by Gasman » Tue Feb 23, 2010 7:59 pm
When I lived in Limassol, just off Makarious, my neighbours (fit and well and in their mid twenties) used to take their car from the under block car park (a five min job in itself) and circle the one way system to drive and park behind Ta Tsiporakidos (sp?) - you could SEE the fish tavern from their apartment, it was less than 200 metres away! They'd eat and drink in there all night and then drive back home (so drink driving too - but then he was a copper so I doubt he'd have 'got done' for it). I just could not understand it. And yes, some of them took the car to the local kiosk, not even half that distance, to buy a newspaper or ciggies and would park on the double yellows (or even on the zebra crossing). Then, as before, have to drive back quite a long way round because of the one way system!
Whenever I'd express amazement at this, they'd either say it was 'too hot' to walk, or 'too cold' to walk, or 'too wet' to walk! Or, sometimes, that they would walk but they had a back problem! I find walking easier on my back when it is playing up than even trying to GET INTO my car!
It's well known Cypriots don't walk anywhere. And won't park further away than a few metres from the door of where they are visiting, even if there is a free car park round the corner!