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Stroll In Larnaca

Up at 7.30 and to Startour's service center at nine. We book a trip to Paphos on Wednesday and a wine trip on Saturday. We leave for home Saturday evening and going on a day trip is much better than killing time in Larnaca without a home base from the moment you check out of the hotel.

Cyprus - part II.

Eric
2005-12-08 19:45:30

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/>The Evening Routine

At a quarter to seven we stroll to The Meeting Pub for our ouzo-aperitif and to enjoy the blue half hour until the sun sets at 19.55. Here drinks are of decent size and price: a not to small ouzo with ice costs one pound, and nobody looks at you impatiently if you take your time and enjoy.

From the pavement there's a couple of steps up to the bar floor, and just below us an elderly English couple share a plate of French fries dashed with vinegar; the fish and chips culture, however here without fish and greasy paper. Afterwards the wife celebrates with an Irish coffee.

Chips, chips, chips - chips everywhere. Outside the promenade's restaurants are colourful menu-posters saying "All dishes served with chips". Is it a special English phenomenon or do tourists and their children in general prefer chips to the delicious new potatoes? At Militzis chips are served with squid only, and their chips are hand-cut. By the way squid is Militzis' only fish dish and they have the decency to inform that they are "(frozen)". A lot of the fish served in Cyprus is frozen. Ever since reservoirs were built to collect water, less nutrients are washed into the sea. The same goes for the Nile, so this part of the Med is no fisherman's Paradise and fish served in Cyprus is likely to be imported frozen.

At Militzis the waiter places us next to the open door - "It isn't cold tonight like yesterday", he says. We get a slice of halloumi as a starter. Halloumi is the special salty goat's/sheep's cheese of Cyprus. You fry it for a few minutes to enhance the taste and flavour and the texture is kind of elastic and when you chew it, it says "gjieuw, gjieuw". With this fresh bread and marinated olives. The Cypriot olives we have tasted aren't super: they are small, a bit dry and pretty salty, but you can compensate for this by putting them in a marinade of olive oil, garlic and coriander seeds!

As main course Helle gets Tavas, which is potato pieces mixed with lamb and tomatoes. I get stifado. Stifado at Militzis is pieces of beef stewed with onions and white wine. Very tender and very tasty. We are barely able to find room for an ice dessert and then Cyprus coffee and a glass of the local brandy. The bill (a little less than £ 20) is served with a brandy "on the house". This week we shall not follow the health departments recommendations! Full and very satisfied we say good night to the Mediterranean and roll home.