Lights came on in the plane and here they came with breakfast!  I use that term lightly as today it was a muffin of some sort--taste was not bad but it was icy cold! What is with that?!  I drank some apple juice as airplane coffee tastes disgusting to me, while Mike had some orange juice and a cup of coffee which he swore was not too bad (I do not trust him when it comes to tastes of food as many of you have heard me talk about that before!). Not long afterwards they came by and picked up the detritus and shortly thereafter we landed in Vienna. It was extremely foggy here today so we really couldn't see anything.  We were told to not go through passport control but to go straight to our gate--we were skeptical for sure.  Jody and I were told this in Warsaw and they locked the gate so we had to go through passport control and thus missed our flight--but this time it was true.  As usual with many European airports they don't list the gate number until shortly before the flight time.  So we sat waiting at Gate 6--guess where our gate was?!!! Gate 37!  So off we went rushing to get there as they always post the gate number and the words "Boarding Now!"  Well that does get your adrenaline going, doesn't it? At least it wasn't Gate 76 which was the furthest gate there was.  But we did manage to get there in time and even waited a few minutes before boarding.

As this was a smaller plane we had to go down a flight of stairs, hop on a bus and ride out onto the tarmac where we walked to the plane and up some stairs.  Jody was seated in row 35 at the very back and we were in row 18.  We were so exhausted that as soon as the plane was in the air we fell asleep. This was about a 3 hour flight so nothing like the one we just had, but we were still very tired--and jet lagged!  What time is it anyway our bodies are saying?! 

About 11 a.m. they brought lunch--it was deja vu time! The lunch was pasta marinara again (no salad this time), a hot roll (actually warm this time) but no butter, and a small chocolate hazelnut pudding.  We chose water to drink as it was the middle of the day.  As soon as we finished I went back to sleep and didn't even awaken when they removed the food trays. Going through turbulence woke me, so I tried to play a game on my computer but I was still SO sleepy, back to sleep I went.  The flight attendant woke me to raise my window shade as we were landing in Larnaca, Cyprus.  Wow I must be exhausted to sleep almost through the landing!

First stop after getting off the plane was to go through passport control--we used the Non-EU line and since there were only 5 of us it was very quick.  They didn't ask any questions this time, just stamped our passports and sent us on to collect our baggage.  All our luggage arrived with no apparent damage--you ask why I state that--because it is always questionable whether as one changes flights the luggage makes it on the flight in one piece!  Next stop was customs with nothing to declare.  Once we were out into the terminal we saw George waiting for us.  We say our hellos and out to his car we went and surprise it was raining in Cyprus! George said we brought the Fall rains along with lightening and thunder.  Last year was a good year for rain so they were hoping this would another so all the reservoirs could fill again. Once everything was stowed in the huge car trunk we were off to Limassol at a very fast pace.  Our home while in Cyprus this time was the Park Beach Hotel--we so miss the quirky Jasmine Hotel where we have stayed for many years but it was sitting silent and empty as it was sold 2 years ago.  The Park Beach was a very Stalinesque looking building, but it was right on the beach.  We were in rooms 325 and 326.  The hotel had been updated considerably since our stay here a year and a half ago, so we were satisfied with our room.  We had a lovely view of the Mediterranean from our deck.

First stop after checking out our room and storing our luggage was to walk the 2 blocks to the Papas Hypermarket for food supplies.  Jody wanted to get some cheese, bread, etc. and we wanted to get some wine--you can see what our priorities are, can't you?  Then it was back to the room to finish unpacking and take a quick nap before going to dinner with the Metaxas family. 

We slept until 6 then showered--oh my it is a lovely rain shower--Taking a shower after such a long trip is essential and makes one actually feel semi awake and human again. Once we were dressed and ready we were off to Socrates and Xenia's house for dinner with the family.  While we waited for dinner we sat outside on the patio and chatted with them over glasses of Cypriot wine.  It was so lovely there.  Once Sally (the maid) let us know that dinner was ready we went in to the typical lavish Cypriot spread--2 different salads, olives from Socrates' trees, Cypriot potatoes, feta cheese, grilled halloumi slices, rice, and a grilled chicken dish for the meat eaters.  We had a lovely Cypriot white wine called Persefoni to accompany the meal.  

Once the meal was over we went back out to the patio for fresh fruit, glasses of Commandaria, and Cypriot coffee.  Do you all know Commandaria? It is a Port type liquor that has been made in Cyprus for centuries. This Commandaria was made by a friend of Socrates and was very smooth.  He gave us each a bottle to take home with us. While I chatted with Nicolas and Lida, Socrates took the rest out to see his pomegranate trees and the rest of the orchard in his yard. About 11:15 p.m. as we were about to fall asleep where we sat, we said our goodbyes and walked the 2 blocks back to the hotel. Once there we immediately just went to sleep.  Tomorrow we will see the changes a year and a half have made in the city of Limassol!