Happy Birthday Alison

Happy Birthday to my Beautiful Brit!

Have a great day my Love. Wish I was there to celebrate with you! Next year my angel we will do it up right! :)

Love you buches baby! XXXXX

Chester

We got Elfed!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from your dancing elf hosts Alison & Chester
Love to all!
Enjoy
http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1282593274

Happy Holidays

May you all be so richly blessed this holiday season!

Love, Alison and Chester

Day 4 in Cyprus

We decided on Saturday to take a break from the tourist thing as well and spent most of the morning just around the house taking it easy. I finally met Churchill, the now famous Cyprus tortoise appearing on YouTube (along with a short cameo appearance by Benji and Natalie's fingers.. I think!) Well he even came out long enough to pose and fill up his tortoise belly on some very good tomatoes, he's quite an eater! And I remember Alison saying she wasn't sure if it was a male or a female and with a little online research the gender confusion was all cleared up! :) The weather was still hot and we decided it would be a nice day to have a trip to the beach. There was a short trip or two to the store to pick up some nibbles before we got the car loaded and then we were off to get wet. It would have been nice we said to head down to Curium, but with us traveling so much the first couple of days we settled on something maybe a bit closer and a bit more secluded, Governor's Beach. Well we didn't want to scare the masses with the bright white body of mine! lol

the pics for this post are here: http://picasaweb.google.com/garazon/Day4Cyprus

From the website: Governor's Beach is located midway between Larnaca and Limassol and its sandy beach and shallow crystal water it's ideal for families with children, but also for romantic couples. (hey, that's us! )

The name Governor’s Beach comes from the British Colonial days when the Governor used to come for a swim.

Governor's Beach also offers the spectacular white rocks area for those who like snorkeling, boating, fishing…or have a nice walk in one of the many nature trails on the hills near by, or on the beach watching a beautiful sunrise. There is a great selection of nice restaurants, where you can enjoy your lunch or dinner sitting under the trees… just a few meters away from the crystal water of the Mediterranean Sea.

The most memorable thing for me about Cyprus and the Mediterranean , besides Alison Michelle of course! ;), is the water! I was awestruck from my first sight of the colour and how clear it is too! I literally could stare for hours at it as the blue seems so intense and its just beyond description. Well we got there and got ourselves a bed and umbrella and laid back a while to soak up some sun and just enjoy the warmth and the sounds of the sea. This was actually where I saw the most grass I had seen in one spot in Cyprus since arriving! just above the beach is a grassy area where you can get a bed and umbrella if you don't care to be right on the sandy beach itself. The sand is quite a bit finer than what we have here and its much darker too! I think a lot of the darker sand is caused by some many islands in the bed being formed by volcanoes so naturally its going to be different than our light coloured sand. well it doesn't feel like our sand either, its softer in a way. We finally decided to test the water and see if it was warm enough for a swim, which as it turned out was lovely really. a little cool at first, but it didn't take long to get used to it and the hot sun above made it feel nice. Well its shallow for a good ways out and we had to walk a bit to get shoulder deep. and that is when I had the most amazing site. Being up to my neck in the sea I could look down and see my feet through the water! Stunning! I was really amazed and had to laugh out loud! Well you would have to see the water in the sounds here in NC to appreciate it, you can't put your hand but a few inches below the surface here and it disappears from sight! very murky looking, even more so once you have been in the clear water of the Med. It makes you wonder how a place where civilization has existed for centuries more than it has here can be so clean and clear still! Well I guess ours isn't really dirty, just has more shallow quiet parts and a lot of vegetation and trees around which drop the leaves into the water and add more particles, sort of like a strong brewed tea if you will! Instead of tea leaves its pine and poplar and oak and maple leaf tea! Anyway we had a very nice swim and I really would be tanned by now if I lived there in Cyprus as I would live at this beach if I could! Marvelous! We went back and laid in the sun for quite a while longer before heading back home, were we laid down again and tried to take a nap! Its hard work laying in the sun don't you know!

Well being in a lazy mood we didn't feel to fix supper so it was out to eat. We went to a place called Pizza Express... well we have a place named that here in the States but its nothing even close to the same as it is there! Here it conjures up an image of a cheap pizza shop that has maybe a dozen different combos of pizza and beer or soft drinks, maybe a salad bar.. ;) well this place was looking like one of our fancier restaurants. It was a two story type place, the center being open and you can look down and see the crowd and tables below and they have a live band or some type of entertainment playing in the evenings. The night we were there it was trio singing a lot of various style songs, from rock ballads to reggae to soul and jazz... they were quite good and we had a very good view. The food was pretty good, but for the price I think it could have been better! Alison ordered a chef's salad I think it was, well it was supposed to have some chicken or meat of some kind, but I think she only had two or three little bites in the whole thing! and it wasnt that big a salad either! Well they have all sorts of things on the menu, from pasta to meats to pizza.. well me not being up on the fancy names of things I just got a pizza. I can't remember the kind of pizza I ordered as they had dozens listed, and not of the toppings we think of here! So I just ordered the one I thought would be the least surprising once it arrived! it was pretty good I guess but then we were both hungry too and would have eaten anything! lol Anyway we had a nice time and enjoyed to sit with each other and listen to the music, and of course exchange a kiss or two.. or three or four... and to be sitting so happy with each others company. well that was the best part of the evening! We really didnt stay out so late and headed on home. I think that was the night we sat to watch some dvds we hired from a local shop... guess he specializes in bootlegs as none of the three worked at all! Well one did fairly well but hung up a bit! Well that was day 4 spent... maybe it was a quiet day, but one of the most wonderful of my life as I was with my Cyprus angel again all day long! My heaven! I love you Alison Michelle! I do! :) XXXX

May Life Be Our Love Paradise

I Love you AM XXX

Have I Told You Lately That I Love You

Have I told you lately? :) XXXX

A Very Special Thanks~

To Maureen and Jack for the wonderful engagement present! Alison's mam and dad gave us a nice holiday within a holiday! We spent Monday through Wednesday in the Alexander the Great Hotel in Paphos. It was such a wonderful time and we both appreciate it so very much! Can't wait to thank you in person, it's a memory that wil last a lifetime! :)

Thanks also to Agneta and George for a wonderful lunch in Vouni, to Allyson & Marios and Thereza & Andros for making me feel welcome, to Dee and Philip for their hospitality, to Frosso for a lovely evening of chat and company, to Julie and the people at Mom's bar on the base I met and had chance to speak to, to all of Alison's coworkers at 3D for the welcome I received and a special thanks to JM for making me feel welcome and for getting the grill going!! lol :), can't forget Benji either! What a wonderful time I had there and can;t wait to go back! Love and best wishes to all

Thanks for dropping by!! Love to all, Chester & Alison x

Alison and Chester's Photos in Cyprus

Our favourite pictures of the two of us in Cyprus. You can see these and the scenery and sights here : http://picasaweb.google.com/garazon

Day 3 in Cyprus

We decided to spend the third day just staying close to home and resting as the time difference was beginning to catch up with me by the third day and I think Alison was a bit glad to have a break as well! It was still quite hot too so it was a good day to be taking it easy. Well we did venture out and about close to home during the day.

Pics for this post are here:

http://picasaweb.google.com/garazon/Day3Cyprus

We went out early in the morning to the cemetery where Nicos' memorial is located, not far at all from Alison's house. It's a very large cemetery with some very elaborate graves and memorials. It's a bit of a difference between the cultures here and there in so many ways. Well its striking the appearance first off, all are marble or stone memorials covering almost every inch of the place and most all of them have the photos on them, along with an oil lamp that burns continuously, or intended to burn. Most are maintained and filled with oil. And most have areas around them where flowers and shrubs are planted and there is something blooming everywhere. Seeing some of these large ones in Cyprus ( as well as the smaller ones in the villages) and then seeing the average cemetery here in the States with simple headstones and markers is sort of a shock. Just different cultures and customs. Well that is another post in itself as well for another time... maybe. From the cemetery we back to the house and just spent most of the day relaxing, a run out to the local Carrefour, which is similar to our supermarkets here but a bit bigger, nearer to a superwalmart than just a supermarket as they have everything, clothing, electronics, etc. Well that was another culture shock of sorts. First walking in I noticed all the cashiers were sitting! And nice seats too! lol I have to wonder what some of the cashiers form the store I work would say if they had seen that! those poor folks in the summer time here are on their feet the whole day and can only sit when they take a break in the back, if they're lucky to even get one. I forget now what we went in to pick up, but I remember mostly just glancing at the brands on the shelf. Well there are a few of the brand new names out, but just the overall appearance of the American name brands that were there looked like a flashback to the 80's! Even some of the old logo's. Odd in a way, and then to have them mixed in with the local brands, most in Greek, well I would likely be lost! We really are a spoiled lot here in the US. too many choices I think sometimes. I was particularly wanting to see the meats , since that's my profession. Well I was shocked at what I saw. Well first of all beef is not as readily available or as popular as it is here, but what they did have in the cases was horrible looking! days old at least and some eye round roasts that were so dried out from sitting in the case they were closer to chunky style beef jerky! they would have sacked the whole meat department on the spot if that was here in the US! None of it was prepackaged either, they were all service type cases and as they were cutting, they just dumped it into the case, and I mean literally dumped it! lol Well I guess its what people are used to, as they seemed busy. Pork and chicken were the biggest sellers and a lot of lamb too from the looks of the case. Well I personally would be afraid to buy anything, but I'm the same way here as being a meat cutter I rarely buy anything unless I cut it myself! ;) It was interesting to see first hand the little differences between here and there, but I am telling all the Americans reading this, you have no idea how spoiled we really are as a nation and how wasteful as well. It gave me a new appreciation, and brought a feeling of shame as well for the nitpicking we do over what are really stupid things to begin with. Now that will be a post in the future, for sure! ;)

We went back to the house and just stayed in the rest of the day. Watched a little tv, tried to take a nap but it was a bit warm and I think really I was still just excited to be there and didnt want to miss anything! We took Benji out for a walk around the neighborhood and I got chance to look around a bit more as up to now it was near dark when we had taken him out. Like everywhere these days its building up fast in Limassol. One of the things that I was amzed about was when they build a house the contractors oor owners will just have the material delivers and they sit out on the sidewalks or road! Same with the demolition debris! Well I guess they clean it all up when they're done, but for all that time the stuff just sits there, and noboby messes with it! Can you imagine buying a pallet or two of roofing tiles and just storing them in the yard or on the street here? they would be gone the next morning! LOL And I swear I think I could have built a house with all the leftovers just thrown about. When we got back JM and I had a nice game of chess outside at the table while Alison fixed a fabulous meal. She had bought a chicken roll of sorts, well its a boneless rolled stuffed chicken wrapped in bacon and cheese. No not from Carrefour! lol theres a wonderful meat shop right down the road from her house which was very nice as I found out a few days later when we went to get some minced meat( ground pork ) ;) We ate out in the garden and enjoyed a wonderful meal and some wonderful wine! :) I really have developed a taste for it... well some of it... ;) After dinner Frosso came by and we sat and had another bottle and a wonderful evening just chatting and it was a pleasure meeting her. Well I feel I already knew everyone so well from all Alison had talked about them and it didnt seem I was meeting them for the first time really so that was very nice. Well it had to have been a couple of hours we sat out there enjoying the company, and the wine ;) Another wonderful day in Cyprus~ I felt very at home, well, being with Alison... I was home! :)

Day 2 in Cyprus

A Trip to the Mountains


On the second day, Thursday October 11th, we decided to have a change of scenery and headed off to the Troodos mountains to walk through and tour a couple of the villages, Lania and Omodos. It turned out to be another hot day so it was good we decided to head to the mountains as it would hopefully be a bit cooler, turns out it wasn't so much cooler at all! But still better than it would have been going somewhere near the sea. Its only a 20 minute drive or so from Limassol but it's like entering a completely different place and time to see these villages which mostly retain the old way of life.

Photos for this post are here: http://picasaweb.google.com/garazon/Day2Cyprus

Before I go on about the villages I want to relate another story. We needed gas/petrol before we went out too far today and made a pit stop just before leaving Limassol. Well we pulled into one of the stations , can't remember the name of it right off, well anyway I noticed a couple of employees near the pumps as we pulled in. I didn't think much of it, one was sitting down in a small chair and I just assumed she was taking a break and I thought the other was just there to collect the money. Well Alison mentioned upon pulling in to see about getting someone to check the water as she had just had a new radiator put in the car and wanted to make sure things were ok before we headed up, and asked me to see is there was 50¢ CYP laying about to tip the guy. Well being from the states I was used to nothing but self service stations and was wondering what the tip was for. Ok we do have a couple of places that come pump the gas for you and collect the money, but that's all they do. well the guy puts the gas in and heads back to the pump and then I found myself dumbfounded as the guy turns and comes back with a bucket and a squeegee! He then proceeds to clean not only the windshield, but the door windows and back window as well! I was in shock almost! I haven't seen that kind of service since the late 60's here in the states! Well he didn't stop there, Alison popped the hood and the guy checks the oil and topped of the coolant tank as well! WOW! It was one of those twilight zone moments almost! well it made me smile too to see that there are still places that do this sort of thing in the world, I was loving Cyprus even more then. :)

Well with the car filled up we set out on our way. Our first destination was a smaller village that Alison said was one of the more picturesque, Lania.
She was right as usual :)
(description from website ) LANIA
Lania is a small, beautiful village, built at the foot of Mount Troodos on the main Limassol to Troodos road, about 26 Kms from Limassol. Lania is one of the main wine producing villages.
According to tradition, Lania got its name from Lania, daughter of the Greek god of wine and pleasure: Dionysos. This indicates the deep roots of the village in the field of vine-growing and wine-making. The village is well known for the high quality of its grapes and wines.
At the time Erricos was King of France, the country’s vineyards from which champagne was produced were destroyed by disease. The King went in search of healthy plants, which he found in Lania. The plants were loaded on a ship, transported to France and used to replant the Champagne vineyards. It is believed that during his stay in Cyprus, Erricos used to spend time at the Royal Oak of Lania, an 800 year old oak tree which sadly collapsed in 1997. In the same area, only a few metres from the Royal Oak, there is another oak tree, even bigger and well worth a visit.
The inhabitants of the village are occupied with vine-growing and the production of wine-related products including Zivania, Commandaria and Sousouko. Amongst the flower-lined streets and traditional architecture lies the village church, dedicated to St Mary. The Icon of St Mary of Valana, one of the oldest paintings in the world, is displayed in the church.
In Lania one can find an ancient and authentic Linos, a wine press, formerly used in the production of Commandaria. The entrance to the village is dominated by the old fountain from which villagers would get their drinking water and still today brings back memories of bygone times.

I totally fell in love with this village with it's narrow stone streets and old stone houses, many of which have been restored and updated but kept their look and feel. And the amazing variety of floral plantings all along the streets and houses was beautiful. Somehow we missed the church, but did see the Linos. I guess because of the time of the year some of the places that usually are open, artists galleries and souvenir shops, even the Linos, were all closed. It was so quiet and peaceful and as we strolled the streets you could sense it. I could live in a place like this, long as they have Internet access! ;)


Omodos was the next stop. (from the website) Omodhos is located in the district of Limassol and is one of the best wine producing villages in Cyprus. It is about 35 kilometres (26 miles) from Limassol, 80 km from Nicosia and 7 km from Platres. The first view you get when you arrive in Omodhos is of its enormous big square, surrounded by whitewashed stone house, mulberry trees, tavernas, coffeehouse and souvenir shops. The village consists of many narrow streets, white houses and a picturesque church. The villagers speak the original Cypriot language and are very devoted to the contact with each other and their religious believes. Without doubt, when visiting Omodhos, one will be astonished by the women, farmers and traders who still maintain the traditional way of working.
For centuries, the people of Omodhos have worshipped and established this richness with care and devotion, which explains their, and my, proud. The inhabitants of the village Omodhos form a close community, who sometimes tend to exaggerate in their proud for their village. (Of course, we are just as common as any other villager in Cyprus, but we like to think of ourselves as the best people of the island. The village has a rich cultural heritage and is especially famous for its agricultural and natural resources, for example the many vineyards that can be found in and around the village.

A more detailed site for Omodos can be found here, giving the history of the village, the church, the wines and more. Including some links to photos of the inside the church. We weren't allowed to photograph inside ourselves.

Omodos was much larger than Lania and of course had all the little tourist shops open as well as a few restaurants and taverns. We parked near the large village square and went there first. The entire square is paved, if that is the word to use, with stones and rocks mostly set on edge rather than flat, and you need some good shoes to walk on it very long! The walk down the square leads to the Monastery of the Holy Cross, a really lovely setting with the church in the center and the surrounding structure housing some artifacts and restored rooms now, as well as a museum for the National Struggle and a folk art museum as well is housed in one of the areas. We spent a good while in this area taking a few photos, outside of the church itself. :)
Being about lunchtime we decided to grab something to eat and drink and have a sit down for a bit. Even up in the mountains it was still warm this day. We decided on a spot just across from the entrance to the square at a grill/restaurant/tavern. Like most place here the seating is outside as well as inside and we opted for a table out in the breeze under the umbrella. It also gave us a good view of all the activities. I had my first taste of Calamari here and actually liked it!. Well actually Alison ordered that, and me being the adventurous American tourist ordered a ... cheeseburger! LOL Well it wasn't the best tasting thing in the world mind you, probably some frozen beef patty, maybe containing beef somewhere in it, and some kind of very bland cheese. Cypriots do some really wonderful and great tasting Greek and Cypriot dishes, but they suck at American ones! LOL Well nevermind I ate it and it was filling. I tried the local Keo beer too, but wasn't so fond of that either. Well what else goes with a burger... oh yes.. Pepsi please! lol Anyway we had a nice time sitting and talking and yes smooching too! ;) Right across the street there is part of a winery and all the time we were there the local farmers were transporting their grapes to sell. A steady stream of pickup trucks hauling crates of grapes and waiting in line to unload them. Quite interesting to see this side of things, instead of just seeing the bottles in the stores! We sat a right good while and then strolled around a bit more. We had been walking around 2 days now in the heat, between that and me trying to adjust to the time we were both ready to call it a day!
The villages were lovely to see and I liked Lania the best, just smaller and quieter and less touristy than Omodos., but both gorgeous villages and I loved it. Loved the guide more though :) Thanks my love for everything! XXX

In the evening I rode with Alison and JM to take him to the base at Akrotiri where he is in the Air Training Corps as a cadet. He wants to be a pilot and this program at the camp has given him a lot of good expereince and this summer he had his first solo flight! Amazing, he's only 17 and already took off and landed a plane himself and I have just for the first time set foot on one!
So while he was doing his thinkg alison took me around to see some of the places she hangs out while she waits for him to get done with cadets. Most of the time she goes and caht with some friends at a little bar called Mom's. Just a small place but a very nice relaxed feeling when you walk in. I got to meet Julie, a friend of Alison's who has a son also in the cadets that she met and passes the time with. We sat there a short while and chatted, but had to leave before too long as we were supposed to go and meet Dee and Philip who live in Kolossi and then go back and pick JM up. Julie was nice enough to offer pick him up and to drop him off on the way so that we might have a longer visit with Dee. Dee works with Alison at 3D and is a lovely and very funny person. They have a gorgeous home and we sat and had a glass of wine or two and talked and the time passed so quickly. There are so many people I have come to know through Alison that she always see and tells me about I really would have liked to have met them all and spent more time with them, but we just couldnt manage to fit it all in with the short time we had. Everyone made me feel so at ease and in a way I felt I had already met them and they said the same about me! :) Well we had to meet up with Julie to get Jm and then headed home. We hadn't eaten yet so aliosn stopped at a take away place and I had my first taste of sheftalia, a Cyrpriot style grilled sausage of sorts . Oh I loved this! it was in a pita bread with tomatoes and cucumbers.. wonderful taste, and I have been craving it ever since I got back to the states!

Another wonderful day that passed much too fast, but memories that will last me a lifetime. I love Cyprus, and especially one Cyprus angel! :)

Day 1 in Cyprus

What an incredible time we have shared on my first visit to Cyprus. I don't think I could even begin to describe how perfect it was. Every minute I felt so happy, so at ease and so content. And that was just from being beside my Love for 10 days, the rest of the island was nice too and wonderful to tour ;)

It really wasn't even close to enough time to see and explore everything I would have liked. The island is so rich in history and culture, so beautiful that it would take a month to go see and do everything and that would just scratch the surface. And then there are all the stories I can tell about the lifestyle and day to day things that you don't think about until you actually experience them firsthand. Cyrus driving and traffic is a post by itself! lol

So let me start with Day 1. The first few days were really hot, as they are having a warm October just as we are here. Oh we think its dry here having so little rain, well it is, but there you can see the dust in the air at times and everything gets covered so quick in it. The dams are all so very low right now. I think even though we think about conserving water here in the states we don't realize just how good we have it until you go to restaurant there and have to buy water!

After breakfast and coffee we headed out to explore. I was most wanting to see some of the archaeological sites and that sort of thing, so we took the first day and planned a trip to Curium and the Kolossi and Limassol Castles. It was probably too hot to do it, but we were not having so many days to do everything so we journeyed on. The area of Curium is beautiful really. You could spend the entire day or two just in that area alone. The first place we went was to see the Curium amphitheatre. Today the theatre is used for cultural events. I've had a few mails since we met and Alison has often spoke of going to see performances there so this is one of the first places I wanted to see and experience. It was originally built in the 2nd century B.C. but what is preserved today dates to the Roman period with 2nd and 3rd century A.D. additions and restorations. In the curved auditorium the spectators’ seating area accommodates around 3500 people. The stage only preserves its foundations but it originally rose to the full height of the auditorium. You can Google up Curium or Kourion and get more detailed history of the theatre and the surrounding city itself. It was a wonderful feeling though to sit on those steps and think that almost 200 years ago how many people have sat there with the same view I had of the sea and it must have been magnificent to sit under the stars. There was a tour group there when we were walking around and even though they were situated near the top seats of the theatre as she was giving the history, we were down below and could hear quite clearly her voice. Amazing the acoustics in these places! Right next to the theatre is the remains of The House of Eustolios, which consists of many rooms with fascinating 5th century AD mosaic floors and a complex of baths. The majority of it all protected by over walks and a large canopy. The photos show many of the different mosaics that once covered the bottom of the baths and its not hard to imagine how splendid it must have looked in its day. In some of the photos of the rooms you can see the pillars that once held the floors up, as well as the clay pipes that served as the conduits for the water, a system that is still in popular use today as well in the area! You look at things like this and think that with all our advances in technology have we really come so far today in just the basic day to day living? I don't think so.

The Amphitheatre is directly above the Curium beach, and you may see hand-gliders riding above the Curium cliffs. One of the most appealing beaches on the island, Curium is a beach of unspeakable beauty. The sea is rough and wild, whereas the beaches are gentle to have fun on. This beach is also a popular sailing spot but can get overcrowded with swimmers. We left from here and rode down to get to the beach area. We stopped just before the beach area to a little stone church still in use, St Ermogenis. The Entry door can't be much more than 5 feet tall. And inside probably has less than a dozen wooden carved seats, the walls are covered in the icons which are in all the churches here. Over on one side is the tomb and burial site of the saint the church is named after, St Ermogenis . I thought we had a picture of it but I don't see one. Itwas very quaint and you could feel a deep sense of it being used continually as a place of prayer and peace.

From there it was just a short drive down to the beach . We didn't go on the Beach itself that day. Forgot about our swimsuits really, so with it being hot we went to one of the restaurants right on the beach and had a cool drink and just sat in the breeze a while. That's one of the things that struck me all over Cyprus, no one seems to be in a hurry (unless they are driving lol) and you can go and sit in a place like this without feeling you are rushed to leave. I was absorbed in the beautiful view from there, you can see the cliffs and the sea and its quite a striking site. the photos really don't do justice to it. And the colour of the sea itself amazing. It makes the ocean and sounds around NC look like mud! I took a ton of pics of the sea from all over the island! And the rocks too ;)

With more than half the day already gone we made our way back with a stop at the Kolossi Castle. It is still in very good shape. The Castle of Kolossi was initially built in 1210 and rebuilt in its present form in the middle of the 15th century. The castle first belonged to King Hugh I who gave it to the Knights of St. John in order for their support in his fight against the Muslims. The knights controlled sixty villages on the island and being such good farmers and having a great business sense, all villages were strengthened. Kolossi became one of the Knights most valuable overseas possessions when they produced the famous Commandaria wine, which was sought after all over Europe and brought the knights fame and fortune. According to tradition the Kolossi Castle is where Richard the Lion-heart and Queen Berengaria spent their honeymoon.

Next on the agenda was a quick stop at the Limassol Castle or fort as some places call it. Located near the old port, Limassol Mediaeval fort was built in the 14th century, on the land of an earlier Byzantine Castle and it houses the Cyprus Mediaeval museum. This is where it is believed that Richard the Lion-heart married Berengaria Navarre crowning her Queen of England in 1191. We didn't go inside this one as by this time we were both drained from the heat and climbing stone stairs all morning long! Theres tons of links though to its history and pictures if you ant to google it.
From there we decided to make our way home. We took out some chicken kebabs to do on the grill for supper. Even that was a surprise to me as we had to go get some charcoal for the grill. Another one of those things you don't think about until you are in a different country. I love my Matchlight charcoal, pour it in light it and 10 minutes its ready! Americans really are a lazy bunch!! Well its nice! lol Anyway the charcoal here is just that, chunks of charred wood! There are all sizes in the bag, not uniform at all ,and you have to use paraffin to get it lit! JM did a great job getting it going! Poor guy about wore his arms out fanning it with a dustpan to get it fired up hot enough to cook the kebabs. Anyway they turned out great and we had a wonderful supper there in Alison's garden under the stairs and in the cool evening air.

Wow I think It will take me a month at this pace to recount all all of my trip, well it will not be leaving my mind anytime soon and after I get the day to day posts done I will come back and elaborate more on some of them.

All the pics for this post are here http://picasaweb.google.com/garazon/Day1Cyprus
Thanks for reading and for keeping up with us~ love you all
Chester and Alison

Back in the USA

Well I finally made it back a day late. My first flight was delayed for a couple of hours, and they wound up having to shuttle us to another airport to catch a larger plane for some reason. So that made me miss my connecting flight. I finally managed to get some new flights and the airline put me up in a hotel for the night, which was nice but I was very anxious to be in a strange place all by myself. They did take care of me and I had transportation to and from the hotel. Caught my new flight the next morning and was back on my way. I wound up going to Newark and then another flight to Norfolk. which actually as far as the flying time it was less than the flight over. Finally made it back in the door to my house about 36 hours after leaving Alison's house on Friday morning :( It's worn me out and I was in bed not long after getting home.

I have a lot of stories to tell when I get some energy to sit and think clear and write. The one thing I can say right off is that even if we have some nice airports and all the latest technology, the US has some of the rudest airport workers than any place I have been. Actually the Brits were the most helpful of anyone even if they have a maze for an airport at Gatwick! Well the dutch were ok too, just they weren't as visible as the Brits were.

My body is still on Cyprus time I think, I'm feeling so sleepy at the moment but am trying to stay up long as I can to get adjusted as I go back to work on Tuesday. My boss was nice and gave me a couple more days! Thank goodness, even though I was up and awake early this morning I feel drained still. I've got all the pics uploaded but not all labeled yet. I had a wonderful time, well I was sure I would, just being with Alison was all I wanted. there was lots to see and I'm sure Alison is glad to be getting a break from me dragging her around almost every day to see more "rocks" ! ;)

Well I will try and post tomorrow and give you all some details. I'm just going to take it easy today and try and get back on schedule. It was nice in a way coming through customs at Newark to be greeted by an American saying "Welcome Back" , but my heart is still in Cyprus. Wish I was there now.

Cyprus Trip!

Update 5
Thursday- WOW my last night in Cyprus and I finally found a Miller beer!! Would have preferred a Miller Lite but hey I'm over the moon with the regular! ;) I've tried the local Keo beer and its ok, the next biggest one here is Carlsburg which I really dont care for either, but I'm not a big beer drinker anyway. Anyway I'm glad to have run across the Miller at the nearby Carrefour store. Its really an eyeopener going to shop in a country foreign to me. I'll speak more of all the experiences later.

I've had a fabulous time the last 4 days. We went on Monday to Paphos and I have tons of pics on my camera from the archealogical sites we went, and some breathtaking views of the sea and mountains. I'm having trouble getting them from the card to Alison's pc so I'll have to wait until i get back to the US to put them online.

We're going out to eat tonight for my last time here in Cyprus. I really am going to hate to get on that plane in the morning. :( I would have never thought in a million years I would have ever been anywhere out of the country, but God works in wonderful ways and I'm so happy now to be here and to be in love. :) Will try to update once more before I leave, but if not I'll see you all when I get back tomorrow night. hope Jan remembers to pick me up! LOL


Update 4 Sat and Sun Saturday went to Governors Beach in Limassol and had a very relaxing afternoon. I couldn't believe how clear the water was. Standing with the sea up to my neck I could see my feet! You cant even manage seeing a couple of inches in the water there at home in NC! The water temps were lovely too, It was a wonderful afternoon doing nothing!
In the evening we wnet out to eat at the Pizza Express which from the sound of it is nothing like you would see in the US. Quite a fancy menu and live entertainment on the weekends. Still havent found a Miller Lite anywhere yet though! ;)

Sunday we rode to Vouni Village and had lunch at one of the local tavernas, Taxis, with George and Agneta... it was very nice and quite a relaxed and cozy atmosphere. Of course the wine here is making everywhere relaxed! Afterwards it was back to Agneta's for a coffee and another wine and to meet up with more friends of Alison, Allyson and Marios, and Thereza and Andros. Of course they were all seemingly so familiar already as I ahve seen their photos so many times since meeting Alison and hearing of all the get togethers, I felt very comfortable every minute as if I had been here before.

Heading off for a couple of day now, Monday and Tuesday, to go to Paphos for another holiday within a holiday! Thanks to Alison's mam and dad!! :)

Update 3 Friday
Another wonderful day, we stayed near home today to just rest up and relax. Finally now getting adjusted to the time, ran out to a few shops off and on. Had a lovely dinner, the food here is wonderful. I've even tried Kalimari now! hey I liked it! :) Spent a nice evening in the garden and meeting Frosso was winderful. Having a bit of trouble these last two days with the internet being slow so I havent got all the pics uploaded. Tomorrow is going to be another rest day, a trip to the beach and sit in the sun and a dip in the sea. :)

Update 2 Thursday Had a wonderful day doing the tourist thing, started with a visit to Curium and then the Kolosi and Limassol Castles the photos are here http://picasaweb.google.com/garazon/Day1Cyprus

Got a real education on cypriot traffic and driving too! LOL It's crazy!!!

Ended the evening with a brandy and coke and JM's wonderful chicken kabobs on the grill!
off today to a mountain village, will post later

UPDATE!!! :)

I'm in Cyprus!!! YEA!!! I love flying! Oh it is one long trip and very tiring but worth every minute! I crashed right out after we got back from the airport but agood nights sleep has me feeling good and we will be off to explore after coffee and breakfast!

:) Almost out the door now to the airport!

Doing some last minute things now, just some odds and ends and waiting impatiently for the time to pass! I'm so excited now I can't stand it! I'm going to post the pics as often as I can to share with everyone and use this site to keep in touch, so drop in from time to time and check back for anything new and just to say hi. I dont know that I'll take too much time to post much other than the pics for now, but if anything comes up we'll put it here. See you guys when I'm in Cyprus! :) Maybe Alison can add some updates until then

love and best wishes to all,
Chester & Alison

Travel Itinerary
all times are local to the cities of arrival and departure


Flight 1: Northwest Airlines flight 1447 (Non-Stop)
Depart: Norfolk , VA (ORF) - Terminal Information Unavailable
' Mon, Oct 08 at 4:15pm
Arrive: Detroit , MI (DTW) - E.M. MCNAMARA TERMINAL
' Mon, Oct 08 at 6:12pm

Flight 2: Northwest Airlines flight 32 (Non-Stop)
Depart: Detroit , MI (DTW) - E.M. MCNAMARA TERMINAL
' Mon, Oct 08 at 9:25pm
Arrive: London Gatwick , UK (LGW) - SOUTH TERMINAL
' Tue, Oct 09 at 10:05am

Flight 3: British Airways flight 6844 operated by GB AIRWAYS LTD (Non-Stop)
Depart: London Gatwick , UK (LGW) - NORTH TERMINAL
' Tue, Oct 09 at 1:15pm
Arrive: Paphos , Cyprus (PFO) - Terminal Information Unavailable
' Tue, Oct 09 at 7:40pm
______________________________________________________

Flight: KLM Airlines flight 3398 operated by CYPRUS AIRWAYS LTD
(Non-Stop)
Depart: Paphos , Cyprus (PFO) - Terminal Information Unavailable
' Fri, Oct 19 at 10:20am
Arrive: Amsterdam , Netherlands (AMS) - Terminal Information Unavailable
' Fri, Oct 19 at 1:40pm

Flight: Northwest Airlines flight 55 (Non-Stop)
Depart: Amsterdam , Netherlands (AMS) - Terminal Information Unavailable
' Fri, Oct 19 at 3:35pm
Arrive: Minneapolis/St Paul, MN (MSP) - LINDBERGH TERMINAL
' Fri, Oct 19 at 5:40pm

Flight: Northwest Airlines flight 2808 operated by NORTHWEST AIRLINK
(Non-Stop)
Depart: Minneapolis/St Paul, MN (MSP) - LINDBERGH TERMINAL
' Fri, Oct 19 at 7:08pm
Arrive: Norfolk , VA (ORF) - Terminal Information Unavailable
' Fri, Oct 19 at 10:58pm

Just days to go

I have never been so excited or so ready for anything in my life as I am to be getting on that plane in a few days now, well truthfully I am more excited about getting off the plane and into the arms of my angel once again!

See you soon my love!

Phlove You! ;)

X X X X X X

Cyprus videos

Some Cyrpus videos from one of my playlists on YouTube. Some are promotional videos, some are clips of others travel videos, and some are photo slideshow type vids. Watching these just adds to my excitement of my upcoming trip in October. It's such a beautiful place! I can't wait to be there. :) I can't wait to take my own vids too very soon and post them for everyone to see! almost 39 days now! :-)

Holiday Pics

Our Holiday Photos from May 11th through May 27th 2007 are all online to share with our families and friends. We had the most wonderful holiday together, turning out just as we knew it would, with no doubts that we are meant to be together always! :)
You can see them all here in Alison's Picasa Web Albums. Please feel free to leave any comments!

The List!

Well I keep meaning to make a list of the things I need to have for my trip coming up in October, and haven't done one yet... well that's not true.. I made a short one a couple of weeks ago, but guess what? Can't remember where I saved it on the pc! lol So I think I will be better off to make one here where I know I will see it often. ;) and of course anyone feel free to add something they think I might have missed... ok for the ladies out there keep in mind guys really aren't in to packing a complete wardrobe for entire season so the clothing list will be right short! lol See guys think more on the lines of their toys... cameras, video recorders, cables, memory cards .. that sort of thing.. if we need something to wear we go find a Dollar store or a Walmart! lol Hope they have something similar in Cyprus!
ok on with the list... lists I should say. One for things to take and one for things to do ;)

Things to pack...

1. Passport
2. Tickets!!
3. Clothes... assorted... lol
4. Camera
5. Camera charger, cables, memory cards
6. USB card reader
7. Camera 2
8. Video Camera and cables, charger
9. ?
10. ?
11. ?
12. Red Thong? LOL

Things to do:

1. Check on Health insurance
2. Prescriptions
3. Dramamine!!!!
4. ?
5. ?
6. ?
7. ?

well I know I will add some things to this as I go and I'm sure I have forgotten something.. well long as I have the passport and tickets, my Visa Debit card will get me the rest!! ;)

Shania Twain - From this Moment

Love is passion, obsession, someone you can't live without. If you don't start with that, what are you going to end up with? Fall head over heels. I say find someone you can love like crazy and who'll love you the same way back. And how do you find him? Forget your head and listen to your heart. I'm not hearing any heart. Run the risk, if you get hurt, you'll come back. Because, the truth is there is no sense living your life without this. To make the journey and not fall deeply in love - well, you haven't lived a life at all. You have to try. Because if you haven't tried, you haven't lived.~ William Parrish from the movie, Meet Joe Black (1998)

Truly

Love Quotes

"The entire sum of existence is the magic of being needed by just one person." Vi Putnam

What greater height can any of us attain than that? No one can convnce me otherwise. And they are welcome to try! If i were penniless, I am the richest man in the world to have the love of my Alison Michelle. XXX

"A heart that loves is always young." Greek Proverb

No wonder I feel 16 again :)

"Love seeketh not itself to please, nor for itself hath any care, but for another gives its ease, and builds a Heaven in Hell's despair." William Blake

"But love, I've come to understand, is more than three words mumbled before bedtime. Love is sustained by action, a pattern of devotion in the things we do for each other every day." Nicholas Sparks in The Wedding

To my love

Need you always

When I need you
I just close my eyes and Im with you
And all that I so want to give you
Its only a heartbeat away

Alison is becoming famous in the US!

My good friend Mike has a blog here on blogger also and when I told him the news of our engagement, he was kind he was kind enough to post the announcement on his site as well. :) And today Alison sent me a text to tell me he put a music video up on the front page of his site just for us! I was so touched really when I came home and saw it, he has been a good friend for years, even if we haven't spoke in a while.. And he also had a few things to say about our gorgeous Alison! You can read that here.. Everyone's got a double, they say And while you're there I'm sure you will find many of his posts wonderful reading, he is quite a clever writer and he has taken a good number of wonderful photos from his area, be sure to check it out! http://topoftexasgazette.blogspot.com/

Thanks Mike, we really do appreciate all you have done!

Happy 4th

Happy 4th of July!
Well of course I am happy to celebrate the anniversary of our country's independence, but tonight I am also celebrating my own personal dependence on the British.. well on just One particular Brit. ;)

I love you Alison Michelle! And I miss you like crazy!

Thank God for America and thank God for England! And Cyprus too! :)

Chester is going to Cyprus!

:) YEA!!! I booked my flight today to go visit Alison! I will arrive on 9 October in Paphos at 7:40 pm! I am so happy that we have set a date to see each other again! I will be there until the 19th when my flight departs. Already I am dreading to say goodbye to my love again, but I know in my heart that our day is coming when we will never have to part!

I look forward to meeting everyone, I feel I know most of you so well through all of Alison's mails, and seeing your photos. I am so excited also to see as much of the beauty of the island as is seen in all the pictures Alison has shown me.. Well I will see you soon! And we also have a countdown script running on the top right, so you can count the days down with us!
love to you all and kisses to my Alison Michelle! XXXX

Engagement Cards

Thank you all who have sent such beautiful cards of congratulations for our engagement! :)
It really is so special to receive these wishes of happiness. Although we are separated by an ocean we are able to both enjoy them by this wonderful medium of the world wide web. So since we have them online for Alison and I to share, we thought we would share them with all of you as well! They are in our gallery here. http://picasaweb.google.com/alison.markides/Engagement_cards Thank you all so very much for your love and support. It does make us so happy to get so many nice mails and cards and thee comments to our posts. It may have been strange to some at first that we should have found each other online, but I think now everyone can see that it doesnt matter how we met, just that we did meet, and the love we share can only be heavensent! Thank God for email and the internet! :) And tahnk God for friends and family!
love to all, xxx
Alison & Chester

Our Story - Part 1

Our story is one of dreams lost and dreams found. For those not completely familiar with how, when, where and maybe the whys, I thought it might be nice to share a brief.. well maybe not so brief, story of our love and how it came to be. Although to be honest I feel it was meant to be all along that Alison and I were destined to meet. :) but that's for another post! ;)



In one way our story really begins in August of 2004, when both of our lives were changed in an instant. On literally opposite sides of the world, we both suffered at nearly the same point in time the loss of our spouse. It cant be put into words or expressed how devastating and horrible that moment was when in one instant your spouse of 20+ years is gone. Only those who have sadly experienced it can even begin to understand. But with the loss comes such an overwhelming darkness that you think your life is over as well, and in a way you do die also. You have spent those years raising a family, planning for a future, seeing yourself grow old with the one you love. With their death those dreams are gone overnight, you feel you don't belong in the world anymore, you don't know who you are, you feel your life is over too. Well grief is a terrible thing. It takes a hold of you and drives you to the brink of despair if you let it. And if you let it grow, you will die. Oh I don't want this post to become something sad and depressing, but it has to be said in order to realize how amazing it is for two people who have been through that hell, to find they can love again! :) There's no need to go into detail of the trials we both went through, but it's enough to say that it took a couple of years to come to the point where we we began to seriously have an interest in loving again.



Well I think we both were quite nervous to join these online dating sites at first, well I was never really comfortable on them at all to tell you the truth, there are some strange folks online! :) funny me saying that now considering that is where I met my beautiful Brit! Well anyway it was a way to test the waters , so to speak, and to just get used to the idea that I was "single" :(

I talked to a few people, but you know in the end I was realizing I was just looking for someone to talk to and find someone who knew what it was like to lose a spouse and to share some insight on that.. and yet deep down I was wanting to love again and feel loved too. Oh you never think it could happen again. and I was actually about to give up on the idea of the online sites. I cancelled my memberships actually to the sites. well when I cancelled the last one, a screen popped up asking me to reconsider and if the one I was using wasn't to my liking perhaps I would find one of these more suited... well it must be a lot of them are all owned by the same company as there were all sorts of specialized sites, different locations, different cultures and religions.. etc.. well somehow as I was about to close that page too something caught my eye, well honestly it was more like something caught my hand and made me click on a little link called Christian Mingle. There was a feeling I had too, like I was supposed to be there! I have to add that I have a very firm Faith and believe without a doubt that I was led here, that we both were by the Holy Spirit. God does hear our prayers! He answered both of ours! Oh this is going to be a long story I think! Well I guess it was about a week I was on the site and I had actually met some really nice people, a few widows too that I spoke with several times through the site mail and we shared our stories and experiences, but there was never really any romantic inclination to any of them, more a feeling of kindred spirits or something. And I was about comfortable with just having a friendship or two and get on with life. I remember searching the site for widows specifically once, well there weren't too may of them, especially anywhere near, in fact none of them were near at all, and I remember this one in particular was really nice looking, ;) so I clicked her profile.. well I started reading and she sounded very genuine and I remember thinking I wish she was nearer, then I saw her age was a few years younger than me and I somehow thought she would think I was some just some old guy trying to chat her up or something.. ;) well the site we were on you could send a smile or even write a mail, but I didn't think she would be interested, because of the age and the distance.. And on that site it should be said too that you can see who has looked at your profile.. Well I cant remember now if it was the next day or the day after I got a mail from her saying she was a widow and was interested in talking about our experiences with losing a spouse as our situations with length of marriage and such were very similar. Well to this day I remember so clear the question she asked in that first mail, "would you like to write sometime?" :) Oh you know the moment I opened her mail I felt as though I had known her all my life! There was what I call a silent "thunder" that hit me deep in my soul that day and I knew right that moment this was going to be one special friendship! Well actually I felt something more than friendship right then, but I was scared I think to admit what it really was! But my heart knew it and we started writing that very day, and haven't missed a day since April 5, 2006! :) some days as many as a dozen or more! ...

I will have to continue the story as it's turning out to be rather lengthy.. well stay tuned!

Oh , I happened across this I wrote almost a year ago on another website, just a couple of months after we first "met"

I believe strongly in angels, not only those we think of as having passed on and watching over us, but those people who bring us light, love and happiness where once darkness and sadness reigned. In my case, the angel's name is Alison Michelle.. :) She lives in Cyprus, an island in the Mediterranean, which is appropriately enough the legendary home of Aphrodite, Greek goddess of love! :) Yes, across the Atlantic,far away in distance but near in my heart now, and always.. I've felt it from the first email, and I've come to know it more each day.. Alison Michelle is the One! :) Heaven sent, she has given me life where I thought mine was over, love where I thought all was lost, and longing I thought I would never feel again... I am hers completely, and how wonderful and amazing it feels to say "I love you" again in this life.. I have been blessed twice in this life with a beautiful woman whose love touches the depths of my soul.. I can only thank God, for this was truly a match made in heaven, with helping hands I think from those looking after us ;) Perhaps I shouldn't say too much more, as this is a public site,and I don't know how she would feel seeing such things available for all the world to see.. but to all my friends, know I am a very happy man in love now.. :) G
Posted by garazon on July 7, 2006 07:34 PM ....

check back for more of Our Story soon!
Thanks for reading!

We're Engaged!

Announcing to the world that Alison Michelle Markides & Chester Wade Weikel are Engaged!! The ring was given on May 25th, 2007 and my beautiful bride to be said YES!!!
I love this woman! xxxxx

Keep a check back for more news and events! The next big thing is chester going to Cyprus near the end of September or beginning of October! :)