Newbies in North Cyprus, Day 6

Day 6: Sunday

A lazy day by the pool today. Time to do a little washing, read a book, and generally do very little. We could hardly believe the quiet of this North Cyprus Sunday afternoon; an endless blue skies afternoon filled with birdsong, occasionally punctuated by a hire car buzzing along the coastal road below.

Today reminded me just why I love Mediterranean villa holidays. As my partner snoozed gently on the sofa (after a good two or three glasses of wine at lunch), I swam in our crystal clear villa swimming pool with uninterrupted views over our little valley to the mountainside beyond. In today's overcrowded world, it's easy to forget the delights of swimming on your own, with nothing but your own gentle ripples disturbing the water, and the sunshine so bright, you just have to swim in your sunglasses. Actually, I wasn't on my own; three bright red dragon flies joined me at the pool edge to drink and to lap up the salts produced by the villa pool's eco-friendly (no chlorine) cleaning system.

In the evening, we were invited to join friends at the Ambience restaurant, on the west side of Kyrenia. When our taxi arrived, it turned out to be a white stretched limo, so we arrived feeling like rockstar royalty! Our hosts treated us to a North Cyprus speciality, the full kebab. This delicious meal comprised of numerous meze dishes, each perfectly tasty in its own right. Every time you thought your plate was empty, a waiter would magically appear with more freshly grilled delights, from succulent lamb cubes on a skewer to grilled halloumi cheese, salty and tangy. With the warm Mediterranean Sea lapping under the decking, and a truly excellent bottle of red wine or two, small wonder we slept like babies that night!