Cyprus-Forum.com

[BirKibrisli]

[Nikitas]

Bir, another fascinating and moving account of those early years. Indeed our paths almost crossed in Ayios Theodoros. And I too loved to eat those pickled birds. Still do, if and when I can get them.

As I write this there is a slingshot not very far from me. There always is, and people are a little surprised at this. If they only knew the sginificance of a slingshot in the life of a Cypriot boy born in the 50s!

Grivas is big chapter, perhaps we should start a separate thread about him. My father met him and his descriptions of the man contradicted the public image. But one thing that is not widely known is Griva's resistance to the Greek Dictators, along with other Greek Army officers. The other officers are venerated in Greece today as resistance heroes. Grivas is not. Perhaps because he was not arrested and tortured like the rest, but placed under house arrest. The Junta could not arrest him, beacuse he was not only the leader of EOKA but a much decorated hero who fought in Asia Minor, against the Italians in 1940 and against the Germans during the occupation. So he was placed under house arrest. A paradox of a man, true Digenis, of two natures.

I am getting to be like those manic TV viewers we like to mock, eagerly awaiting the next instalment. Hopefullly it will be at night our time so I can read it while sipping my zivania.

PS- Have you read "Zen and the Art of Aarchery"?

[BirKibrisli]

Bir, another fascinating and moving account of those early years. Indeed our paths almost crossed in Ayios Theodoros. And I too loved to eat those pickled birds. Still do, if and when I can get them.

As I write this there is a slingshot not very far from me. There always is, and people are a little surprised at this. If they only knew the sginificance of a slingshot in the life of a Cypriot boy born in the 50s!

Grivas is big chapter, perhaps we should start a separate thread about him. My father met him and his descriptions of the man contradicted the public image. But one thing that is not widely known is Griva's resistance to the Greek Dictators, along with other Greek Army officers. The other officers are venerated in Greece today as resistance heroes. Grivas is not. Perhaps because he was not arrested and tortured like the rest, but placed under house arrest. The Junta could not arrest him, beacuse he was not only the leader of EOKA but a much decorated hero who fought in Asia Minor, against the Italians in 1940 and against the Germans during the occupation. So he was placed under house arrest. A paradox of a man, true Digenis, of two natures.

I am getting to be like those manic TV viewers we like to mock, eagerly awaiting the next instalment. Hopefullly it will be at night our time so I can read it while sipping my zivania.

PS- Have you read "Zen and the Art of Aarchery"?

Thanks for your encouragement,Nikitas.
It means a lot to me.
Yes I have read the Archery book and also "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance"...It is scary that I remember very little of both books...

Grivas is indeed a fascinating subject.If there is an objective book in English on him,I'd love to read it.
Tomorrow I hope to finish with Day One of my trip...It is turning into an epic saga. I hope it is not too melodramatic...Good to see I have at least one addict already!

[Kikapu]

Bir,

You have more than one addict my friend. We are just reading and absorbing your journey "Back to the Future"!!

Keep them coming and no doubt once you have finished your journal, we will be asking you a lot of questions. I don't want to ask too many questions right now, incase the answers appear in the next segment, or before you finish the last page.

As Nikitas said, all Cypriot boys must have owned a Catapult one time in their lives. It is a special skill to have acquired.

[denizaksulu]

Bir, another fascinating and moving account of those early years. Indeed our paths almost crossed in Ayios Theodoros. And I too loved to eat those pickled birds. Still do, if and when I can get them.

As I write this there is a slingshot not very far from me. There always is, and people are a little surprised at this. If they only knew the sginificance of a slingshot in the life of a Cypriot boy born in the 50s!

Grivas is big chapter, perhaps we should start a separate thread about him. My father met him and his descriptions of the man contradicted the public image. But one thing that is not widely known is Griva's resistance to the Greek Dictators, along with other Greek Army officers. The other officers are venerated in Greece today as resistance heroes. Grivas is not. Perhaps because he was not arrested and tortured like the rest, but placed under house arrest. The Junta could not arrest him, beacuse he was not only the leader of EOKA but a much decorated hero who fought in Asia Minor, against the Italians in 1940 and against the Germans during the occupation. So he was placed under house arrest. A paradox of a man, true Digenis, of two natures.

I am getting to be like those manic TV viewers we like to mock, eagerly awaiting the next instalment. Hopefullly it will be at night our time so I can read it while sipping my zivania.

PS- Have you read "Zen and the Art of Aarchery"?

Thanks for your encouragement,Nikitas.
It means a lot to me.
Yes I have read the Archery book and also "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance"...It is scary that I remember very little of both books...

Grivas is indeed a fascinating subject.If there is an objective book in English on him,I'd love to read it.
Tomorrow I hope to finish with Day One of my trip...It is turning into an epic saga. I hope it is not too melodramatic...Good to see I have at least one addict already!

Its like watching a bloody Saturday Matinee. I cant wait.

My grand parents had first gone to Kophinou (Kofunye) in 1964 after the troubles began. They couldnt stay long, then they went on to Ayios Theodoros. You must have been there at the same time.

You are right about the 'Pulys' Ambelo boulia (Black caps in English). Delicious, but I hated the pickled ones. Aytotoro was famous for them as it had the Pendashino river to attract them. The lime sticks were placed by waterholes where the hapless birds alighted to drink.

Next episode please...

[BirKibrisli]

Bir, another fascinating and moving account of those early years. Indeed our paths almost crossed in Ayios Theodoros. And I too loved to eat those pickled birds. Still do, if and when I can get them.

As I write this there is a slingshot not very far from me. There always is, and people are a little surprised at this. If they only knew the sginificance of a slingshot in the life of a Cypriot boy born in the 50s!

Grivas is big chapter, perhaps we should start a separate thread about him. My father met him and his descriptions of the man contradicted the public image. But one thing that is not widely known is Griva's resistance to the Greek Dictators, along with other Greek Army officers. The other officers are venerated in Greece today as resistance heroes. Grivas is not. Perhaps because he was not arrested and tortured like the rest, but placed under house arrest. The Junta could not arrest him, beacuse he was not only the leader of EOKA but a much decorated hero who fought in Asia Minor, against the Italians in 1940 and against the Germans during the occupation. So he was placed under house arrest. A paradox of a man, true Digenis, of two natures.

I am getting to be like those manic TV viewers we like to mock, eagerly awaiting the next instalment. Hopefullly it will be at night our time so I can read it while sipping my zivania.

PS- Have you read "Zen and the Art of Aarchery"?

Thanks for your encouragement,Nikitas.
It means a lot to me.
Yes I have read the Archery book and also "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance"...It is scary that I remember very little of both books...

Grivas is indeed a fascinating subject.If there is an objective book in English on him,I'd love to read it.
Tomorrow I hope to finish with Day One of my trip...It is turning into an epic saga. I hope it is not too melodramatic...Good to see I have at least one addict already!

Its like watching a bloody Saturday Matinee. I cant wait.

My grand parents had first gone to Kophinou (Kofunye) in 1964 after the troubles began. They couldnt stay long, then they went on to Ayios Theodoros. You must have been there at the same time.

You are right about the 'Pulys' Ambelo boulia (Black caps in English). Delicious, but I hated the pickled ones. Aytotoro was famous for them as it had the Pendashino river to attract them. The lime sticks were placed by waterholes where the hapless birds alighted to drink.

Next episode please...

Thanks,Deniz... I was wondering why only the pulyas got caught.So the sticks were placed near their watering holes...Makes sense. I am starting on the next episode now...Just for you yegenim.

[BirKibrisli]

Bir,

You have more than one addict my friend. We are just reading and absorbing your journey "Back to the Future"!!

Keep them coming and no doubt once you have finished your journal, we will be asking you a lot of questions. I don't want to ask too many questions right now, incase the answers appear in the next segment, or before you finish the last page.

As Nikitas said, all Cypriot boys must have owned a Catapult one time in their lives. It is a special skill to have acquired.

Thanks ,Kikapu...
I appreciate people's thoughtfulness in wating for me to finish. But it is good to get some feedback every now and then so I know I am not talking to myself...You probably know that from your experience.Cheers for now.

[halil]

BirKibrisli Gardaş,
houses are telling their own storis .Pls tell us from which village is above pictures also do u know owners of the houses as well.May be they might able see their homes pictures and have some memories as well.I knew many of them still didn' t go back to see their homes or lands.It will be very helpfull.

[BirKibrisli]

By the time we Left Aytotro it was mid-afternoon and I was feeling tired and emotional.When I feel tired and emotional I always turn to food for comfort. And right now I was in dire need of lots of comforting...
The relief came at Captain's Table. A world class seafood restaurant somewhere on Larnaca coast. Here I experienced the first of many such emotional reliefs with the help of a superb seafood banquet, which was to become a regular delight during my homecoming visit.And I began telling my TCB (True Cypriot Brother!) the relevant details regarding our next stop...

My secondary education started in Limassol at the 19 May High School (19 Mayis Lisesi) during the 1961/62 academic year. I was 10 years and six months old. This had nothing to do with my being a genious or anything.But with my father's ambition and desire to see me catch up to my sister who had started Primary 2 years before me. There was a logic to Father's madness. He wanted us to finish the high school together so we could go to University in Turkey at the same time. He was planning a chaperoning role for me. Father was nothing if not a forward planner.
So here I was, not yet circumsized even, starting Secondary school in Limassol. It was Limassol because,after Aytotro, Father was transfered to
a larger village near Limassol which shall remain nameless. The reason why it shall remain nameless will become obvious as this episode unfolds.
It was this village,and not my beloved Istinjo,that I dreaded to visit most on this trip. It was this village that proved emotionally most diffcult to visit.
It was here that I saw my first lifeless body. And it was here that I came very close to becoming a corpse myself...

(To be continued...)

[humanist]

am just too young I guess to know ambelopoulia, great resing though...... good to see you guys reminisce