The tour operator Tamasos was supposed to pick me up and drive me to the hotel in Nicosia, about 45 km away from the airport. Yes, there was a guy waving a sign CIRCLE, I went to him, and he told me there would be 4 more. Ok, I would wait outside. Went through the door into the warm evening air. What a contrast to icy Leeds! In the morning there was still almost frost in Leeds, and now here in Larnaca it was around 17 C. I decided to go back into the building, to get something to drink for later. Who knows if I would be able to find something at that late hour in Nicosia. When I came out again, I kept waiting for the guy from Tamassos. But he did not come... so I got worried. Called the agency, they gave me his mobile number, then I called him. Yes, he was still here, had not yet left. As we were talking and giving each other our position where we were, I saw him walking with his mobile... good, I had not missed him.
5 more people arrived: my colleague Claudio from Leeds Met plus two other Leeds Met academics, plus two acquaintances of Claudio. Together, with the luggage, we were supposed to fit into one car. No, not a van: a regular Mercedes taxi. Ok, it was one of those Limosine taxis, with stretched body. A Mercedes 220D or something, but from the 70s (the old /8). The 6 of us were squeezed onto the 2 back benches, the trunk with the suitcases almost did not close. But it worked out ok, and we arrived well in Nicosia.
I decided to walk a bit outside near the hotel. Local time 23:30. There were still a few kiosks open, so I had worried for nothing. One stand in the street offered warm olive bread – a good midnight snack.
The Wifi in the room was weak, I was not able to connect to the internet.
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