Cyprus-Forum.com

[miltiades]

I made a note yesterday morning of the number of views and have noted that since 7am yesterday there have been just over 400 views.

With everyone's permission, I shall continue relating some Real Life Stories until I become a bore
As mentioned earlier I'm compiling a "dossier", a booklet if you like, on early life in Cyprus and the UK, at the request of my numerous relatives who are indeed keen on learning about us, and our Cypriot roots.

In my family there are now many grandchildren and great grandchildren, all connected to our beloved Cyprus, either through one parent, both parents or, as my own grandchildren, (25% English) just wish to learn.

Will continue later with the current story leading up to the 30th of July 1966 when England won the world cup against Germany and I found my self listening on the radio somewhere between Rhodes and Piraeus on an ..oil tanker.full of cockroaches !
To be continued....

[miltiades]

Three or four days later I decided to call the lady. She answered the phone instantly, sounding happy and rather excited, before I could get a word in she told me in a girlish voice that her dad had apologized to her and that he wanted to see me and offer his apologies face to face.

It was late afternoon, early evening when I made my way to her house, nervous and anxious, wondering what the old man would say to me.

She was waiting at the door, happy to see me, just as I was.She had these sparkling blue eyes and barely looked her age, 17 at the time.She led me into the house and father was in the kitchen brewing a pot of tea.
Dad, John is here she called out. He turned to me, a wry smile on his stern looking face, offered me his hand and in a whisper barely audible he said, Sorry son, you see my older son served in Cyprus in 1957-58,.
Oh I said, part of the occupying force no doubt.The man was not amused.

Care for a drink and a chat he said, just the two of us in the pub across the road.I looked at the lady and she nodded her approval.

We walked into the pub without saying a word to each other, sat in a corner and he asked what drink I would like.
A lager I said, he stared at me and said, you are not only a bloody terrorist but a bloody queer too, but he smiled as he said that, so I nodded with a smile. He explained that real men drunk bitter.

In those days, lagers were considered unsuitable for ...real men, they were not refrigerated, straight out of the case.
Sat down, offered me a cigarette and begun to explain his antipathy towards EOKA, asked of my opinion and I responded by saying that my older brother had served in the struggle for liberation and I had joined the youth movement, ANE.
I interrupted him when he tried to interrupt me asking him if he himself would have joined a struggle had Germany won the war and occupied Britain, he did replied but he listened attentively as I elaborated further and put my case across.

I reminded him that Cyprus was occupied by Britain and that the Cypriot people had every right to demand and fight for their independence. He asked if I or my brother had ever fired at a British soldier, I replied that I was far to young at the time and that my older brother had seen action.

We talked for hours until the lady showed up looking rather anxious but immediately happy to see that her dad had adopted a "friendly" approach towards me and was deep in conversation.Barely known her, about a week, yet she adopted a protective stance towards me,I liked her a lot, had not even gone further than a kiss and a cuddle yet, looking at her eyes I was mesmerized.Sat for a little longer until almost "last orders". Shook hands with the old boy, a warm firm handshake from him, rather limb from me.Said my goodbyes to the lady, and made my way home but before agreeing to meet at the Locarno, our local dance hall in...St. reaham !!
the next evening.

Time went on, my relationship with the lady had blossomed into a wonderful loving affair and her old man became warmer and warmer towards me, even asking me if I planned to marry his daughter, of course I responded, I love your daughter and she loves me, we shall get married when we are 21 years old, and we did, a marriage that lasted almost half a century, but before that I had to introduce her to my beloved Cyprus, and I did so in 1966,taking in Greece and the Greek islands, a trip lasting 3 months, just 3 years after meeting her....
To continue .....

[miltiades]

I'm saving the story of arrival at Victoria station until last.

In those days everyone came to the UK and elsewhere by boat. A trip from Cyprus would last from 5 days to 7 days depending on the number of ports the ship would stop.
Will cover this a little later...

[kurupetos]

I'm saving the story of arrival at Victoria station until last.

In those days everyone came to the UK and elsewhere by boat. A trip from Cyprus would last from 5 days to 7 days depending on the number of ports the ship would stop.
Will cover this a little later...

Don't forget to mention your adventures with the French prostitutes.

[miltiades]

I'm saving the story of arrival at Victoria station until last.

In those days everyone came to the UK and elsewhere by boat. A trip from Cyprus would last from 5 days to 7 days depending on the number of ports the ship would stop.
Will cover this a little later...

Don't forget to mention your adventures with the French prostitutes.

You have a good memory my friend
My life's first encounter with the female anatomy, and the first time that a ...lady kicked my ass !!

[miltiades]

On early Wednesday morning October 25th, the taxi my father had booked to take us to the Limassol old port had arrived, my excitement was indescribable. I would no longer be shoveling sand at Akrotiry, my last job in Cyprus, in the heat it was a back breaking job for a 15 year old.

Earlier in the year I had finished third class at the Lanitio but did not return for the new year as I had already decided on my journey to London.

I did many jobs during the summer months in order to get enough money for my boat ticket, the cost then with Homatas Travel was about cy£30, today's equivalent to approximately £220.00. Not a great deal of money but when wages were less than a pound a day, it represented an awful lot of money to earn.My last job at Akrotiry bases was the highest paid but two of us had to load a lorry with sand using just bare shovels. £1 per day was the wages, 6 days a week and a sore back, aching muscles, itchy eyes and sore hands. But it was worth it.
With the help of my late godmother, RIP, I saved enough for my ticket and some meager spending money, 8 or 10 pounds I think.

My father was unaware that I had obtained a passport, using devious means, without his approval and that I was set to emigrate to the UK, on finding out he was most upset, but accepted my impending trip.

Arriving at Limassol Old port we could sea the ship anchored about half a kilometer away. A barge was the transport to the ship. My father had met at the docks a couple of young guys, also emigrating, in their early 20s whom he knew and asked them to look after me being just 15 years of age. I resented his request since I considered my self a ...big boy.

We boarded the barge having said goodby to my family, and off wet set to Focea, the ship that would take us to Marseille non stop. As the barge pulled away,and listening to the wishes of my family, I tried to be a man and not cry, but cry I did, seeing my little brother waving a white handkerchief and shouting "kalo taxidi" Akis, I burst out in tears, the older boys putting a comforting hand om my shoulder.

We boarded the Ship, still in sight of the decreasing silhouettes standing at the port and waving, and begun our slow journey to the ...promised land!
To continue later...

[miltiades]

Once again its a BBQ night, nice weather and no rain.
Will continue later and tell you how I almost lost my virginity in Marseilles, instead I got a kick up the rear and came tumbling down the stairs!!!!!

[kurupetos]

Once again its a BBQ night, nice weather and no rain.
Will continue later and tell you how I almost lost my virginity in Marseilles, instead I got a kick up the rear and came tumbling down the stairs!!!!!

Was it too big or too small?

[bill cobbett]

Once again its a BBQ night, nice weather and no rain.
Will continue later and tell you how I almost lost my virginity in Marseilles, instead I got a kick up the rear and came tumbling down the stairs!!!!!

Was it too big or too small?

Pxxxxxxr...!!!

[miltiades]

Once again its a BBQ night, nice weather and no rain.
Will continue later and tell you how I almost lost my virginity in Marseilles, instead I got a kick up the rear and came tumbling down the stairs!!!!!

Was it too big or too small?

No, just an ordinary staircase, didn't bother to count how many stairs.