Cypriots don’t like winter. We hate the cold weather, the rain and the wind. We were born to be brown, to bask in the golden sunshine that belsses the Cypriot shorelines.
As soon as we even get a sniff that winter is here, the heaters come out, the jumpers and scarfs get thrown on and the Ugg boots (for the girls) appear! We moan about how cold it is and that we can’t wait for summer to come again. Winter and equally Summer in Cyprus is like giving birth….you forget how painful it can be! When its swelteringly hot we long for the winter, and now we are shivering in our Uggs, we are longing for summer. We simply forget how hot it gets!
However I did just see a very tanned man on a superbike just now in a vest! He obviously hasn’t forgotten how hot it gets, he must think we are still in August! I see guys like that, as the true Cypriots, the ones that can bear the harsh winds and the strong rays of the sun with no protection. It’s like they were born in the 50’s and did hard labour out in the fields and their skin has just become accustomed to the elements! My uncles and cousins don’t sunbathe yet they are as dark as they come. They have never applied suncreen and even now in the winter months they walk around in short sleeve shirts. My pasty UK born skin is not that strong and is waiting for the sunshine once again! Only I know it’s coming sooner than it would if I was back in the UK.
I don’t mind the winter here, well I do, but I know we only suffer for about 2 months of the whole year. My poor friends and family in the UK think we are nuts when we say how cold it is here. I was speaking to a colleague in Scotland and I said ‘yes its very cold here now, it’s about 13 degrees’ and he nearly had a coronary! It was 2 degrees in Scotland! That’s when I know moving back to the UK isn’t an option for me! I love the sunshine, as long as you respect it, its good for you too.
Going up to Troodos this time of year is amazing, seeing the snow while the sun is beaming is an experience you have to try. I love seeing the Cypriots skiing with a fag hanging out of the side of their mouths. Fantastic!
The true Cypriots do it in a vest I guess, but me, I’ll be top to toe in scarves, gloves and Uggs!
