Sunday 19th February 2012

Once again we awake to blue skies and little less wind - it now must have be registering a strong breeze.  Time to sit and eat toast on the patio where it is sheltered and despite the thermometer only reading 62F it felt a lot warmer.

Hmmm lovely

What to do today?  A drive out so Julia could see some of the island, so leaving about mid-day we set off through Larnaca and along the coast road to Agia Napa.  The drive takes no more than 45 minutes.

On arrival we were surprised to see roads blocked and crowds of people walking towards the main square.   We deviated off to a car park, right on the beach where a guy guarding the entrance was signalling that it was full.  I drove in anyway and was able to find a space!

Dancing in the street

Tannoy and music blared across the bay and it soon became obvious what the attraction was. A carnival / street procession made up of customary floats and lots of 'dance troupes' dressed in a whole range of brightly coloured costume. From announcements in English as well as Greek the participants had come from all over the island. It all seemed good fun and was being enjoyed by children and adults in the crowd that lined both sides of the street.

What was unusual compared with a  carnival / street procession in the UK there was nobody collecting for any form of charity so we were at a loss to think of the reason for the parade except to have some fun.  Opportunities for photos were many and I clicked away happily trying to get some unusual shots.  Although many seemed what they are - snaps!

Although we walked around the harbour and looked at the sandy beach which was totally empty compared with the huge numbers of people we had seen in August, we did not join the many that were sitting outside bars and restaurants making the most of the sunshine.

The last rays of the day at Cape Grecko

It was back into the car and on to Cape Grecko the far eastern point of the island although arriving there after four it was starting to get cold so we looked at the sea, took some more snaps and soon it was time to head back home although firstly driving north to Paralimni and then part way on the motorway before cutting back down to the coastal road that we had followed on the way out.  Once into Larnaca we went along the sea front, which was surprisingly busy with people out walking, before reaching home about 1800.

It had been a nice day out.