Cyprus Jan 2022
A good month here in Cyprus, despite the cold and wet weather, the worst winter since I've been here. Still its warmer than most places in the winter, lows of 8 degrees here on the coast. So the month started out with a shoot for the local yoga studio Body and Soul, run by Figen Bilge. She has some new instructors and we got together to get some headshots and group shots. It was lots of fun.
Next up is Cine Miles, a cool local bar with shisha and DJs that I have been working at on Friday nights. It is a really unique place. At the moment the clientele is mainly African, but there are a splattering of other folk, as well as locals. It has a great vibe, absolutely no aggro, and the locals enjoy the music and dance the Africans bring. There are many v.i.p. tables and when an expensive bottle is bought the staff attach firworks to the bottle and make a show of service. There is one bottle (I think it is Remi Martin XO) that brings out the signs, lots of fire works, and general fuss. It is suprising how often it happens. I've made friends with the staff too, which is nice. Here are some shots from the first night.
Next up is a bit of karaoke with a friend and then more shots at Cine Miles.
This is the Olive Bar in Lapta, they don't have any social media though. From here I took the girl in the first picture to Cine Miles which she really enjoyed.
An interval from the bar, some interesting sky shots, the first is a rare view of Turkey, I think the clearest since I got here.
A few more from the 3rd night at Cine Miles.
Next up is a day with friends that ended up in the Maronite village on the west coast, specifically Yorgo Butcher Restaurant. I have been in summer where we sat outside, but this time we were in the main room which felt like a family room, with pictures on the walls of memories and leaders from Greek, Turkish and Lebanese cultures. No place quite like it. And the food is wonderful and a locally produced fruity wine to help things along. Maria, the daughter of the butcher, who cuts meat in the back during normal service, is a lot of fun, and drinks and smokes throughout the night, sometimes sitting at your table for a few minutes. The whole thing was super pleasant and we felt like extended family. Afterward we popped in on Sidika.
First picture is Maria in the middle.
And to finish, more from Cine Miles. On this night there was a twerking competition. The prize is over a couple of hundred pounds. It is very normal for the girls to twerk in these social circles. They do it with each other effectionately and it is just a bit of fun. The locals have taken to it with a laugh and a joke, but it certainly is not normal in Cyprus. Cine Miles is the only place in Girne where you can go and have a dance before midnight without an entrance fee. For this reason alone its usually busy and well worth checking out. Twerk pictures at the end.
More Pictures in the main album
