We are visiting the ruins of Salamis, an ancient Greek city-state on the east coast of Cyprus. It’s a perfect spring day. There are yellow wildflowers everywhere and, in particular, yellow daisies.

We see a young woman making a crown of daisies. A little further away, her husband is playing with their two sons.

I ask if I can take a photo and she immediately poses.

After spending quite some time among the different ruins, we start walking back towards the entrance. We see the young woman again. This time she’s wearing the crown of daisies.  She waves at us. I hesitate to take a photo but don’t want to intrude.

As we are walking away, her husband calls out in English. We stop and the young woman comes forward and gives me the crown of daisies.

 

It’s too late to take a photo of her and it would seem rude if I refused the crown so I smile and thank her.

A little further on, I ask Jean Michel to take a photo of me with the crown, but I really would have preferred to take one of the young woman. I have neither the look nor the age to be wearing such a traditional object.

But what a kind gesture on her part. I feel part of the Cyprus spring.