prepare for her group.  I so wish I could have been both place!

Our first stop was St. Hilarion Castle.

“Just west of the main Girne Lofkosa road, in the Besparmak mountains, you will find the most westerly of the three Crusader castles of Kantara, Buffevento and St Hilarion. At 732 meters, St Hilarion is at the middle height of the three. It is, however by far the best preserved. The walls and towers appear to sprout off the rocks almost at random, giving the castle a fairy tale look. Indeed it is said to have inspired Walt Disney to use it as a design for the castle in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

The Gatehouse

The castle is named after a little known hermit who fled Palestine during the 7th century to live and die up here, purging the mountain of pagan demons. It is said that the hermit was stone deaf, so was able to resist the tempting cries of the demons who stalked the mountains with ease. The demons finally admitted defeat, and left Hilarion and the mountain in peace. A Byzantine monastery, and later a fort sprang up around his tomb

Owing to its near impregnability, St Hilarion was one of the last castles taken by the crusaders in 1191. The fortifications were improved by the Lusignans during the early 13th century, and the castle was the focus of a four year struggle with the Holy roman Emperor Frederick II for control of the island till he was defeated in 1232. Over the next 140 years, sumptuous royal apartments were added so that the castle became a summer residence. It also served as a place of escape in 1349 when the Black Death swept the island, and estimated numbers of the dead range from one quarter to one half of the entire population.

The castle’s Byzantine church

In 1373, during the Genoese invasion, the castle again became militarily important as the retreat of the under-age King Peter II. His uncle and regent, John of Antioch, mislead by his hostile sister-in-law into believing his bodyguard of Bulgarian mercenaries were treasonous, had them thrown one at a time from the highest tower of the castle. Without his protection, John, who had been implicated in the murder of Eleanor’s husband, was lured to supper with Eleanor in Nicosia where he was, in turn, promptly dispatched.

When the Venetians took over in 1489, they relied on Kyrenia, Nicosia and Famagusta for the defense of the island, and they abandoned St Hilarion and her two sister castles.

Although the Venetians considered the castle obsolete, it came to prominence again in 1964, when the beleaguered Turkish Cypriots used it as the headquarters of their main enclave which included several Turkish Cypriot communities straddling the main Kyrenia Nicosia road. A small garrison of teenage activists was able to fend off EOKA attacks on the castle, and the Turkish Cypriots remained in control thereafter. The castle again played its part in 1974 when it was at the centre of a battle for control of this important pass between north and south Cyprus.

Although St Hilarion is now very much open to the public, the approach road passes through a military area, so is very occasionally closed for access.

The Queen’s Window

The first part of the castle you will come across is the main gate and outer walls, built by the Byzantines in the 11th century. As the path climbs, it passes a still usable cistern and the stables. The first dramatic structure you come across will be the main gatehouse with its arch, which originally closed with a drawbridge. Along the passage you will come across the sizable castle chapel. It is built of bricks and stone blocks, and in danger of collapse, was restored in 1959. Traces of ancient religious paintings are visible, their style pointing to around 1150. However the church is considered far too large for a castle garrison, and it is thought that the Byzantine building is a restoration of a monastery, founded around 800. The area round the castle was originally part of this monastery, and the rooms to the north and east of it were the cellars, kitchen and refectory. Below this is a further series of rooms thought to be barracks for the crusader knights of the 14th century.

Passing through the crusader archway, you will find yourself in the main courtyard. To your right are what remains of the royal kitchens and waiting rooms. At the furthest end are the royal apartments, reached by following the small path through the undergrowth.

The courtyard of the upper castle rests under the natural protection of twin summits. The Lusignans called it the "Dieu d’Amor". Romantics see the name as a reference to the legend of the ancient Greek goddess Aphrodite, who has strong links with the island. However it is more likely to be a French corruption of the original Byzantine name for the fort, Didymus, the Greek word for "twin".

The richest and most popular part of the castle is the elegant gallery with its two fantastic gothic windows, one with stone window seats intact. This is where queen Eleanor surveyed her kingdom, and is known as the Queen’s Window. If you can manage a further climb up the uneven steps to the southern peak, you will be further rewarded with more superb views. Off the main courtyard, you will find the 14th century Prince John’s tower standing on a rocky promontory. It was here that Prince John’s bodyguard are reputed to have met their end.

http://www.whatson-northcyprus.com/interest/kyrenia/st_hilarion.htm

We arrived bright and early…but there was no one to let us in!

A guard at the gate…who eventually licked my fingers.

Time to open and time for food!

And time for play!

But the real boss of the place.

A pile of rock with a castle on top.

The views were worth the walking up.

Thankfully St Hilarion is not Disney Cyprus, but rather a place you can still use your imagination.

Almost 1,000 years separates them: our clothing has changed a great deal even if our behaviors haven’t.

Kitchens, workshops, apartments, latrines were all located within the castle high up the mountain.

So, where’re we going?

Up was always the answer, but the views were spectacular from the tallest tower.

The open green spaces at the foot of the mountain is the military base.

We all made it and have the photos to prove it.

Then it was back down for a drive along the ridge back down into the valley and a quest to Kozankôy for cheese.

Spent the day at the marina where there were sail boat races being held.  Lots of folks were curious about DoraMac and Seahorse Marine could probably open up shop here and get several orders!  We did a morning walk and then I did some boat cleaning which needed it.  Charmaine and Linda caught up with emails and touring research and then went off for a swim.  Randal’s foot was bothering him from our walk so he just rested.  This foot has been bothering him so maybe we’ll learn about medical care in Israel at some point.  I hear Hebrew spoken all around me but understand almost nothing.  Hopefully at the end of our time here, I will have improved.  And also not forgotten my Turkish!  But thanks to Denise, I could reteach myself. 

Anyway, here is more of our Cyprus adventure and a very fun story!

Ru

“An old friend of mine who lived in the area for several years recommended the Aphrodite restaurant in Lapta, describing it as a “crazy shack” of a place run by an ex-paratrooper, who apparently allows donkeys and horses into his establishment.” http://www.birminghampost.net/life-leisure-birmingham-guide/travel-reviews/2012/03/28/travel-visit-northern-cyprus-for-a-touch-of-the-exotic-97319-30643648/2/

We had asked Heidi and Kalle to pick a restaurant that they’d like to visit, and they would be our guests. They picked Aphrodite for many reasons; the food was really good, the atmosphere lovely, and the owner is a retired Cypriot Freedom Fighter, so definitely not the dining room of the Holiday Inn. “Cemal brews his own wines, brings his baby donkey into the restaurant and provides an unforgettable evening”…that according to a Frommer’s Cyprus guide. Well we didn’t see the baby donkey, but the meze and fish were wonderful, the wine flowed and when we were stuffed to the gills, we got up and danced.

Cemal greeting his old friends Heidi and Kalle, and new friends Linda and Charmaine

This lovely restaurant was at the end of a sandy path off the main Lapta road.

I don’t know if the building was old or built yesterday, but it was a great place with plaid cotton table cloths, lots of open space, and wonderful windows.

Cemal was quite a character, but we loved him for it.

Cemal as a young freedom fighter in the war to save the Turkish Cypriots from being driven from their ancestral homes into the sea off North Cyprus.

Fighting in the streets.

Without the help of the Army of Turkey, it’s possible there would be no surviving Turkish Cypriots. Without the intervention of the Britain and the US, the entire island might have been under Turkish Cypriot rule but the advance was stopped and the island divided giving the Greeks most of it. The world and UN are quite unfair to the North Cypriots.

We had the entire restaurant to ourselves, but then we tend to eat earlier than most Europeans.

It was if we were having dinner in Cemal’s home rather than his restaurant.

We ate cold meze dishes and hot meze dishes and they were all wonderful.

Then came whole fish for each of us, a huge plate of fresh salad, and a giant plate of hot, wonderful chips (French fries.)

And we ate every bite! And then there was a sweet pancake drenched in honey for dessert!

And 3 bottles of wine!

Maybe that’s why we danced…all of that wine. And the music, Zorba the Greek music.

First it was only Cemal…..

I have no idea what possessed me except the wine and the music!

It was so fun!!!

What a wonderful night!!!!!

  There is so much to see here in Israel so Linda and Charmaine have extended their stay until June 5th!  Tomorrow, Saturday and the Sabbath here in Israel, most places are closed.  There is a sailing race that will take place and we will have front row seats on DoraMac at our new location in the marina.  A new restaurant is opening and supposedly there is to be a loud party tonight but so far, all is quiet.  We’ve had lots of people stop by asking about DoraMac.  She appears to be quite the curiosity compared to a marina full of sailing boats or huge mega-yachts. Lots of compliments for her.  Maybe tomorrow I can get more stories written and soon complete our Cyprus stories…..at least the ones we have had…maybe more some day!

  Ru

Bellapais Abbey and Girne

Art Exhibition at Bellapais Abbey – Magic, Mysticism and & Marvelousness

I was familiar with the artwork of many of the artists exhibiting: all were friends of Heidi. It was definitely on my list of things to do while we were in the Girne area. And whom better to go with than Heidi Trautmann!

Any other time the Abbey would have been the star of the show; but our time was limited and we our main reason for coming was the art exhibit.

“ The site of Bellapais may have been the early residence of the Bishops of Kyrenia, as well as their refuge during the Arab raids of the 7th and 8th centuries.

In 1187, Jerusalem fell to the Saracens and the Augustinian canons who had custody of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre came to Cyprus. Bellapais Abbey was founded for them around 1200 by Aimery de Lusignan. It was consecrated as the Abbey of St. Mary of the Mountain.

The Augustians were soon followed by the White Canons or the Norbertines (also known as Premonstratensians), and this was the rule that was adopted from 1206 onwards. Their white habits gave Bellapais one of its names— it is referred to as the "White Abbey" in 15th and 16th century documents.

Roof and belfry of the abbey church, with mountain views. Photo: Nick Leonard.

In 1246, Sir Roger the Norman gave Bellapais Abbey a fragment of the True Cross and the sum of 600 besants, in exchange for the canons saying masses in perpetuity for his soul and that of his wife, Lady Alix.

The abbey also benefited from the generosity of Hugh III, who died in Tyre in 1284 and is believed to have been buried here. Hugh III gave the abbots of Bellapais the privilege of wearing a mitre, bearing a gilded sword and wearing golden spurs.

Thanks to its pious benefactors, Bellapais Abbey grew in size, importance and wealth. The powerful abbots were frequently in dispute with the Archbishop of Nicosia, and the pope had to intervene in disagreements on several occasions.

King Hugh IV lived in the abbey between 1354 and 1358 and added apartments for himself, but in 1373, Bellapais’ glittering treasure attracted the attention of the Genoese, who robbed the abbey of everything light enough to carry. After this, the abbey spun into physical and moral decline. By the mid-16th century, the strict Norbertine rule had been virtually abandoned at Bellapais, with many of the canons taking a wife (or two) and accepting only their own children as novices.

The Venetians shortened the long-standing name, Abbaye de la Paix (Abbey of Peace), to De la Paix, which eventually became Bellapais.

After the Turkish conquest in 1570, the abbey was given to the Orthodox Church. The buildings were neglected and fell into disrepair, but the abbey church was used as the parish church for the village that grew up around the monastery (presumably populated by descendents of the monks).

The grand old abbey impressed foreign visitors: in 1738, English traveller Richard Pococke remarked that he had seen at Bellapais "a most magnificent uninhabited convent… almost entire." When Captain Kinneir of the East India Company passed by in 1814, he saw cows grazing in the outer court.

The abbey fell further into disrepair over the years, its stone being used to build houses in the village. In 1878, the British Army cemented the floor of the great hall and used it for a military hospital. The ruins were repaired in 1912 by George Jeffery, Curator of the Ancient Monuments of Cyprus.

The best preserved of the abbey buildings is the refectory, on the north side of the cloisters. A magnificent room 30m long and 10m wide, the roof is supported by seven columns that look like they’re growing out of the side walls. It has six windows on the north wall that provide breathtaking views across the countryside to the sea, and a fine rose window high in the east wall. On the north wall is a projecting pulpit, from which a lector read from the scriptures or the lives of saints during mealtimes.

In the late 1800s, the British Army barbarically used the refectory as a shooting range, leaving bullet holes in the east wall. This impressive room is now used for concerts and lectures and hosts the local music festival in late May to early June.

Below the refectory is the undercroft, with decorative ceiling bosses. The cellarium and kitchens were to the west of the refectory, just a stone’s throw from the modern tables of the Kybele Restaurant.”

http://www.sacred-destinations.com/cyprus/bellapais-abbey.htm

Heidi’s favorite table at the restaurant at the Abbey.

All the colors of the rainbow!

http://www.heiditrautmann.com/category.aspx?CID=6487451176 is Heidi’s review of the art exhibit where you can see works by many of the participating artists.

It was a bit chilly in the undercroft below the refectory so Margaret is bundled up in her heavy wool sweater and scarf. An interesting factoid is that Connecticut born Margaret has a connection with the University of the Arts in Philadelphia where my nephew earned his Masters of Industrial Design and where he teaches classes as well as at the University of Pennsylvania and Parsons in NYC.

Margaret told us stories of her early years: Kate Fenson, pen in hand at the table, also shared the chore of manning the exhibit.

http://www.katefensom.com/katefensom/welcome.html is Kate’s website where you can read her fascinating bio and see more of her artwork. I didn’t find that Margaret has a website.

All too quickly we had to leave the abbey. Heidi wanted to show Linda and Charmaine a bit of Girne and we had to do it all and get home in time to rest and relax before our dinner reservation at 6 PM.

Looking at Girne’s old harbor.

Randal and Heidi relax on the wall while Charmaine and Linda walk along the stone harbor walls.

Girne Harbor

At the Round Tower where Charmaine bought her souvenir crocheted Cyprus scarf.

This gentleman wanted his photo taken so I obliged.

Then it was back to Heidi’s house for a walk up the hill towards Ilgaz before dinner.

As our friend Linda Levy wrote about Greece; if you want to see something “you gotta go up!” Same with lots of places in North Cyprus when you live at sea level.

What a wonderful view here!

  We are back from our 2 day visit to Masada, the Dead Sea, and Jerusalem.  I took fewer photos than usual but soaked up lots of feelings; some expected and some not.  You will eventually see them but I really want to finish the North Cyprus stories first.  We had such a wonderful time when we visited Heidi and Kalle and went off on lots of adventures in the few days we were exploring the western side of North Cyprus.  We crammed in lots in the two days we were there.  Our first top was DIZYN 74 Pottery.  Our small pitcher and olive dish were made here.  It was fun to see where it was made.  If we’d had time Randal wanted an entire set of dishes but alas, it would have taken longer than we would be in North Cyprus and I didn’t trust shipping it.  Some things are just not meant to be. 

  Ru

Girne and West

First stop Dizayn 74 Pottery where our small pitcher and olive pit dish were made.

“Dizayn 74 Pottery was established on 13th of October in 1974.

It was founded by two potters; Hasan Eminağa and Tomrul Tomgüsehan. Both of the potters are graduates from Tatbiki Güzel Sanatlar Yüksek Okulu (Applied Fine Arts Academy) Department of Pottery. Today it is known as Marmara University in İstanbul, Turkey. Since 1974, the potters have developed many different designs and motifs, mostly re-establishing the traditional arts of Cyprus.” www.dizayn74.com

Hasan Eminağa when we met him at the Tulip Festival in Avtepe.

While at his shop we learned about his children, one who had earned graduate degrees at both Harvard and Yale!

Tomrul Tomgüsehan and Heidi in the pottery shop in Girne

A new craftsman learns the trade.

Success!

Everything must be done precisely to make beautiful pieces of pottery.

“The clay which is known as the ashes of volcanic eruptions extracted from Northern Cyprus. All the work is hand-made and the pots are free hand painted.”  www.dizayn74.com

Decorating the pottery pieces.

Creating the proto-type for a ceramic yogurt container which some companies use for their yogurt.

I actually have a ceramic yogurt container from when I first bought yogurt; but one is enough when you live on a boat. Wonder what the ones from Dizayn 74 will look like and if they will be reusable which would be better than all those empty plastic containers.

Created by children on a school visit and waiting to be fired.

Linda and Charmaine having a wonderful time.

These small pots were being made for a wedding…guests inserted money and gave them to the bride and groom. Neat idea!

Charmaine and Linda have a memory of North Cyprus.

  Just wanted to do one Israel email since the wifi seems to be working.  Lots more will follow along with a few more from Cyprus.  Off tomorrow for Masada and Jerusalem.

Ru

Israel # 1

So my first thoughts when we were walking around the mall at the marina……nobody here looks Jewish! Oiy! Such a variety of people are the Israelis.

Linda and Charmaine on their first passage…both stood watch and were pros by the end of the passage.

It was a smooth, easy passage with four sets of eyes and hands to make everything easier. And since they are birders, we even had a visit from several small birds making their migration. One was so tired it let Randal pick it up. When it had rested it flew off to continue its journey.

View from our door: the marina mall, shopping complexes and condo high rises.

Walking the breakwater that surrounds the marina complex.

WE are just at the dock near the marina office with the curved roof, but we will move in a few days to our permanent spot. The Israeli Navy has a boat just at the marina entrance where you are first stopped and boarded and searched by marine customs and immigration officials but everyone is professional, friendly and very nice.

In case you are lost.

DoraMac is a curiosity at the marina for old and young….

I went out to say hello and these young Palestinians spoke fluent “American English” so we talked for a while about school and learning languages. Arabic and Turkish share words so I told them what I knew which was lots of fun. They are seniors in high school who want to go on to university, but first travel. I hope you get to meet some of them. I hope we see them again when they come to the beaches here to swim. Come visit guys if you come back!

The best part of travel is meeting people and these were young men it was a pleasure to meet.

  We are off to see Masada Wednesday and Jerusalem Thursday and be back Friday.  We are on a tour…sort of…to avoid driving in Jerusalem.  I’ll take lots of photos but the marina wifi is slow so we’ll see.

  Today was spent just sort of walking around the marina area and arranging the tours and whatnot.  So that’s it.

Ru

  It’s 8 PM and we’re all ready for bed.  Unfortunately the marina bar/restaurant just next to where we are docked has just come to life.  The music isn’t screaming and is kind of a mellow sound so maybe we’ll all fall asleep. Tomorrow or the next day we’ll move the boat to the end of the dock area so it will be better.  After our 2 night passage we’re all pretty tired.  There is lots of security to deal with when you enter Israel, but everyone was polite, efficient and not the least bit scary.  Just polite young men and women who asked lots of questions. 

  Herzliya is a big city, so much different than our world in Karpaz Gate.  We are all sort of missing it….but we have also had visits from other cruisers very curious about DoraMac and all offer to help us.  Everything in the modern supermarket is written in Hebrew except for things like Hellman’s Mayonnaise or such.  We could create a really strange meal if we bought only those products that we could read the labels.  But we only have to ask and people are happy to help. 

So that’s it and I’m off to bed.

Ru

ps the music got loud and I asked them to lower it and now it’s off….hmm.  They probably think we’re nuts!

Heidi and Kalle’s World

I have already written about Heidi and Kalle and their home. This was Charmaine and Linda’s first visit so we toured the garden and house. I think it was our favorite part of the visit to Girne…sharing time with Heidi and Kalle in their beautiful home.

Villa Manazar

All of us! Photo by Charmaine

Entry into their world of art and light.

A slightly magical world for those of us lucky to visit.

First a tour through Kalle’s garden.

Checking the vines.

And the herbs and lavender.

It was all beautiful, smelled wonderful, and we’ve tasted it too: the wine, olive oil and herbs for cooking.

Heidi created these “Stargazers.”

Wouldn’t you just love meals at this table!

A water tank outside Kalle’s garage/workspace/winery!

Our room!

Or at least when we visit. We are surrounded by light and Heidi’s art as it is her work space

Linda and Charmaine helping with the meals.

Meals at this table were wonderful too!

Halls of art and books!

Just to let you know we had an easy, smooth passage and are docked at the marina. Have lots of chores to do to get settled in. Will write more later. Ru

  This is my last email from North Cyprus; at least for this visit.  One never knows if we will return.  We certainly made many friends here.  You know you have made friends when you leave tears behind at good-bye.  We should arrive in Israel some time Monday and I’ll email when we have wifi access.  The seas are very calm, wind light, and the Israeli Navy within shouting distance if it should come to that.  But there are no pirates to worry about and that is a bigger relief than you can imagine.  Our time here has flown by much too fast.  In the last few days we’ve made even more friends.  Yesterday Sharman, Sophie and I revisited our Sipahi friend Nadia Yilidiz to bring copies of photos we’d taken our first visit and met her son and his friend.  And I have just gotten to know Angel who works at the Marina MiniMarket.  Such an interesting woman and we’re sailing away before I’ve gotten to know her.  Maybe one day I’ll read one of the books she will write…maybe even in Turkish if I worked at it but hopefully an English translation. 

   We said our good-byes to Heidi and Kalle at their home a few weeks ago.  Thursday at our final (for the time being) DEKS walk, I had to say good-bye to Denise. Rob and Julia, our first friends here in Cyprus came by today to say farewell. And Sharman, Sophie and I went for one last walk around the marina.  Too many good friends to leave. 

     Our friend Eve we will see again in Israel when she goes home. And we will make new friends.  We always make new friends.  It’s just getting harder to say good-bye when we leave.  That too is part of cruising.

So, next email from Israel.

Ru

  I am jumping ahead and skipping around our adventures.  I have lots to write about our visit with Heidi and Kalle so that will take time.  This email is about two very interesting men we met, one a Cypriot and one a Brit now living in Cyprus; both concerned with the environmental issues concerning Cyprus.

Ru

Saving the Environment of Cyprus

Robin Snape

Charmaine and Linda met Robin on a birding expedition on the Karpaz. We were lucky that the British college students Robin was supervising were staying in Kumyali, close enough so Robin could visit with us for dinner. He was great company and helped cook too! Robin is the marine biologist who leads the Marine Turtle Conservation Project (MTCP.) The MTCP works with some fishermen to put devices on some of their nets to repel the turtles and to raise awareness about the sea turtles. Cyprus is an important location for endangered turtles.

Robin chopping the onions.  One of the wine bottles contains olive oil from Heidi and Kalle and one is a gift of Cypriot wine from Tuğberk (see below.)

Randal serenades us.

Linda, Charmaine and Robin

Tuğberk Emirzade

Charmaine and Tuğberk at lunch in Çamlibel.

We were eating at the outside table of the small restaurant in Çamlibel and Tuğberk asked if he could share our space. One thing led to another and we treated him to lunch. He passed by Karpaz Gate Marina on his way to check trails on the Karpaz and brought us some of his father-in-law’s Cypriot wine. Unfortunately we weren’t home when he arrived, but our short lunch exchange made a memory.

Tuğberk spent several years as a graduate student at the University of California, Riverside.

Tuğberk’s motorbike with Cypriot saddlebags looks like a creature from outer space.

Tuğberk Emirzade

http://www.agamaoutdoor.com/TECVEN resume telling about the environmental activities that Tuğberk

http://www.agamaoutdoor.com/

www.facebook.com/tugberk.emirzade

AGAMA OUTDOOR store was opened on 11th June 2011. It is the first and only specialized outdoor sports equipment store in North Cyprus. In addition to all kinds of outdoor sports equipment, you can get information about the campsites in North Cyprus.

The 2011 updated maps of hiking and biking trails are available in Google Earth (.kmz .gpx) and GPS (.gdb) formats. For the technologically challenged, a set of printed trail maps at scale of 1:50,000 are also available as hardcopies. In addition to maps, we can give recommendations for the best routes accustomed to your interests and needs.

In AGAMA OUTDOOR, you can find all kinds of apparel, equipment and information. We carry products of world famous brands such as Jack Wolfskin, the North Face, Regatta, Petzl, Deuter, Campus, Pinguin, Carinthia and Square.