04.40 It’s almost time again. It’s time for coffee, time for transportation and time for another New Year's trip. The unusual thing is that I actually am in my apartment in Bjästa this time.

05.33 That’s it, now I'm ready. It's time to lock the door, put the backpacks in the car and travel towards the south.

07.16 In the dark, snow and -14 °C, I drove down to Sundsvall. Now I parked outside the house on the street where Christer's apartment is. He is not at home and I'm going to walk down to the railway station. Christer starts this trip from his father's apartment in Oxelösund. He has celebrated Christmas with his dad in that town, and with his sister and her family in Nyköping.

07.46 I have arrived at the railway station here in Sundsvall and am ready for the next phase of today's travel. Shortly, I will roll off with the train.

09.56 Arlanda with its airport is getting closer. I will reunite with Christer, who arrives from the other direction, from the south.

Christer waits in a nice corner in Stockholm railway station.

10.30 Latest news here in Sweden, there will be no extra election in March. More facts will be announced at a press conference later today. Latest news on the train, we are at a standstill due to technical faults along the track.

10.52 An agreement is sealed between the government and the opposition. That means no extra election. On a more local level, we are rolling again.

11.56 Now I sat down next to Christer. One traveller has now become two. Now the journey really begins. We need to plan what we do before we depart. We are for the fourth year in a row in this airport at this exact date.

13.29 Here everything is as usual. The backpacks have been checked in as special baggage, money has been withdrawn and we have eaten lunch at Alfredo's. Now we head towards the gate.

Peter is eating a kebab lunch at Alfredos.

We are flying with Norwegian directly from Arlanda to Larnaca.

14.04 We passed security without any major problems. We had coffee after the security check. The couple next to us at the passport control spoke in broken English. "We are going to Cajpern" said a nervous woman. Why do Swedes in Sweden speak English with another Swedish speaking person just because they have to show their passport? Incidentally, another Swede spoke English with Christer during lunch.

14.26 People are asked to sit down and as far as possible put their hand luggage under the seat in front. The flight is fully booked and there should be space for carry-on luggage on the racks. We fly with Norwegian and our destination is Larnaca.

CHANGING TIME ZONE

15.48 We have left the ground and I have set the clock for Cyprus time. This will be our second trip to Cyprus. In 2005 we went by ferry from the Turkish south coast to Girne in the Turkish part of the island. Today we will fly to the Greek part.

18.30 Outside it's dark and quiet. A slight turbulence makes our plane vibrate gently. An hour remains of our flight.

CYPRUS

20.06 Without any problems we have landed and made it to the arrival hall here at the airport in Larnaca, yet another airport, yet a country that is flown to or from. Since 2003 when we started flying on our trips, we have started and/or landed at airports in 65 different countries. We will not remain and stay here. It's time to soon travel further towards the city and our first hotel.

20.15 The plan to eat any kind of dinner here at the airport was quickly cancelled. Here are just a few kiosks and small cafes.

20.25 The taxi with us inside has started to roll. It has just rained here. The asphalt is wet.

20.39 The taxi ride was just fine but it was noticed quite quickly that our Swedish winter clothing does not last long here. Soon, we will change clothes. We were dropped off at the main street Finikoudes by the seafront and the taxi driver pointed at our hotel.

20.49 We have now checked in at Les Palmiers Beach Hotel (http://www.lespalmiers.com.cy) in Larnaca. We were given a key to room 205. We found some personal belongings as we stepped inside our room. Someone already stays in 205! Christer has now walked down to the reception to sort it all out.

View from our balcony.

Peter is eating a late dinner at Safran Shawarma.

Christer is drinking this trip´s first balcony beer.

20.58 Someone had apparently made a mistake with the papers at the reception. It should be 505. The man discreetly asked if someone was in the room when we walked in. He also wondered where I was. He was afraid I still lodged inside room 205.

21.33 We have made ourselves at home in our room and we have enjoyed the view from our balcony. Now we have to find some sort of dinner before this day ends.

21.48 People smoked hookah at the entrance to the restaurant Safwan Shawarma´s outdoor seating. We sat down far into the outdoor area far from the smoke and rain. We have ordered dinner. Outside the rain is pouring down. The weather prompted us to make a quick decision about where we would eat. It's Saturday night and there are plenty of people moving among restaurant tents here along Finikoudes.

22.39 The meal was in the "Middle Eastern-style" and ended with Cypriot coffee. We said goodbye to our eager waiter and strolled home.

23.09 It's time to end a long day of travel. We will treat us an evening/balcony beer each. We hear the rumble of metal from somewhere below the balcony and waves from the sea. We have a nice view of the beach and ocean. We look forward to seeing it even clearer tomorrow morning.

Sunday 28th of December

08.19 The sun gleams in the Mediterranean. I sit on the balcony and get dry after the shower. This day will be spent in Larnaca. It´s winter and here in Cyprus that means sunny and warm during the day but chilly and cold in the evenings and nights. The cold balcony from yesterday is now pleasantly comfortable.

08.30 Inside the room again I learned from the news that a plane from Air Asia, a company that we have flown with, has disappeared. Flight QZ 8501 disappeared on its flight between Surabaya and Singapore. We've been in both of these cities. The lost plane carried 162 people. In the Adriatic Sea there is a ferry on fire. Greek television broadcast live from there with experts in the studio. It is not a good day of travel today. It is perhaps fortunate that we're going to be stuck here all day.

09.59 It has become warmer since last time. Since last time, Christer has showered and we have eaten a good buffet breakfast in the beautiful dining room with views towards the sea. Now we are ready to wander around in Larnaca this Sunday.

11.05 We finally got outside. We have walked along the beach below the hotel. We have photographed and watched some interesting characters that passed us or were engaged in morning gymnastics down by the water. Now we take a bench break out on a pier. The waves continue to roll in. We wonder mostly about when the guys selling souvenirs will turn up. At home, it is reportedly to be -19°C. Here it is probably rather +19°C.

Morning has arrived.

View towards the beach.

Our hotel, Les Palmiers Beach Hotel.

The beach here in Larnaca.

Christer in front of the Mediterranean and its waves.

11.40 It's nice to wander, to stretch out the Christmas stiff legs. A guitar-playing Santa sat in a niche at the fort. Now we have walked along the beach promenade. A short distance away a small boy enjoys himself by throwing stones into the sea. A sign on the house on the other side of the road says Portokalí. It is a restaurant. It is also the Greek word for orange. The name comes from the fact that the oranges came from Portugal. We were in Portugal a year ago by the way.

12.03 It went much faster to walk back. After a while we realised that we now have the wind in our backs rather than against us as we had when we went the other way.

12.12 We have returned to the home area. Now we are near the medieval fortress. We also refill with newly purchased sodas. An elderly couple with an equally old lady as their company just walks past us. If the elderly can move, we can, time to stand up!

12.34 Now we are inside the small fort. It is from the time when the island was owned and controlled by the descendants of the ex-King of Jerusalem, Guido (Guy) Lusignan. He bought the island frome Knights Templers, who in turn bought it from Richard the Lionheart. After that dynasty was gone, it was time for Venice and then the Turks to control the island. Here is also a mosque, Ali Kebir mosque. It was visited by the Turks in the past, but since the island's partition is the only variety of muslim immigrants who visit it.

13.02 The fort is small but interesting. It also has a nice view from the top of it. We visited a museum located in the main building and saw, among other things, the room where the British used to execute prisoners.

13.43 This year we have once again received proof that it is a downhill slide for Santa after Christmas. Last year he went about begging in Lisbon. This year he is driving a horse-drawn carriage. He also smokes. We don't smoke, we're sitting at Starbucks and drink coffee. This is the 13th country in Europe and the 24th in the world that we're at Starbucks. We sit outside and life is great.

Christer is having a break on Larnaca pier.

A santa entertains.

The beachwalk in Larnaca.

Santa and his girlfriend.

Old men has a lot of time.

14.31 Starbucks Coffee is left and we are back again in room 505. Now we plan what we do the rest of the time here now and when we come here again at the end of the trip next year. We will, among other things, try to find out where we stay when we return to the city. The ferry in the Adriatic is called Norman Atlantic and it continues to burn, tragically.

15.39 After having checked where we are going to stay, we have wandered for food, a late lunch. On the way here, we have seen people dressed as the reindeer Rudolf and even a snowman. We'll have lunch at Souvlakia Artemakis. Next door you can see the Swedish, Danish, Finnish and Norwegian flags. They hang outside of Tony's Alcohol Paradise. The most faithful customers seem to be from the north.

16.56 There was a lot of food and very tasty. Now we're at Saint Lazarus Church. Here lies the man who just as a James Bond movie, only lived twice. In addition, he died twice. The first time, he was raised by Jesus, the second time not raised at all. Not so far, anyway. It is, therefore, Jesus companion Lazarus final resting place.

17.34 It is always a powerful experience to visit an orthodox church. This was no exception. The narrow burial vault with Lazarus's tomb also makes this extra special.

18.12 Someone sat in the vault under the church. He was, however, a little too modern dressed to be Lazarus. It was an ordinary man who sat and prayed. On the way home we cut, crossed over a parking spot and passed a square where people danced and played music. Now we are at home in our room for a recharge of us and my cell phone.

We visited the medieval Larnaca fort.

From an old building we can see a modern street.

Christer is resting in a historic environment.

This pub remembers the years when Swedish soldiers worked for the United Nations here in Cyprus.

Coffee break at Starbucks is important of course.

Peter can be seen behind the delicious meal (souvlakia) at Artemakis.

20.09 We have rested and watched some TV. Mostly, they have covered the news about and from ferry fire. Not much was understood from what was said. It all sounded like Greek to us.

20.39 Now we're out in the urban air and pulse again. We have been looking at old men with beards. One was a statue of the former bishop and president Makarios. The second was Santa Claus, this time in the form of a statue. Now, we continue along the shopping street of Ermou. Earlier, we saw as per tradition, a bridal couple.

21.23 We were surprised by rain and sought protection. There Christer recalled from the memory that he had seen a Chinese restaurant earlier today. We found our way there without any problems. Now it will be dinner at Feng's House. We are now along the beach boulevard Finikoudes again.

22.48 The dinner ended with coffee. There were no large amounts of food but because of the late lunch, it was just right. Before we went home we purchased beer, this time it was Leon. We also bought some candy. Now it becomes a bit of a rest before more are being prepared and planned.

23.31 Our thirst is gone and we are happy. Now we will soon make us ready for sleep.

Lazarus church is here in Larnaca.

Interesting characters walked around on the street Zinonos Kitieos.

Zeno of Citium, the founder of stoicism.

Santa Claus guards the start of the shopping street Ermoú.

Monday 29th of December

07.44 It is a new week again, a Monday morning. Away on the horizon are clouds visible. Inside room 505, we have begun to wake up to this new day. Today, a bus will take us away from here. We will leave Larnaca but this is not goodbye. We will return here the day before we fly home to Sweden again.

09.12 With breakfasts in the stomachs and most of our things in the backpacks, we´re getting ready to check out.

09.35 Seasoned travellers are on the move in time, even in a civilized country like Cyprus which is easy travelled. The downside of such behaviour is that there is much waiting. Now, however, we are enjoying our time in the sun at the bus stop here at Finikoudes promenade.

10.05 The bus has arrived roughly at the promised time. There are many people who want to travel today. Our luggage and we are finally in place. More passengers are on board. Now we go! The trip costs us 4 euro.

11.01 We have been around inside and finally also left Larnaca city. We now travel through the countryside. The landscape we go past is dry and hilly. Out to the left we can see the sea. It is crowded on the bus. We travel towards southwest. We're going to Limassol, Cyprus' second-largest city and a much larger city than Larnaca.

The beautiful restaurant White Room at Les Palmiers Beach Hotel.

We are enjoying the sunny weather while waiting for the bus.

Bus ticket Larnaca to Limassol.

We have left the bus in Limassol. Now a short break before heading towards the hotel.

11.29 We have stepped out off the bus just close to the Limassol port and castle. Behind us is the great mosque. It is time to locate us here in the city. Limassol is called Lemesos in Greek and here lives about 101 000 people. We have now entered a park, unloaded our backpacks and will have a short bench break. We will try to find out where we should go next.

11.50 It was close, easy to find and easy to check in at Metropole Hotel. Now we're in room 16 and will get settled. It seems that most people who work here are from Sri Lanka. Christer has asked why they have withdrawn money from his bank card, though it said that we would pay on arrival. It was apparently just a check that the card was valid. We've been through this before. Even if the money is put back, they are, after all gone for a while when you might need them.

12.18 From our little balcony we can look down on a narrow street with, among other things, a beauty shop. We are thinking about the prices at Cypriot hotels. In Larnaca we lived luxuriously near the beach significantly cheaper than here in a simple hotel with no breakfast on a small street. Why is Limassol so much more expensive?

13.19 The sun burns, it is bright and in our room are Christer’s sunglasses. We have walked around a little in the immediate area and finally sat down for lunch at Bootleggers, located at the main road Spyrou Araouzou. We hope that our food doesn’t get smoked by all the exhaust.

14.06 We tried a traditional Cypriot dish, Afelia and drank a divinely great beer. We have made a quick visit to the tourist information centre before they closed for a break.

14.39 We're back in the hotel room. A decision has been taken. We will not make a trip to Paphos tomorrow like we had planned. Instead, we will calmly walk around in the city as we are in now. It is time to find out what this city has to offer. It's almost time to leave the room.

Christer inside our new hotel room.

We are looking down on the street Agiou Andreou below our hotel.

KEO, beer from Cyprus, served at Bootleggers.

Afelia was a tasty dish.

Metropole Hotel, Limassol.

15.19 We've walked out and taken a look at the beautiful newly built Sculpture Park along the sea. There are ponds and beautiful green areas with local art. We walk along the promenade. It is a broad palm alley. Here young rollerbladers and a small black cat are walking around. Out at sea, ten boats are in the water.

15.45 We did a complete turnaround and continued towards new areas for us. Now we are having a bench break on a pier in the old port of Limassol. There have been some bench breaks and piers over the years.

16.43 The pier was left and we have familiarized ourselves with the area around where we stay. Some points of interest have been noted, such as the kinds of restaurants to visit. We live not far from the university, and there is no shortage of bars and the like here. However, it is thinner with really good restaurants for dinner.

17.05 After some purchases in a kiosk, we´re back in the room. Now the evening is planned. People have now been rescued from the burning ferry, Norman Atlantic. It now remains to find out how many has died. It seems right now to be difficult to establish this.

19.57 Decadence will soon knock on our door. We are not about to let it inside. We intend to go out. Out there on the street is an elderly couple with three dogs of different breeds. Our part of town dies when it has become dark. Stores and restaurants shut down and most of it is fate. Perhaps it is different during the tourist season.

The beautiful Sculpture Park.

Limassol-view from the city pier.

Peter is walking through Limassol´s old town.

The orthodox church Agia Napa.

The streets close to our hotel are filled with souvenir shops.

20.37 After some wandering among both deserted streets in the old town and in the university quarter where we only found silent, closed restaurants and raucous bar areas. Now we are inside the pizzeria Tomato (http://www.tomatopizzapasta.com). It is quiet and still. We have a feeling that it is packed with people (students) during lunch time.

21.49 We have consumed a pizza each in yet another country. Now they talk about Zlatan Ibrahimovic on our TV. It was a picture of him and an arrow pointing down. Since our Greek remains lousy, we didn’t understand the context. They also mentioned something about an Ebola case in Glasgow. It seems to regard a medic.

22.21 We strolled around some of the streets near our hotel but found nothing of interest except a breakfast restaurant and a fountain. When the rain started to drop, it was an easy decision to call it a night and enter our room, where few beers wait for us.

23.57 A nice day here in Limassol has been completed with beers at the little narrow balcony. We have also dealt with plans for tomorrow and the summer.

Someone had fun writing this.

Pizza dinner at the nice pizza restaurant Tomato.