We survived our Greece-Romania double header and have mostly settled back at home in one piece– these past few weeks ended up being a little crazy at work, as I have been asked to develop the short list of candidates Read More
Remnants of War
In addition to psychological wounds and other unseeable remnants of war (landmines, mostly), Cyprus also has many visible signs of war. This is remarkable when you consider its beaches and all-inclusive hotels host nearly three million tourists per year, most Read More
Vouni: A Very Old Palace
In antiquity, there were ten city-kingdoms in Cyprus. They were each distinct, and their inhabitants a veritable who’s-who of ancient civilizations, influences, and shifting allegiances: Mycenaean, Spartan, Phoenician, Assyrian, etc. The official tourist pamphlet at Vouni said something about Vouni’s Read More
Church of Christ Antiphonitis
Christ Antiphonitis means “Christ Who Responds”– apparently, this 13th century church is named after a miraculous icon that was known to respond to people’s prayers. While Severin was back in the States, I convinced some newcomers to drive up to Read More
Coming Up For Air
Back in late May, I signed up to take the Graduate Management Admissions Exam (GMAT), which is a required component of every MBA application. It isn’t offered in Cyprus, so I signed up to take the exam in Thessaloniki, Greece. Read More
A Segway Tour of Nicosia
In the category of “Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it” we went on a segway tour of Nicosia. One of our friends wanted to do something goofy for her husband’s birthday, so eight of us got together and went Read More
The August Doldrums
It’s my third August in Nicosia, and this month, and the whole summer really, has felt exceptionally long. I’ve compiled a long bucket list of all the places we still need to explore, restaurants we want to re-visit, and trips Read More
Cyprus in May
And just like that, it’s August again, and in late July we crossed our two-year threshold. Now, we begin with the “lasts”– this is my last August in Cyprus, and we have no idea where we’ll be next August. Read More
In Which Only the Strong Survive
Several months ago, one of the embassy’s local guards sent an enthusiastic email to all Embassy staff announcing “SOCRATES’ FIRST ANNUAL ROAD TRIP!” and promising 10,000 years of history in a single day. Since I appreciated his gumption, and the Read More
The Rijksmuseum
In Amsterdam, we visited both the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum. Smithsonian these are not– the entry price for the Van Gogh Museum was 17 euros (almost $20!) and for the Rijksmuseum it was 17.50 euros. Between the two, Read More