December for ATA
Alexandrite, discovered in Russia in the mid-19th century and named for Tsar Alexander II.
The final ATA event of 2018 was its December social get-together, for lunch at the new İskemleci restaurant, near Girne Gate in Lefkoşa’s walled city. Having eaten in the courtyard garden, the small group moved into the dining room for coffee and katmer before a tour of the venue’s attached, threebedroom guesthouse.
ATA events organiser Pearl Mitchell said of the month’s activities: “Attendance may have been down due to the awful weather and so many people being away for the festive season but we enjoyed three great events.
“The Evkaf visit was highly informative, a history lesson in brief, with the director ‘debunking’ many . . . misconceptions about the foundation. The talk on diamonds was incredibly interesting . . . Timuçin bey’s love of gems and enthusiasm for his subject shone through and we were all fascinated by his anecdotes.
“And we were introduced to two restaurants that . . . served us delicious traditional food of the kind that is difficult to find in the more touristy areas, and are set to become firm favourites with our group.”