This is bliss...(with video footage!)

Bliss = a state of great joy or happiness

Relaxation:
It started off with a long lie-in on Saturday morning. Everyone else was gone when I got up and it was quite nice to have the place to myself. I was expecting some friends over later in the morning and as I started making pancakes they showed up. Talk about good timing. After a lovely breakfast we headed for Lakka beach. We spent a lovely afternoon there; reading, talking, laying in the sun, sitting in the shade, eating steak & fries, meeting other expats. Very enjoyable.

Delicacies:
On Sunday we decided we were up for an adventure: a drive to/picnic at Fourah Bay College hill. But first, we needed picnic goods. I suggested going to a new place I had heard of: “Bliss Patisserie” which opened about 2 weeks ago. So off we went. First impression: friendly people, nice atmosphere, delicious looking pastries. Maybe it’s just because I’ve been here for so long, but it was truly amazing! We ordered chicken sandwiches to take with us and while waiting we couldn’t resist trying some of their treats. So we ordered some small delicacies- little square treats with chocolate, toffee, hazelnuts, almonds & pistachios. Wow! I’m definitely going back there…and it’s even within walking distance. This is Bliss.

Adventure:
After our treats we drove to the hill. We decided to go into unknown territory and continued up the hill, further than any of us had been before. We were on a dirt road that became steeper and more rough as we went along. At one point us girls (4 of us) got out of the land cruiser while the 2 guys continued; us girls were getting a little nervous and felt better walking back down the hill. We soon found out that instead of turning the land cruiser around the guys decided to continue uphill but had reached a tough spot. This consisted of a steep incline, a large pile of sand on the left and a drop off on the right. Hmmm. What to do? The guys’ thoughts: “Put her in 4-wheel drive and fly over the hill”. The girls’ thoughts: “Put her in reverse and go back the way we came”. After trying a few times and watching the wheels slip in the sand we (I) had a heart-to-heart with the guys. And the women prevailed! I convinced the guys that getting over this pile of sand was not something we ‘needed’ to do and that we could easily go back the way we came, seeing as I didn’t feel like potentially dealing with a toppled over land cruiser! We had a very enjoyable ride back down the hill. By the way, the chicken sandwiches were bliss and the view of the harbor/city was amazing as well.

Our daring driver a.k.a. videographer took some excellent footage of this adventure. You don't want to miss these video clips:
1. Falling http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjC5VmkENqk
2. Driving http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3bHAAxyhQQ

It was an all around fantastic weekend!