Horseriding at Drapia Farm, Cyprus

On saturday, I went horseriding at Drapia Farm in Cyprus. It was my birthday treat organised by my lovely fiance. Unfortunately, I think I may have given him the impression that I was a more experienced rider than I am.

We turned up to Drapia Farm in Kalavassos on saturday morning and were greeted by a couple of young girls. To be honest they weren't the most friendly bunch. I explained that I am not a very experienced rider. I swiftly found myself on a horse with very little guidance. From the start, I had a bit of a bad feeling about my horse as she kept wondering off and ignoring me when I pulled on her reins. Our "instructor" left me alone with my horse and on her return, I asked her for some help. I think German was her first language and I didn't really understand her english. There was no explanation of the trail we would be following or anything like that. Our instructor rode ahead with a friend and we were left behind slightly clueless as to where we going or what we were supposed to be doing.

It all seemed to be going pretty well. Then I suddenly found myself sprawled on the floor in agony. It turned out that our horses had been given a fright from a rock falling off the cliff next to us. Falling of a horse is really scary and very painful. Luckily, I didn't hurt myself too badly. I have some very bad bruises and for a few days I had a sore back and neck.

To be fair, accidents happen with horses and when you get on a horse, you take the risk that you might fall off it. However, for the amount it costs to go riding at Drapia Farm, I think the service was pretty poor. It doesn't cost much to be friendly and give a little bit of proper tuition. I certainly wouldn't ride with them again and I wouldn't recommend riding with them unless you are very experienced.

The Valley of the Roses, Agros, Cyprus

On Sunday, we went to the Rose Festival in the small village of Agros in Cyprus on the foothills of the Troodos mountains. The drive up was gorgeous, all the flowers were out and the mountains were verdant and fresh – a pleasant reprieve from the heat of Nicosia. Driving in the troodos is always a bit scary thanks to all the people driving too fast or too slow along the windy mountain roads. We finally made it to Agros and had a delicious lunch at the main taverna in the village. You can sit outdoors under the shade of a huge tree whose branches spanned the entire seating area of the taverna. As it was Sunday, there was a set menu of souvlaki (rotisserie pork, lamb or chicken). We ordered souvlaki with green beans, greek salad, dolmades (stuffed vine leaves), fresh yoghurt and olives washed down with some local wine. The food was really good although a little pricey.













Afterwards, suffering from the accompanying sugar low of a large meal, we headed off to find the rose festival. Like most things in Cyprus, it wasn’t very easy to find. Eventually we got there – take the first left before the high school (the modern building with a green roof) - and follow the road down. First stop was the rose house of Agros which is home to the Venus Rose range of bio-certified organic rose products. All the roses are grown locally and harvested in May at dawn. The petals are distilled using by hand. It takes a lot of rose petals and a lot of work to produce even a tiny drop of pure rose essence.

We were given a guided tour of the venus rose range by Christakis Tsolakis who owns the company. It is a family business which has been running since 1948. Chris demonstrated the rose water cleanser which really did seem to work miracles. My skin was left cool, soft and very clean. We also got to try some of their local rose liquer, rose aperitif and rose wine. Chris was a charming if slightly eccentric guide. His demonstration of the flammability of the rose perfume certainly put me off buying it! The Venus Rose range is distributed worldwide which is incredible for a little company based in a mountain village. However, it is easy to see why people would want to buy it. There is no animal testing, no parabens and the ingredients are all organic and natural. The Venus Rose range is very ahead of its time!

The best thing about the tour is that you are under no pressure to buy anything. The shop is in a separate part of the building and you are left to browse alone at leisure or to leave empty handed. Unfortunately, we missed the main events of the rose festival but we were shown a video of the proceedings and it definitely looks worth visiting. The festival takes place in May each year.

Click here if you are interested in buying from their range.

Made my first treasury on etsy

Today I managed to finally be on Etsy at exactly the right time to make a treasury. My treasury theme is Mediterranean Dreams and it contains lots of gorgeous items to get you into a summery mood. Please take a look at it and leave a comment if you can.

Vienna in spring

Vienna is the perfect city to visit in springtime, the sun is bright but not strong and the air is crisp and fresh; perfect for walking around and admiring the magnificence of the city.

We got to Vienna from Cyprus using Blueair. We had a lot of problems booking online with Blueair but eventually we managed to do it. It cost us about 190 euros return each but it would have probably been cheaper if we had left it to closer to the time or if we hadn't gone at easter. Unfortunately, if you have a cat and a full time job, flexibility isn't always easy!

The flight was about 3 hours long. Blueair's flight staff are very pleasant for a budget airline. We arrived in the airport and asked tourist information for help on getting into the city centre. The transfer was incredibly easy, there are regular buses into the city centre and the journey takes about 35 minutes. It costs 11.50 euros return for the transfer. There is also a high speed train connection which takes 15 minutes but is slightly more expensive.

We stayed at the Arcotel Wimberger which is right next to West Banhoff station which is where the bus drops you and seems to be the main train station in Vienna. We got a great deal on the Arcotel Wimberger through Lastminute; it averaged at about 53 GBP per night which is a good price for a luxury hotel. The Arcotel Wimberger is not the most beautiful hotel but it is well located and very peaceful once you are inside. The staff are very friendly and helpful. The hotel has a full fitness and leisure suite with a gym, indoor pool and sauna. Unfortunately, we forgot our swimwear!

When you live in a country like Cyprus, Vienna seems wonderfully elegant and peaceful. The people are very quiet and polite - always quick to offer help if you seem lost. None of the endless chattering of the Mediterraneans! The city centre is a UNESCO world heritage site and is incredibly beautiful and well-maintained.

Getting around Vienna is easy. There are trams and an easy to use underground train system. A ticket on the underground is 1.80 euros - although no one ever seems to check your ticket and there are no barriers. If found without a ticket you will get fined 70 euros so be careful. However, most of the time you can just walk everywhere. I would recommend getting the underground to Graben street on your first day and then walking from there. Graben is the main shopping street and is right in the very centre of the city. All around you there are beautiful buildings and most of the shops themselves are housed in gorgeous buildings. It's worth taking a look at the H&M on Graben street as it's housed in a beautiful old wood-panelled building.

It's also worth looking at the butterfly house as it's located in an exquisite glass building - it's next to the Mozart memorial. There is a tram that circles through most of the main sites, I think it's the number 1 tram.

In Vienna each district is called a bezirk and most of the main sites are in the 1st bezirk (the centre), if you have time, it's also worth looking at Joseph Stadt as it has a few vintage stores and some less touristy bars and cafes.

Definitely the best thing about Vienna is the Naschmarkt. Get the U4 line to Kettenbrueckengasse. When you come out of the station you will be in the section of the market for antiques and basically tat. Head to your right, towards the Secession building, and you will hit the food section of the market. It is incredible. There are stalls selling all manner of delicacies, fruits, chocolates and wines. There are lots of stalls where you can take a seat and order a plate of nibbles with prosecco. At the edge of the market, there are a number of mini-restaurants serving Austrian, Asian and Mediterranean food. The prices are reasonable and the atmosphere is really good.

When you are in Vienna, you must visit one of the traditional coffee houses. I would recommend going to Cafe Sperl on Gummpendorf strabe. All the cafes are wonderful and make you feel like you have stepped onto the set of an Agatha Christie novel. Waiters wear black tie and most of the cafes have chandeliers and lovely high ceilings. The coffees are wonderful - I recommend trying the Marie Therese which has orange liquer in it. Most cafes have a selection of cakes available - try the sachertorte or strudel with vanilla sauce.

We were in Vienna for two days and we found that that was just enough time as, unless you love museums, there is not that much to do there. However, it's a perfect destination for a relaxing weekend of beautiful scenery and tasty food!

Cypriot Jewellery

One of the things that one notices in Cyprus, is how much the women love jewelry. Obviously, women everywhere love jewellery but Cypriot women really love it. With their warm colouring, they are also able to wear pretty much any kind of metal.

It therefore comes as no surprise to learn that there have been many unearthings of ancient jewellery in Cyprus.

Around 750-500 B.C. the most popular form Cypriot jewellery was spiral earings of solid metal, which were worn by both men and women. These spirals are found in varying sizes and metals, and some have elaborate ornaments.

The spirals rings tended to be made of bronze, silver or gold-plated bronze. The combination of bronze and gold in jewellery was a Cypriot speciality.

It is interesting that both men and women wore jewellery in Cyprus at this time.

Another popular style of jewelry at this time in Cyprus was these sort of strange elongated hoops.

During the Hellenistic and Roman periods, Cypriot jewellery lost its distinctiveness and is often mistaken for Greek and Roman jewellery. The increased levels of trading meant that more gemstones and pearls were incorporated into pieces. The levels of craftsmanship increased hugely and the number of different styles grew.

Jewellery in Jordan

On a recent trip to Jordan, I decided to us the opportunity to buy a bit of new jewellery. Whenever you go abroad, it's worth having a quick look at the jewellery as in many countries it can be considerably cheaper and different to the jewellery on offer in your hometown.

If you are in Jordan visiting Petra then you will probably have quite a few opportunities to buy jewelry from the local Bedouins. This is worth doing as some of their jewelry is beautiful and unlike what you can perhaps get at home. The jewelry on offer in Petra tends to be made of rocks and glass. Agate is commonly used as well as moonstone and coloured glass. It is likely that the rocks are imported but even so, the jewellery is handmade. I took the opportunity to buy a blue beaded bracelet and a multi-coloured glass necklace from a lovely man just near Shobak castle (not in Petra but on the route to Petra from Amman). It cost me only 5JD (approx 5 euros) for both items. The price was lower than what you would probably pay in Petra itself. No matter if the price they first offer you is something that you are happy with, it is still good to bargain at least 10% off the price. The reason for this is that I genuinely have found that Middle Eastern people respect you more if you don't take the first price and it tends to give you an opportunity to have a chat. Obviously, for some items you will need to really haggle over and I will be writing a post later about how to haggle.

During my trek around the Petra site, I saw a wide range of jewellery ranging from basic beaded necklaces to more ornate cuff bracelets. The beaded jewellery does tend to be quite basic but it's always useful to have and you will be giving your money to people who will appreciate it which is better than buying a string of beads from the high street. The silver cuffs are beautiful and although I did not buy one, I am pretty sure that I could have bought one for about 10JD.

When I returned to the capital city of Jordan, Amman, I really got my jewellery shopping on. King Faisal street contains all the main jewelry stores and is labelled on maps as the location of jewellery market. When buying more expensive jewellery, I definitely recommend doing as much browsing as you can - do not buy from the first shop you go into!

First, I had a good look at all the jewelry on offer and tried to get an idea of the level of quality on offer and the price ranges available. Most of the jewellery in Amman tended to be yellow gold - very yellow gold is not popular in most western european countries because it is not overly flattering to pale skin. However, the very yellow colour shows that is high quality gold and if you can carry it off, it is definitely worth buying. It's vibrant and much cooler than the pale, insipid gold that is normally available. Personally, if I could wear it without looking jaundiced, I would have got lots of it as it was reasonably priced and exotic.

Instead I opted to get a woven bracelet with strands of rose gold, silver and yellow gold. Generally rose gold is flattering to most skin types and is also unusual. After a bit of a chitchat we managed to reach a price we all liked and I walked away with a gem at a good price. The quality could have been better but at the price offered, it was still a bargain and it will definitely bring back memories of Arabia when I wear it.

I then decided to invest in a bit of silver for everyday wear. Silver is not so popular here which makes perfect sense as silver is too bland for the gorgeous brown skin of the locals. Quite a few shops did try to trick me into buying very poor quality jewellery at rather inflated prices. When you are not sure about an item, just say that you want to browse a bit more and compare the product to similar ones in other shops. You won't regret taking your time as there is nothing worse than taking a piece home and finding out it's badly glued and damaged.

I settled on two delicate silver bracelets which, after some intense haggling, I got at a great price. I also picked up two gorgeous pairs of earrings which were of a very good quality and a good price.

Scurrying home with my swag, I felt very happy with my purchases and so will you if you take the time to buy jewellery abroad.

Filigree Jewellery in Essaouira

Filigree involves interlacing and soldering strands of gold or silver to create your design. One of the best places to buy filigree jewellery is in the harbour town of Essaouira in Morocco.

Located on Morocco's Atlantic coast, Essaouira is well worth a visit and differs entirely from the bustling metropolis that is Marrakesh. You can get there by flying into Marrakesh and then getting a taxi onto Essaouira. The journey is long but is an adventure in itself and helps to keep Essaouira safe from the hordes. However, try to get a taxi to yourself. My friend and I found ourselves crammed into a taxi and were in fact stopped by the police part way through the journey and had to all have our passports checked.

Essaouira is a walled city lost in time. The streets are still populated by people wearing traditional hooded robes - slightly scary when encountered down a dark alleyway at night. We stayed in a traditional riad run by a French couple. The place was beautifully decorated and incredibly cheap.

Essaouira has a large sweeping beach where Byron is said to have ridden his horses. There is also what looks like the remains of a castle in the sea on the edge of the beach which is said to have inspired Jimi Hendrix to write his song 'Castles made of sand'.

In the sixties, legends such as Frank Zappa and Jimi Hendrix visited the town and took part in local music events. Music is one of the most memorable aspects of Essaouira as it has many shops which sell some of the best North African music you can buy. It also plays host to the Gnaoua World Music Festival. In the forties, Orson Welles filmed 'Othello' in Essaouira - he described his time in Essaouira as "One of the happiest times I've ever known".

You get the picture - Essaouira is a place that is brimming with creativity and soul. The people are gentle and intelligent, they exchange text books with one another. When chatting to a shop owner, he told me that the only thing that he envied about living in England was the standard of education as he loved his life of creating art and hanging out with friends on the beach in Essaouira. Who can blame him! It makes you feel ashamed of all the British people who make no use of their educational opportunities.

If you're buying jewellery, surely it is better to buy something handmade by someone who is part of a place with such a history. Essaouira filigree is delicate and reasonably priced (you will need to haggle). The choice of filigree jewellery in Essaouira is vast! You can also buy leather goods, scarves (if you meet a guy from Mali selling scarves say hi to him from the two english girls who bought so many scarves that he started to get suspicious that we were going to set up a shop), spices, perfumes and wood carvings.

Let me know if you've been to Essaouira or if you're planning to go...