One Road- Ariann Mieka

In my house tea is king! We may have a small selection of coffee (okay…maybe only one type) to offer you when you visit and you can brew it in a machine that was bought in the 80’s. But when it comes to tea, we have a plethora of types to choose from. Just take a glance in the tea chest or in the cupboard and you can even choose what you want to steep it in. As I said, we live on tea here! Tea tastes great and keeps you warm on a cold day. Even more importantly it is beneficial for many health reasons and can be a terrific natural mood booster! Next time your boss springs an unreasonable deadline on you and you want to explode, decide instead to take a tea break! Have your spouse and your kids driven you close to your breaking point? Before you put them all up for adoption turn on the kettle and pick up a tea bag! Tea can even chase your blues away. Choose your herbs fresh from the garden, in a dried form or from the grocery in ready-made tea bags. The aroma and the properties in t...

I first heard of the author Michael Singer and his book "The Untethered Soul" on Oprah’s programme “Super Soul Sunday”. On the show he spoke about the fact that we are not the thoughts that are constantly running through our heads but that the ‘real’ us is the one listening to the thoughts. I was so intrigued by his words and for the next few days all I could notice was my thoughts. I must admit I began to get slightly creeped out as the chatter continued. “Who is this being that is listening to the thoughts in my head?” I had no clue! I rushed out and bought the book! As I read I couldn’t help but message M.E. at odd times of the night to share passages I just read! Below is one of my favorite passages from the book. I’ve always believed that happiness is a choice but somehow the way the author explained it here made a new light shine on the topic for me. Happiness is not only a choice but also a promise or a contract that you make to yourself that no matter what happens y...

I couldn’t ask for a better way to bring in my 30 th birthday than a trip to Cyprus. I always try to celebrate another year of life by doing something special and since 30 is a landmark birthday I wanted to do something big to commemorate the milestone! I didn’t know anything about this island but I fell in love and got excited about the different landscapes, a new favorite local wine called Commandaria and the ever-present reminder of their multifaceted history. Most of the people we encountered were friendly except for the few older rude ladies who gave Verse discerning looks. (Had they never seen a Rastafarian before and more importantly did they miss the day in school when they spoke about not staring at people?) All in all it was a wonderful trip and the next time I visit I have to go over to the Turkish side of the island. I must say a huge thank you to Verse for accompanying me and making the trip extra special! Here are a few images that I took around Cy...

During our last day in Cyprus we stumbled across this charming area called Agios Georgios. The weather was overcast, which ruled out a day at the beach, so instead we were driving around the western city of Pafos. Our exploration took us down to a small fishing harbour where we wandered about enjoying the ocean breeze. From the harbour we saw a church perched on a hillside and ventured up that way. As we parked the car at the church we were greeted by an amazing view of the coast and a rocky island nearby called Geronisos. We went into the large modern Agios Georgios church, then into a small dark old chapel that was nearby. We took a trail that led down onto the cliffs that showcased some eerie tombs carved into the rocky cliffs and then walked through a small archeological site. (At this point Verse had already had his fill of archeological sites but the security guard was so persistent and it seemed like he hadn’t had many visitors that day so we felt obliged to go see th...

So this is a reminder that I am giving away one small keepsake from each of the countries I have visited! I am very excited to send another lucky person a gift! All you have to do is comment on one or more posts on that country and after I have finished blogging about it I will choose a name at random! The more you comment the better your chances are! This time the giveaway will be from Cyprus! I almost finished blogging about Cyprus so make sure to comment! Thanks to all those who have been reading the blog! Love, Peace and Joy!  

The topic of which is the best Monastery to visit was on discussion early morning in our hotel lobby.  Verse and I were checking out of our hotel in Lemesos and going to stay in another town, but before we left we were asking the lovely older couple that own the hotel, which one of the many Monasteries was their top choice. The wife told us her favorite and asked her husband his opinion. He very strongly chose another one. “Kykkos Monastery is the one to visit,” he said, “It is the most impressive.” We were only going to be visiting one Monastery during our trip so we set off for his choice, which was located in the Troodos region. Kykkos monastery , which is set among picturesque hills, is the most opulent on the island and I guess by impressive that’s what the hotel owner meant. At the entrance purple robes are available for those visitors who aren’t dressed conservatively enough to put on while walking around. As we strolled through the property, we saw brig...