Saturday, July 6, 2013

The Wonders of the Waterproof Camera




Last weekend was Anna's last weekend in Cyprus. The perfect reason for the entire family (plus several friends) to take a trip to the sea!

Don't we look great in snorkeling masks?

The first day we went out to a beautiful long, shallow, rocky shoreline. The shore was dotted with two tall islets (big rocks with grass growing on them). We swam out to one in particular with a cross erected on top. The story goes that someone died while swimming in an underwater cave somewhere around there. We wanted to check that out.

The sights on the way out were spectacular! I didn't have the camera--Anna did--and also didn't have my glasses on (bummer). There was a beautiful world with plants, fish, mussels, and other random sea creatures, glowing with the mottled sunlight that filtered through the water. The schools of fish didn't seem phased by our presence.
 The giant rocks made the sea-bed like a sort of canyon--one was either suspended over plummeting depths of seawater, or skimming over the underwater gardens that flourished on the surfaces of the towering rocks.

Of course, the underwater camera was fantastic--we didn't get too many of the sea life. This friend found the sights so mesmerizing that he never actually made it out with Anna and I to the island.

Well , we made the trek from the shore to the island. If you look at the red dot in the far left corner, that's where we started (an old Pajero parked by the shore). The sea is so clear you can see the rocky terrain below. Anna took this photo after mounting the island.
The tiny dot in the water is Susie, who was watching to make sure we didn't fall and dash ourselves on the rocks. After Anna climbed up she "helped" me by taking a photo. 


We made it to to the top, walked around briefly. Apparently the way we climbed up is the only way to climb--every other side was a precipice. We stood on the edge and waved to the neighboring rock... the shadow of the cross is to our left and looks vaguely like a stick. 


Then we took a bunch of self-portraits involving us and the seascape. Here is one such example, involving a little bit of shoreline and a lot of our faces. :o)

After we climbed back down, we swam out to sea. Anna wanted a deep-water picture of herself. We made a couple of attempts...


Those rocks aren't small--they're just a long way down. And those slivers are some kind of fish...


Of course, the token "swimming back to shore" photo. That's me standing on the left, and the famous red Pajero parked on the right. After a full two hours swimming we were ready for a long drink of water, souvlaki, and a good night's sleep. What a great day.





Monday, July 1, 2013

Theme: Flowers

For all you botanists out there... a sample from the walking trail in Nicosia...













(wild figs)