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A Visit to an Orisha Yard

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The drumming, singing, and dancing were captivating. As I looked on I was totally engrossed in what I was witnessing and I felt like I was on a tour in another country when I was in fact only a stone’s throw away from Port of Spain! We were in Laventille to learn more about the Orisha religion for a project on East Port of Spain and the camera crew was dutifully filming three ladies who belong to the faith.   Several shrines of different colours were laid out in a row in one section within an open yard. They went to each shrine and told us about the deity they were built for, what offerings were usually given and a short sample of what songs might be sung in various ceremonies throughout the year. The singing was mesmerizing as their voices and the Yoruba derived lyrics they belted out pulsated a rhythmic vibration through the air. The ladies explain different aspects of the faith and answer questions The Yard with some of the shrines to the various Deities A tour of t
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The massive cross on the hill

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The massive cross sits high on a hill and is visible from miles away. Verse and I were driving in the Troodos region , heading to the Kykkos monastery when we spotted the 25-metre cross looming above us. Intrigued, we had to veer off route and drive up the hill to find out more. Stavros Fithkias is a small modern chapel with amazing wall paintings. As is common in the majority of their churches these frescos were intricate, bright and tell the stories of the gospels. This chapel was built in the 80’s and is a common stop for pilgrims heading to the Kykkos monastery. Prior to our trip to Cyprus I had no idea what a huge role religion had in their culture and history. (I guess that’s because I knew very little about Cyprus at all, save for the fact that it was the hottest location in Europe at the time I wanted to travel). A whopping ten of their churches (found on the Greek side) are Unesco’s World Heritage sites making this island a must visit for all those interested
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Heading to Cyprus

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My thirtieth birthday was approaching quickly and I knew I wanted to celebrate in a big way. We were already in Europe so I had many exciting destinations to choose from for my weeklong celebration. Greece and Santorini were high on the list until we saw their projected temperatures for our week of travel.  With the days being 16°C/ 60°F, my vision of lying at the beach, baking in the sun while enjoying my birthday cake vanished. Verse, thinking quickly, did a Google search for “The hottest place in Europe” and many sites about Cyprus came up. As we began to do more research, my sun kissed vision returned as this destination's temperature was much warmer than our previous choices. The island, which is divided into the two-thirds Greek territory in the south and the one-third Turkish territory in the north sounded like the best option. We booked our flights, packed our bags and got ready for an unforgettable birthday adventure in the Mediterranean island of Cyprus! 
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