With the Famagustus bus tour cancelled on Thursday, I rented my car for another couple of days and headed off to Nicosia early in the morning. I stopped along the way at Dali and Potamia…I seemed to miss the monuments that I was looking for, but did find a small church 
like thing with incredible trees around it, like I’ve never seen before. Their trunks are quite intriguing. I’ll have to find out what kind of trees they are.
like thing with incredible trees around it, like I’ve never seen before. Their trunks are quite intriguing. I’ll have to find out what kind of trees they are. I arrived in Lefkosia/Nicosia around 10:15 am [Nicosia (in Turkish) is also known as Lefkosia 
(in Greek)]. I’ve been told that it is the only city in the world that is divided by two countries. Once I located the town centre, I hired a taxi to take me to the Turkish side of Cyprus.
(in Greek)]. I’ve been told that it is the only city in the world that is divided by two countries. Once I located the town centre, I hired a taxi to take me to the Turkish side of Cyprus. 
Crossing the border into the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus required going through a heavily guarded checkpoint and across a half a mile at least of ‘no man’s land’ that is heavily fenced off. This ‘green zone’ is constantly patrolled by UN troops and no one can be found there, nor can pictures be taken. It consists of a wasteland of dilapidated and abandoned houses, outbuildings, vehicles and unused land. The 200,000 displaced Greek Cypriots only had 3 hours in 1974 to vacate the Turkish occupied land and often left behind many household and 
personal belongings. Children’s toys and vehicles can be seen lying outside deserted homes, while inside there are discarded dishes, clothing and furniture. Tensions run high between the residents of both countries, especially those Greek Cypriots, who were displaced or who lost loved ones in the skirmish.Anthony was a great taxi driver, who took me to Kyrenia on the northern coast, and also to two other historic sites. He smoothly got us through the border, taking care of everything for me. He told me when I could or couldn’t take photos and sometimes helped me take some that I wasn’t supposed to. When we first reached the other side, he stopped and bought me bottled water and a snack of Poreka (sp?) (sort of like small square East Indian onion nans), which we shared as
we drove through villages and high into a mountain. There we came upon the amazing Saint Hilarion Castle, near Girne. The architecture is so cunningly built that the castle walls look like they are part of the mountain, spiralling upwards into two peaks with a lookout tower on each of them.
The castle was built by the Byzantines to withstand the Arab attacks in the 7th century and
added on as the attacks continued until the 10th century. The castle was 
still there when Richard the Lionheart took the island in 1191. The entire history is rich and diverse, with the castle becoming vacant in 1489 when the Venetians took the island. It is said that St. Hilarion Castle inspired many Disney animations, as well as many artists, yet many who live here have not heard of the place. The castle was so high from sea level that I wondered how it could protect the Cypriot public, who would have lived far below, as it claimed to do. (The right above photo is taken only 1/3 of the way up the mountain/castle)
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The castle was built by the Byzantines to withstand the Arab attacks in the 7th century and
added on as the attacks continued until the 10th century. The castle was 
still there when Richard the Lionheart took the island in 1191. The entire history is rich and diverse, with the castle becoming vacant in 1489 when the Venetians took the island. It is said that St. Hilarion Castle inspired many Disney animations, as well as many artists, yet many who live here have not heard of the place. The castle was so high from sea level that I wondered how it could protect the Cypriot public, who would have lived far below, as it claimed to do. (The right above photo is taken only 1/3 of the way up the mountain/castle)
. The diagram shows the extensiveness of the castle and its walls.
Bellapais Abbey, a ruin just south of Kyrenia, was interesting, but waned after the castle, so I spent little time there, though there were beautiful gardens and a lovely setting that overlooked the village below. It was reflective of other Catholic abbeys, like many I’d already seen in England, with similar architecture and most walls missing.
We moved on instead to the port at Keryneia. The port was filled with boats of all shapes and sizes, had an ancient castle and very long a seawall, and several blocks of apartments enclosing it. The waves crashed against the seawall and sprayed over the walkway in a jaunty, powerful way that fascinated me. The constant surge was formidable, yet beckoning…. 
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