Argaka And Beyond
A personal account of a holiday to Argaka near Polis on the island of Cyprus
In March 2002 I spent two weeks in Cyprus at my mum's home in Argaka near Polis. I had a very nice time and visited many interesting places and ate out at some very nice restaurants.
I arrived on the Wednesday and had Lounza (smoked ham) and salad at Mousikali's in Polis.
On Thursday we went up to Aphrodite's Baths near the Arkama peninsula. We had coffee at a restaurant in the area and the goats climbed onto the balcony eating leaves off the trees. Later on, we went for lunch in Latchi and had a fish meze which involves seven different dishes including squid and swordfish - highly recommended.
On Friday we had an evening meal out at Mystery's in Polis which is 6km from Argaka village. I had a Greek meze which includes about 12 dishes including to start with a salad with feta cheese and garlic bread with olive oil - delicious. You also get some kind of spicy sausage which was lovely.
On Saturday we had a barbecues which started at 12pm and went on till 10pm. Much wine was drunk and the mousaka was delicious. The fruit salad was soaked in Zivania, the local strong liqueur - very potent. Christmas big band music was played in the evening - very strange and bizarre. Some local Cypriot kids came around dressed in masks looking for money and treats as the start of the carnival season arrived.
On Sunday we went up to Pyrgos which is near the border with the Turkish territory in Cyprus. Its a long drive through the mountains.
On Monday we had a quiet day eating in. On the Tuesday we went to Paphos and had a pleasant iced coffee (frappe) near the harbour. We went to Finikas in Polis in the evening and had pate for starters - very tasty.
On Wednesday we visited a winery in Kathikas and bought a box of wine, the head honcho was a good salesman and he persuaded quite a few English people to part with their cash. We then drove around Coral Bay and witnessed how much development had taken place in the last 8 years. To start with there was nothing there, now it is full of hotels restaurants and holiday villas. For lunch we went to Kyparissos which served the most delightful white wine in clay carafes which were beautifully designed.
On Thursday we went to Nicandros in Latchi where I had a delicious fish soup for starters followed by steak, coffee, and filfar (a delicious orange liqueur). On the Friday we returned to Mystery's and had a local dish cooked in a stone pot, I think its called kleftali or something similar. It was very tasty.
On Saturday I picked up a car from Stafis at Fontana Travel in Polis so I could spend the weekend in Limassol and enjoy the carnival. On the way, between Pathos and Limassol the car broke down. The radiator overheated and the cap came off. I was stranded. Fortunately , and Englishman and a Scotsman arrived ten minutes later to pick me up and take me to my hotel in Limassol, The Appolonia Beach, via a detour around an industrial estate. It turned out that the English guy, David Topsfield, was involved in breaking the speed sailing record which stands at about 46knots. They have a website www.ussc.co.uk. The record attempt will take place in September I think. I wish them the best of luck. Dave and Jim were very kind and their help was much appreciated. I sorted out the problem with the car and headed of to Challengers to watch Man Utd hammer West Ham in a very exciting match. I then popped into the coffee house next door which was full of Cypriots drinking coffee and eating lovely crepes and generally chatting and hanging out.
On Sunday my replacement car was delivered. I drove around Limassol and saw how much things had changed since my last visit 7 years ago. On the Cypriot coffee house near my hotel I had a chicken tikka baguette and a bailey's frappe. I then headed off for the carnival at Makarios Avenue which was full of cafes occupied by Cypriots and serving very expensive coffee and orange juice. There was well over 700 people there all looking really cool in their dark tops and sun glasses. The carnival started at 3pm and included nearly 60 floats, it lasted well over an hour and when it finished it started to rain - good timing. I had egg and chips and Big Bens and then had a keo beer at the Ship Inn. I then headed for Challengers to watch Arsenal play and close the gap on Man Utd.
On Monday we went to visit Mike and Hilary in Neo Chorio for a quick five minutes. We stayed there for 9 hours getting very drunk drinking red Island Wine and eating quiche and fruitcake.
On Tuesday we went up into the mountains near Argaka village, very scary, but the villages were nice. In the evening we went to Carousa's where we had a tasty starter of toasted feta cheese, peppers and tomatoes. Hilary and myself appeared very foolish cos' we tried to eat the plates the meal was served on (very embarrassing but easily done - believe me). I was also able to watch Liverpool beat Roma 2-0 and qualify for the next round of the Champions League.
Wednesday arrived and I prepared to leave. I had a great time. I packed my case and headed home.
On arriving in Birmingham, Cyprus seemed a very
long way from home. Quite sad.
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