I was fortunate enough to attend this year’s Pafos Aphrodite Festival Opera, finally back after the pandemic. I’m not a big opera fan, but as a theatre buff and musician I can appreciate the work and talent that goes into these spectacular productions. The Cyprus Symphony Orchestra was spot on, and the visiting Tbilisi Opera and Ballet State Theatre presented La Traviata to an extremely high standard, in front of the castle at Paphos harbour. 2,000 bleacher seats and two small bars were erected, and the audience flooded in. Very few looked Cypriot; apparently people come from all over Europe to see these operas. The productions are heavily supported by the municipality – our Mukhta is a big opera buff – and sponsored. Yes, ticket prices are still higher than any of us are used to paying for events here – that is, until the run of big name genuine artists (as opposed to tribute acts) we’ve been treated to this year.
At the other end of the scale, I also enjoyed a visit to Troodos camp site with the campervan. This is a beautiful and well maintained site: no electricity available, but hoses galore providing free delicious Kakopetria water. We paid €15 for a licence for one night’s camping and signed a three-page list of rules, including promising not to use our own toilet. Those supplied by the site were fine (take your own paper). There was plenty of space on the site, with some spectacular views to be enjoyed. The restaurant was a big disappointment, though; not opening the kitchen til 9pm, serving only mixed grill, and only for two people (solos will go hungry) – the alternative being four sad pies on a warming shelf. We bought a cheese pie, which turned out to be ham, and foraged the campervan cupboards for dinner.
I took the camper to a local beach for the afternoon. Coming out of the sea after a refreshing swim, I was most alarmed to see the campervan blocked in by a police car with flashing blue lights. As I approached, wearing nothing but a wet bikini, two coppers jumped out of the car. “Is this yours?” one asked, gesturing to the campervan. “Yes”, I replied, heart pounding. But then he asked “You want sell it?”
I met a new colleague this week, called Kerradee. I’d messaged her beforehand to introduce myself. As I arrived, she greeted me – “You must be Jezebel. Now what sort of a name is that?!” I was speechless.
Having recently moved away from the main post office, I popped into the local village one to buy a stamp, making sure to do so during the two-hour early morning window when said post office is open. Unfortunately, the post mistress didn’t have any stamps for within Cyprus, ‘only for outside’. So my only option was to pay for a more expensive stamp. OK, I said, handing over a fiver. But she had no change, either. Quite an expensive stamp: I might take a taxi and hand-deliver the next one.
Stage One Theatre is back in action after the summer break with a new play in October, and I shall be in pantomime again in December. In the supermarket picking veg yesterday, a lady said “Hello Jezebel” and started chatting. I was frantically thinking Who are you? and making small talk about vegetables, before wishing a good day and moving on. A few minutes later it came to me that she’s also in the panto cast-to-be, and in fact, she is playing the Queen, who has a secret daughter (played by yours truly). So when I run into her again at frozen foods, I say “You’re my mother, aren’t you?”. “Yes, I think I am” she replies. We then look around at the astonished shoppers’ faces…
Jezebel hosts a Quiz the first Wednesday of every month, 7.30pm at Xrys Tavern , just above Tsada Square, and on Thursday 17th October 7pm at The Brewery in Peiga www.groovejetmedia.com
