Christmas Archives - Wandering North

Cyprus Cyprus Christmas trip 2024

Christmas in Cyprus

Christmas Day fell on a Wednesday this year and it seemed only reasonable to take the Thursday and Friday off work to create a stretch of five days off (and to leave work at 1:00 PM on the 24th to catch a flight).

Cyprus was on my radar. It is small and seemed just close enough to see something of it in a few days. Christmas seemed like the perfect time. I flew to Munich and changed to a flight to Larnaca. Soon I was in Cyprus, a new country to me.

Cyprus is in the eastern Mediterranean with Turkey to the north, Lebanon to the east, and Egypt to the South. Geographically it’s in Asia, the Middle East, but parts of it do feel European. Cyprus is most famous for the conflict that has persisted since it got its independence in 1960. While it is an independent country now, It is still divided politically and culturally between the Greek Cypriots and the Turkish Cypriots. More on that later.

Being so close to Greece, Turkey, Egypt, and Lebanon, maybe it’s not surprising that Cyprus has settlements going back to 8th century BC and today is sprinkled with ancient ruins and antiquities. It’s terrific actually and deserves more of my time, but on this trip my goal was to see the capital Nicosia, but the nearest airport to Nicosia is in Larnaca, which is why I found myself celebrating Christmas Day in that city on the sea.

I landed at about 4:00 PM in Larnaca (also spelled Larnaka) and took a taxi to my hostel: Le Mat Hostel. It was one of those places that didn’t have a front desk, so I let myself in via a key code. When I arrived, the common area was made more cozy with the light of a blue Christmas tree, and three companions were huddled around an old wooden table deep in conversation. I made my way up to my room, which was a small, private one with a door to the outside. As usual though, there was no time for lying about; the sun had just set, and I had things to see.

The name Larnaca derives from an ancient Greek word that means box, chest, or coffin and there was a theory that the reason for this was because there were a lot of sarcophagi that were found there. There is some casual Internet research, but that’s what I’m told. Can you imagine if the name was actually Coffin? That would be pretty cool, but not good for tourism. Larnaca was clearly the better choice.

There wasn’t really anything in Larnaca that I felt that I had to see or do. I had marked on my map some old churches, a square, and the lookout point from the sea and I started to walk my way through those different spots. It was evening and the churches were closed. (On Christmas. Go figure.) But it was very pleasant to wander around the streets. Most things were closed but as I got closer to the sea there were some restaurants and souvenir shops that were open and people milled about. It was completely dark at the point I walked out on a pier. The view was black but for the foam on the waves rolling into shore. There were a few objects illuminated with festive lights.

I really wanted to have a cigar and a bite to eat (I hadn’t had a morsel since the plane), so I picked a little local eatery that had two tables outside on the street and I ordered an assortment of delicious vegetarian treats. Falafel and white cheese and hummus and pita bread, and a tiny coffee. It was, after all, my Christmas dinner. At this point it was fairly chilly, but I was so happy with my food and my cigar that I didn’t mind a bit.

I wandered around a bit more and found a cute little street that had a few bars and cafes open and I made my way to one that was that had some outdoor seating in a little courtyard, a bit sheltered from the wind and with some Christmas lights strung up. It felt cheerful. I went there and ordered a negroni. Upon lighting my cigar, the people in the restaurant came out and brought me a proper cigar ashtray. Always a way to make me feel at home.

As part of my wanderings, I walked to a cigar store. I knew that it wouldn’t be open; I had checked the times online and saw that it was closed on Christmas Day, but I thought I would walk by it anyway and do a bit of reconnaissance. Much to my surprise, as I walked by, I saw that the store was open. I mean it wasn’t officially open, it had the closed sign up, but the door was propped open a little bit, and the lights were on, and I could see someone inside. I went up to the door and knocked and sure enough there were two men in there smoking cigars. One was the owner, and the other was a friend I guess. I asked if they were open and they said no but they said they’d be happy to sell me a couple of cigars, so I grabbed a couple of cigars, lit one immediately and had the first part of it there at the store. How delightful it was. A Christmas miracle: the cigar store that was open on Christmas Day.

I meandered back to my room and went to sleep. I probably only spent about six hours in Larnaca that Christmas Day wandering the streets but it was great.

Did I think Larnaca was amazing? No. I don’t think a person needs to visit it, except that if you’re visiting Cyprus is a very good chance it will be flying into the airport there so you may as well spend a day or night and taking a bit of what the city has to offer before going elsewhere. And it is a pleasant place to pass some time on Christmas.

The next morning, I was going to take the bus to Nicosia, the real focus of my journey.

Europe Iceland

Christmas Day in Reykjavik

Christmas Eve was behind me and i was confronted with my final day in Iceland: Christmas Day. I have not travelled much at Christmas. It is not a cheap as I would like, and some destinations are overcrowded. That said, it is easy to take a long weekend off from work at the holidays, so it is a convenient time for a holiday. Having done it a couple of times now, I can say this: Christmas is a good time to travel, but it is best to avoid Christmas Day.

That said, Iceland does have some fascinating Christmas traditions. There are a group of mischievous fellows called the “Yule Lads” (really) and their raison d’être is performing naughty pranks and delivering gifts to good children by placing them in their shoes. Their mother is a troll names Grýla who collects bad children in a sack and boils them alive, presumably for consumption. And there is the Yule Cat who hunts down people who don’t get an item of new clothing for Christmas and eats them. The best tradition, however, is the ‘book flood’, according to which books are given as gifts on Christmas Eve and then the rest of the evening is spent reading. This sounds wonderful – and after all of the naughty children have been kidnapped and eaten there is certain to be lots of peace and quiet for reading. Of course, I was solo and had no one to exchange Yuletide books with, so I needed to fill Christmas Day a different way.

I was flying home from Reykjavik on Christmas Day, but not until the evening, so I had a day to fill. That was a bit of a struggle. It was dark and cold and almost everything was closed. I ended up spending about $75 CDN on a buffet meal at my hostel. The hostel did have a nice cozy feeling, but no one was particularly chatty, so I ate alone. I am normally happy to eat alone, but on this particular day, where everything seemed a bit depressing, I could have done with some company.

I went out and walked around to sights that I had not yet laid eyes on; things I could appreciate from the outside and walked aimlessly for a while.

I stopped and I had a cigar sitting on a bench outside a closed early that had left its lights on and its pink plastic Christmas tree up and had a cigar. It was so cold, but it felt a bit special.

I then killed some time at the Lebowski Bar, simply because it was open. There was only one other table occupied inside. It did have a cozy feeling and was playing Christmas music. I had a mulled wine and mulled over whether Christmas Day was a good day to be visiting anything.

Fortunately, by early evening it was time to return to the airport.

I loved my time in Reykjavik, but I kind of wished I had left late on Christmas Eve or early on Christmas Day, as the last day just felt like an expensive way of killing time. Lesson learned for the future: use Christmas Day as a day for long haul travel; not for sightseeing.

Despite this, Reykjavik had exceeded my expectations. I can’t stop thinking about its beauty and magic. I even find myself thinking about how relatively close it is to Vancouver and how it is kind of a perfect long weekend getaway. Maybe I will return to see it again – maybe in the summer – but in the meantime there are more new places to discover. Like Dublin, which I would fly to four days later.

Belgium Burkina Faso Trip 2016 Europe

In Bruges and Back to Brussels

My trip to Burkina Faso is ending the way it began: in Belgium. I returned yesterday quite late after my day layover in Istanbul. I was knackered, but i couldn’t resist taking a stroll around the square and surrounding streets, which had been decorated for Christmas since i was here two weeks ago.

It goes without saying, but I’ll say it anyway: Belgium is a world away from Ouagadougou. Sidewalks, trash bins, tap water, frigid and clean air, cafes that look like cafes, people that don’t pay a bit of attention to me. I love the noise and excitement of Burkina Faso, but right now i am really appreciating the more familiar environment of western Europe, partly because i got to have a very long, very hot shower.

This morning i woke up very early and caught a train to Bruges. An hour and a half past quaint rural areas and small towns. From the station in Bruges it is a short walk to the Market Square. The square is beautiful, like so many European squares, ringed with narrow, pointy buildings in bright colours, housing inviting eateries and tea houses, imposing and intricate state buildings and throngs of picture snapping visitors.

But this was a but different because the square was filled with a Christmas market. An ice rink, decorations, and wooden booths hung with icicle lights selling food and knick knacks.

I wandered around the area, and over to the equally beautiful Berg square where i visited a beautiful and thankfully warm church.

I then followed the canals, stopping for breakfast at the most charming tiny cafe, all aglow in candles and Christmas.

I walked around aimlessly down the picturesque cobbled streets, stopping to take a million pictures. Locals walked dogs and rode bicycles. Tourists consulted maps and gazed upward.

I visited the estate housing the small but very pretty Jerusalem church, where the ticket seller thought i was under 26 and tried to sell me a discounted ticket. (I think it was the hat.)

In the church was a tiny little room with candles and relics where people had placed pictures of people for whom they prayed, i assume. I don’t pray of course, but i happened to have a tiny picture of me in my wallet (i take one when i travel because sometimes you need them for getting visas at the border). I placed it there amongst the others, singeing the corners to make it look old and worn. So if you visit that church you might see my face looking pious and prayed for.
I stopped in at an inviting looking tavern for a bowl of turnip soup and discovered that it is apparently the oldest tavern in the world, being over 500 years old. It was charming and the soup exactly what i needed.

Another square had more booths and decorations and the most amazing carousel i have ever seen – sort of a steam punk miracle of creatures/machine hybrids flying and crawling as it whirled. Unfairly, it was limited to kids 12 and under.

I walked and sipped hot chocolate until i could no longer tolerate the crowds.

I leave for Vancouver, via London, tomorrow afternoon; sad because i wish i could stay in Europe or take off somewhere exotic. Instead i will head home to email, work, and plans for the next trip.

North America USA

Christmas in New York

Greetings from New York! I have never blogged about New York before because I wouldn’t know where to begin or end and a post on a website seems inadequate to capture the many charms of this city. I would need a novel or an opera. Christmas in New York, however, is a moment in time capable and worthy of description.

I am pleased to report that there was snow on Christmas Eve; not falling from the sky, but piled up along sidewalks and balanced on top of mail boxes. I arrived to find a pleasant nip of winter in the air – the sort of brisk chill that is invigorating and fresh, worthy of mittens, not balaclavas.

I set out on my search for Christmas splendor in Union Square where the annual Christmas market was in full swing, with artists and jewelers and craftspeople selling their wares from red and white stalls decorated with pine tree garlands. I didn’t buy anything, but I spend about an hour strolling around. I had a pleasant chat with the world’s greatest sock puppet portrait artist, Marty, of whom I am a great fan and then I enjoyed a small cigar as I walked onward in the winter sunshine.

Later I found myself in Times Square, having decided to pick up my theatre tickets ahead of time. Times Square looks the same at Christmas as it does at every other time of year, but it feels Christmassy nevertheless. After all both Times Square and Christmas are all about colored, blinking lights and insatiable consumerism. I collected my tickets for my upcoming shows (Billy Eliot, Hair, and A Little Night Music) and meandered over to 5th and 42nd to have a cigar at Nat Sherman.

The fellows at Nat’s welcomed me warmly and I enjoyed a 75th Anniversary non-Cuban Montecristo Robusto in their Johnson Club Lounge, where I chatted about the injustice of the anti-smoking regulations with some local guys. The cigar lacked complexity, but it was fairly strong, well-constructed and tasty.

After my cigar, I dashed over the Grand Central to have a cocktail with my friend Dave. Grand Central Station was buzzing with Christmas travelers boarding trains with bouquets of flowers, giant wreathes, bottles of wine and shiny, wrapped presents. We sat at one of the bars, overlooking the station and taking in the light show on the ceiling, which was cool in a 1970s sort of way. Eventually we boarded one of the trains north to Chappaqua for Christmas dinner with friends (sadly, not the Clintons).

On Christmas day I was insistent that we take in all of the typical Christmas sights. We took the subway to Columbus Circle and walked along the south border of Central Park to 5th Avenue; as we approached, you could actually feel the Christmas spirit intensify. The streets were overflowing with people (almost all tourists) gawking at the impressive decorations and waiting in line for horse-drawn carriage rides.

The decorations on 5th Avenue are impressive. Every building is tarted up with lights and elaborate displays. The window displays at Bergdorf’s were amazing; each window is a self-contained world of magic. They had sort of an Alice in Wonderland Theme – not especially Christmasy, but very cool. The Cartier building is wrapped in a massive red ribbon and bow made entirely of glittering scarlet lights.

As I said, 5th Avenue was thick with tourists, which meant that is was also crawling with those wanting to profit from them. There were about a half-dozen guys on every block selling fake designer purses, watches and sunglasses. There were stalls selling souvenirs and winter accessories food vendors selling pretzels and knishes and then there was my favorite: the three card monte guys and the guys who play that game with the three cups and the ball. It is fascinating to watch these guys, because they always draw a small crowd of interested onlookers, planning to profit from what seems like an easy game. My favorite part is watching the one plant in the crowd – the guy who bets $40, $60, $100 and always makes a profit by picking the right card or cup. Of course this guy is in on the con. Quickly others in the crowd, inspired by the easy with which the plant is winning his money, start placing bets with less success. For me, the entertainment is free.

I crossed the street and went to the Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, which was filled with the pious and the curious. The music was beautiful, but the crowds were a bit too much to bear, so I did not stay too long.

Finally, the Mecca of New York Christmas cheer: Rockefeller Centre. The centre is decorated with illuminated snowflakes, angels blowing gilded trumpets, towering toy soldiers and, of course, the massive Christmas tree. It is all very lovely. I had hoped to go ice-skating, but as with my previous trip to Christmas New York, the line is ridiculously long. If you have your heart set on skating at the Rockefeller rink, I recommend getting there as soon as it opens.

On the streets surrounding Rockefeller centre are dozens of people dressed up as Santa, Sponge Bob, Dora the Explorer, Hello Kitty, the Grinch, et cetera. For a dollar you can have your picture taken with them. I think these people are just entrepreneurs who rent costumes and take to the streets in the hope of making a buck. Not a bad idea, really. I saw one child staring up with utter bafflement at group of costumed characters composed of two Elmos and two Cookie Monsters. The poor kid must have thought he was seeing double.

Boxing Day was a day of theatre. I saw “Hair”, which was joyous. Every member of the cast had an amazing voice. The best part was at the end when they sang “Let the Sun Shine In”, they invited people to join them on the stage to dance and sing along. I bolted down from the mezzanine and clapped and sang and danced on the stage with all of the hippies. It was awesome. In the evening, I saw a performance of “A Little Night Music”, starring Angela Lansbury and Catherine Zeta-Jones. It was a wonderful production and I loved it. In between the two shows I enjoyed a cigar at Nat Sherman’s where I also attempted to dry out from the unrelenting rain outside.

Today I plan to go to the MOMA and the rest of the day is a mystery. The snow and rain are both gone, the sun is shining, and my flight is not until 9:45pm, so almost anything is possible. It is the 27th and there are still the faintest wisps of Christmas still in the air.

Tag: Christmas