Sentinel bride stuck in honeymoon paradise

And, as I sit typing in a small taverna in the southern Cyprus village of Protaras, it is still very much unclear exactly when and how we will ever see home soil again.

'Stranded in Paradise', was one headline that jumped from a national tabloid as myself, my new husband and three year-old daughter made our way past a newspaper stand enroute to a coach outside the doors of Larnaca airport on Friday, after being told our flight home to Belfast International was cancelled.

Now we and 100 other would-be passengers from Northern Ireland were destined to go 60km back to "paradise", or on more realistic terms, the village of Protaras for last minute emergency accommodation. Almost five days later, and two and a half weeks since our holiday began, we are now wondering exactly when we will touch down in Northern Ireland again. But as the days go on and the rolling news keeps reporting, flying is and will not be an option 'for at least a week'. On the ground and in the hotel of the aptly named 'Sweet Memories Apartments' in Protaras where our tour operator coached stranded passengers, the outlook is one of worry and an overwhelming sense of uncertainty.

"My friend from home says we are talking weeks here." says Lisa, a young mum on holiday with her daughter and family from Belfast. "I don't see how our tour operator will be able to put us all up for so long, we will probably be moved in the next couple of days to somewhere else."

"It's just not knowing," added another lady who had travelled from Tipperary to Belfast International for a relaxing holiday in the mediterranean. "If they were able to just give us a date of when we will be able to make our way home, it wouldn't be so bad, but all people are doing now is wallowing in worry."

And as the week goes on and the news looks more bleak, myself and the many other post holiday makers have begun to really weigh up the consequences of waiting on airspace across Europe to reopen. One couple, who had made a last minute Easter break booking, had to return to care for a dependant elderly relative. Another lady, who has a serious medical condition, ran out of medication and was having trouble acquiring more from the Cypriot chemists.

In a surreal situation like this, it really is hard to feel anything other than helpless. Aside from the moans and groans people really do realise how lucky they are to be stranded in a place with good food, friendly people and nice weather. It is also welcoming and highly cathartic to hear other Northern Ireland accents around you; especially when nature seems to be turning against the world.

My texts and phone calls from back home are reassuring telling us that it will 'all be over soon' but really do prove that grass is greener on the other side.

"Enjoy it while you can," one family friend wrote, "It could all end tomorrow." If only. Yes going to the beach everyday and lazing by the pool is lovely especially when the temperatures are reaching the 30s but since this whole fiasco began we really have realised that there's just no place like home.