A JOURNEY THROUGH CYPRUS

A Journey through Cyprus

"Fairest Isle, all isles excelling,
 Seat of pleasures, and of loves;
 Venus here will choose her dwelling,
 And forsake her Cyprian groves."

                 Song of Venus by John Dryden (1631-1700)


Months have past since I last found my muse, but my memories of our trip to Cyprus resonate within me even still.  I returned to my last blog and saw it ended with our first of twelve days on that beautiful island, spent with loving, warm and hospitable relatives.  I must complete the voyage for you to share in those pleasurable days.  Just to refresh your memory, Cyprus lies due south of Turkey and due east of Syria and Lebanon.

After an evening of imbibing and stimulating conversation at the outdoor bar of the Grecian Park Hotel overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, we made plans with cousin Nektarios to take a boat excursion the next morning from Ayia Napa along the southern coast of the island as far north as the deserted city of Famagusta, formerly the jewel of tourism in the Mediterranean area replete with luxury hotels, but, now, a ghost town after the Turkish invasion of the northern part of the country in 1974.  It lies just beyond the Green Line that divides the island into a bottom half, the Republic of Cyprus, a member of the European Union, and the northern moiety, occupied by the Turks to this day.

We met up with Nektarios and his girlfriend the next morning and boarded. They, being German, and the four of us, American, were probably the only non-Russian tourists on board!  That's a topic for another day!  We hugged the coast, making several stops for those who wished to jump overboard for a swim in the warm, azure waters. A pleasant buffet lunch was served, a chicken bar-b-que!  As we approached Famagusta where we would turn back, we all stared off into the distance to see the white luxury towers, empty now, where Nektarios's great-grandparents (and my great Aunt and Uncle) had eventually settled after returning to Cyprus in 1928.  It was an eerie sight, seeing all those beautiful white towers and not being able to approach for a closer look.

As close as we could get to Famagusta

The next day, after exploring the rocks along the coast near our house, we met up with the others and spent a lovely day at Konnos Beach, with warm, clear water and a wonderful swimming beach.  After playing in the surf all afternoon with Cleo and Constantinos, we had a nice dinner with the whole family at a restaurant that had formerly been an old farm.  We dined under the night skies, having a meze, a large selection of small dishes including hummus dips, mushrooms, salads, and meats.  The dishes delivered to our table seemed endless!

Meze!!!

On Wednesday, we drove to Lefkosia (Nicosia) to the home of Elena and Andreas.  Cousin Georgia was to take us on a tour of the city.  Now retired, she had been a tour guide for years for English and German-speaking tourists.  She certainly had not lost her skills as her recall of Cypriot history was spot on.  We first went to the famed Cyprus Museum where she took us on our own guided tour to see the many antiquities that reflected all the many cultures that had crossed the island over the course of centuries.

Georgia taking us through the Museum of Cyprus

The city, itself, is divided by the UN Green Line, replete with border checkpoints and barbed wire dividing it up between Greek and Turkish Cypriot territory.  We were ever aware of the strife and turmoil that had affected this beautiful island and, which, after 45 years, had still not been resolved.

Afterwards, a walk through the commercial district, an ice cream and an elevator ride to the top of Nicosia's highest building for a panoramic view of the city followed. The topping on the cake, however, was our return to Elena and Andreas's beautiful home for a typical Cypriot feast featuring Andreas's specialty, souvlav, cooked slowly on his outdoor oven on a spit, accompanied by many other tasty dishes and a wonderful custardy desert.

Souvlav!

I'm sure I've left out a few wonderful meals but on Thursday, we drove 120 miles along the southern coast to the other end of the island, from Protaras to Paphos.  We actually drove through part of the UK's territory that they kept on the island for a military presence.  We made an enjoyable stop to see the dramatic ruins at Kourion, just west of Limmasol.  On arriving at Paphos, we checked into the beautiful Almyra Hotel.

Fun exploring Kourion!

The beautiful Hotel Almyra

 Elena, Andreas, Georgia, and the kids followed us the next day and we all met up at the outdoor archeological park where, again, Georgia showed us her wonderful historical skills were still at the top of their game.  The ruins and mosaics were preserved in such a way that history rolled before our eyes.  We even met the American Ambassador to Cyprus, fairly new in her post, as she was being accompanied around by her bodyguards.  She stopped to chat with us and remembered meeting Elena at an event at the Embassy that Elena had attended.

The Kourion Ancient Amphitheater at Episkopi

A well-preserved mosaic at Kourion

Paphos Harbor

The next day, we drove up to the northern coast towards the Akamas Peninsula near Latsi where Christiana and Kyriokos were staying.  We visited the Baths of Aphrodite with them and had a scenic dinner outdoors on the coast.  Later in the evening, on the way back to Paphos, we all drove down to Kyriokos's village where we visited their family farm where they showed us how they process olive oil from their numerous olive groves.

A pleasant seaside dinner with Christiana and Kyriokos

Our last day in Paphos, the extended family drove to Petra tou Romiou (Aphrodite's Rock), the legendary birthplace of Aphrodite. The rock juts out into the ocean.  The tongue in cheek legend is that if you swim around the rock seven times, you'll live forever...but obviously, as part of it is on land, you cannot accomplish that dream!  A late afternoon coffee at a cafe in the hills completed a full day.

Can't beat a late afternoon coffee overlooking Petra tou Romiou!

Our last full day in Cyprus was a drive to Larnaca, from which we'd depart to fly home early the next morning.  Larnaca is an interesting town where we saw a mosque, the beautiful old Church of Saint Lazarus, and and the Larnaca Medieval Castle.

The Church of St. Lazarus in Larnaca

 Sitting in an outdoor cafe near the church, I noted a procession of observant Jews marching through the town on their way to the sea.  I suddenly realized it was Rosh Hashonah, the Jewish New Year, and they were practicing Tashlikh from Micah 7:18-20: "You will cast all their sins into the depths of the sea".  On our walk back to our hotel, we met a street artist who did murals and took us back to his studio to show us his work.

 Arriving back at the hotel, we got into bed for a short nap before catching a 5am flight out to London, then on to Boston and finally Rochester.  I think it took ten days for me to get over the jet lag but it was all so worthwhile seeing Cyprus and my wonderful relatives.  It reminded me of those old travelogues I used to see as a kid in the movies..."and so, we say good-bye to our island paradise"...it certainly was!!!