Monthly Archives: July 2013

Güzleyurt and Salamis.

It’s been a busy couple of days here. Over the weekend we headed to a ‘real’ Cypriot town where we were the only tourists – I stuck out like a sore thumb with my Nikon hanging round my neck. It was market day in Güzleyurt so off we went to stock up on some fabulous fruit and veggies.

We also made sure we beat the heat with a glass of strong çay.

This is a New Look dress that I bought on my trip back to Bury back in February. This is a similar one in navy and now just 7 GBP in the sale! I love it – but Hugh asked me if I had a baby in my tummy – so maybe not the most flattering on me. Comfort wins every time here though in the heat!

Today was an amazing day. When my Husband lived here from 1971 to 1974 they lived in Famagusta. The city is now home to a ‘buffer’ zone where only derelict, war torn buildings remain, patrolled by the Turkish army and the UN. It’s sad to see this part of the city crumbling away, but they obviously think a buffer zone is still needed to separate the North and the South. We drove around the barriers trying to pick out my Husband’s old apartment, where he lived as a child, that sits in the middle of the buffer zone.

Earlier in the day we visited what is probably my Husband’s most favorite spot in the World – Salamis. Imagine having ancient Greek ruins by the beach as your play ground when you were 7! He told me he had his 6th birthday party there and even wore a red toga for it – a lot of things are becoming clearer to me on this vacation:) I’ll be asking my FIL for the photos.

The Med is crystal clear here – almost too clear for me as I could see what I was swimming with – lots of tiny fish!

The obligatory photo on the headless statue.

Another fantastic lunch.

The neon beach cover up is from Target. I can’t tell you how hot I was standing here!

Who knows where tomorrow will take us!

My Boden sale picks.

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Yes the Boden sale has started!! Even with all their discounts throughout the year I still holdout for the sale for many items. There are some amazing bargains to be had and here are the items in my basket, which may be added to over the course of the day!

These colourblock points have been in and out of my cart all season. Now at $58.80 it would be rude not to order them. They’ll be perfect with floaty dresses or boyfriend jeans.

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I wore the chinchilla version of this scarf the other week in Bury – it’s super soft and now the acid lime will be mine.

Another item that I have been watching all season is this sparkle cotton top. It’s another great top for adding a bit of something special to a pair of jeans. It will be perfect under my new Next jacket too!

Finally (for now), these effortless cardigans are a perennial favorite of mine. I have the radish and a taupe one from previous years. They are beautifully soft and great with skinny jeans or shorts even. They work as great long layers over tanks and tees. The soot here is a great color for all year round, and the quartz melange is a gorgeous pink – they are reduced by 25% and 40% respectively and will no doubt fly off the shelves.

What are you snapping up? Have you had your eye on anything all season or are you making some impulsive purchases given the great prices?

A wedding, in the square, in the village, in N. Cyprus.

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As I was showering, getting ready for our evening promenade into the village, my Husband seemed unusually restless and impatient. I was taking my time, washing the grit and grime away from our hike up to Buffavento Castle earlier in the day. Little did I know we had a function to ‘attend’. Yes he had scoped out the village square earlier in the day, and he was well aware of the function about to take place that night. He was keen for me, and Poppy and Hugh, to catch a glimpse of local life, and I was ushered out of the door under the pretense that he was tired and wanted to get home soon.

We meandered up the road to the village square to get the children their ice creams, with the plan to sit in the municipal play area and watch them use their last reserves of energy on the swings.

When we got to the square there was a fervor of activity. A wedding was about to begin – it was just how it is in the movies!! I couldn’t believe our luck! I waited in two minds while the kids ate their ice creams – was I invading someones personal moment if I tried to steal a glimpse of the bride? Or was it really just like the movies where every man, woman and child is welcome to attend?

Suddenly the decision was made for me – the noise of car horns blasting up the road got louder and louder, and as the cacophony turned towards us we were cornered by the screeching wheels of 20 or so cars pulling up. Ever tried hand brake turns around a small village square? It looked like some of these dudes did it every week in their pimped up 1988 3 series.

So we stayed – and many of you will be relieved to hear that we didn’t actually get too close – mainly as I didn’t have enough Turkish Lira to pin to the groom and his new bride – it was definitely a ‘pay to enter’ wedding.

I only took out my point and shoot camera regrettably – but some photos came out okay in the dark.

I managed to surreptitiously grab some snaps of the local barber – a busy man at 8pm – I keep trying to persuade Hugh to get his locks chopped there but he’s not having any of it.

Watching and waiting…

On arrival the Bride wandered around in a circle several times – I later learned that it is traditional to walk around 3 times with the bridal party before the wedding:

The wedding stage was decorated and covered in floral arrangements, and the guests lined up with their gifts of money ready to congratulate the bride and groom .

The first dance – I couldn’t help but wonder who this lovely couple were, and what life will be like for them here over the course of their marriage.

The whole village had turned up with gifts – it was going to be a while before the party started. I think I may have just left a bowl out for gifts and cut right to the dancing if it was my wedding.

So we left them in peace and wandered home listening to the music increase in tempo – my feet were itching to do a u-turn but I didn’t want to cross that line of hospitality so stayed put at the house enjoying a late night beer with my groom.

My wedding outfit consisted of Gap shorts (not online – size down though they are BIG – these are a US 4!), Gap t-shirt (just $5.99 right now – make sure you size down though) and Zara sandals (in the sale) – I wished I’d been told so I could have worn a frock:)

And my outfit for our walk up to Buffavento – I swear they could see me in Turkey in this. Buffavento has never seen anything quite like it:) The t-shirt is Zara (old) and the shorts are J.Crew chino shorts in neon peach, worn with my Newtons.

Sightseeing.

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There is so much to see and do here in Cyprus, including doing absolutely nothing but lounge by the pool in the heat, and fortunately we are here long enough to do a little of everything each day.

On Wednesday we started the day with a trip up to St. Hilarion – one of the three castles that are perched on the mountains around Kyrenia. The children loved it and did great climbing the steep access to the Royal quarters. Poppy was spurred on by her desire to be a Princess for the day.

Up and up we went with lollipop rewards at the top. Well worth a visit for the views alone. The drive up there is interesting too – through a Turkish military zone with shooting ranges on the side of the mountain.

For this trip I wore my J.Crew Factory shorts (only $19.50 in the sale right now!!), Gap t-shirt (just $15 in the sale with another 35% off today using GAPMORE) and M&S sandals – though as you can see the Newtons were required for the climb. (Sorry about the blurry photo I was being rushed out of the door!).

Yesterday we hung out at the pool until the heat subsided in the early evening. We then headed off to Bellapais Abbey which is just stunning, if a little touristy due to the many people searching for the Tree of Idleness from the book Bitter Lemons.

We had some fun amongst the ruins.

Yes that sign behind her says ‘dangerous stairs’ – she’s a rebel and will do anything for the right shot.

I wore harems from Next, T-shirt from Zara (old) and sandals from M&S, and Poppy is wearing a t-shirt from Target, harems from Zara (similar here) and Havaiana flip flops.

After Bellapais we drove into Kyrenia for another wander along the harbor. We ate kebabs and lamaçun with the locals, and then I had my brandy sour at The Dome as I did 15 years ago. Apparently Kyrenia has some of the best forgeries in the World – there were a couple of ‘Birkins’ that caught my eye. Might be time to do some bartering tomorrow.

Finding our groove.

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It’s amazing how quickly you can get in the swing of things on vacation. Once you discover the supermarket, beach and local restaurant it all becomes so easy and you can hit the relax button.

We discovered our local beach yesterday – it was flippin’ hot at nearly 40 degrees celsius – our feet were burning on the sand! It was pretty busy too – but the Med was clear and warm and the kids had a blast. I was fascinated by the broad spectrum of people having fun – there were women with six packs and thong bikinis, and then there were women in Burkinis – all having a blast in the sun.

We picked up some fruit and water on our way there – I wish you could smell the sweetness of the melons wafting my way.

Last night we wandered down the road to try our local restaurant. My fingers were crossed that it would be good as there aren’t too many places that we can walk to here, and I want to make sure that OH isn’t driving all the time – he enjoys a cold beer too occasionally:) As we left the house I was shocked to discover that we were now a family of six.

Thankfully the food was amazing, and the view was even better. The restaurant was perched on a rock by the sea, and we listened to the waves crash as we munched on our mezze.

The fish was fabulous.

And so was the Efes.

My dinner guest wasn’t interested in having his photo taken:)

All six of us made it home and sat for a while staring at the thousands of stars, watching the Millennium Falcon fly over us, while listening to the call to prayer. A magical night.

I was comfortable but looking at the photos in the light of day this outfit is pretty unflattering – it gives me zero shape. Ahh well you live and learn – OH thinks I should write a post titled ‘Vacation Outfit Failures’ – he obviously didn’t like it either and thinks there may be more to come:) Thank goodness I have thick skin.

The loose shorts are old from Target, the t-shirt is the Gap sunwashed tee (Just $5 in some colors!) and the sandals are Zara (in the sale).

As I was on Gap getting the t-shirt link I completely fell in love with this dress – with a little imagination styling wise I think this is just gorgeous!

Day 1 in Cyprus.

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We’re staying in a villa just outside Kyrenia. It’s always great to arrive and find that the villa is all it was described to be! It’s fairly new and has all the home comforts that you need on vacation with children. We spent most of yesterday around the pool recovering from our traveling.

The rental car then arrived and we then headed out to explore and get our bearings. Kyrenia has a gorgeous harbor and castle – relative to the rest of N. Cyprus it is quite touristy – but in the grand scheme of things it is pretty low key. Just as I remember it from 1998, there are still lots of expats here. Most places even accept stirling as well as Turkish lira.

The Dome Hotel is where we spent the first night of our honeymoon in 1998.

We sat at one of the harbor bars for treats – Mum had one too:)

We then thankfully discovered a fabulous supermarket. We will be eating out, but it’s also reassuring to know that we can buy great food and eat at home when we need to. The children are very happy that we have found chicken kofte, fries and watermelon – they won’t starve:)

Now for my attire for the past couple of days. I love my new harems from Mango – so comfortable for travel. (Laughing at the Bisto gravy granules in the background – they’re to take home!).

Trousers – Mango // T-shirt – Gap // Sandals – Zara // Scarf – Gap

Yesterday I was in a bikini most of the time but ventured out in my River Island t-shirt dress and new M&S sandals. These sandals are perfect – so comfy and they have rubber soles so no slip sliding over cobbled streets.

The BIG holiday hair arrived after a day in the pool and the wind in Kyrenia:)

And of course Poppy didn’t want to miss out on the photo ops. Here she is in her new M&S dress.

Off to find a beach today!

Why Northern Cyprus?

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In 1974 the Turks invaded Cyprus and the landscape of the island changed forever. The South, ruled by the Greeks, is buzzing with resorts, tourists and night life. The North, ruled by the Turks, is rural, lacking investment and still unrecognized by most of the World. 1974 is also the year that my Husband and his family were evacuated from Cyprus, and his father’s posting here with the British Government came to a sudden end.

My Husband’s love for Ancient History must stem from his time spent in this amazing country, which is filled with stories of Aphrodite, and ancient and medieval ruins. The North is home to castles perched on the mountain tops where the wind howls and creates magical playgrounds for adventures and exploration. Salamis, on the East coast, was one of the richest cities in the Mediterranean and is now a well preserved site where you can wander back in time.

It’s an emotional place for my Husband to visit. As he tearfully told me when we were landing yesterday, the last time he flew to the South of the island he was with his Mum and Dad. My Father-in-law has been back a few times since to visit. My Mother-in-law sadly passed away in the first few months of our courtship, more than 20 years ago, she was far too young. My Husband and I last came here for our honeymoon in 1998, so I have a good understanding of why this island has such sentimental meaning. You can’t help but fall in love with it’s beauty and mystery. I am hoping that this, our first trip here with the children, will be somewhat cathartic for my Husband, and encourage him to share some fabulous memories of his Mum with her grandchildren.

It’s already been an adventure. After a long flight via Schipol we arrived at Larnaca where we were then driven North, over the border in Nicosia – the only city to be divided by an international border. Who knows what adventures we’ll have today!?

Poppy's Style

My blog about fashion, family, friends and fun.

Monthly Archives: July 2013

Güzleyurt and Salamis.

My Boden sale picks.

A wedding, in the square, in the village, in N. Cyprus.

Sightseeing.

Finding our groove.

Day 1 in Cyprus.

Trousers – Mango // T-shirt – Gap // Sandals – Zara // Scarf – Gap

Why Northern Cyprus?

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Trousers – Mango // T-shirt – Gap // Sandals – Zara // Scarf – Gap

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