Impressions of Cyprus

Cats
Did I mention the cats here? They are revered at the Kykkos Abbey north of Troodos, where none are turned away. In fact there are many cats in Cyprus everywhere you go and they are usually taken care of quite well (except not black cats…people fear them here - superstitious). You see some people out walking dogs, but cats roam everywhere, though they are not overly abundant or a nuisance.

Metal blinds
There are wonderful metal blinds here that are outfitted to the outside of the window and operated by a wide strap from inside. One can close them to totally keep the room dark…a definite must for sleeping during any daylight hours.



Clothes dryers
There are hardly any clothes dryers here….everyone hangs there clothes up on the line, even in apartments where they have an ‘outside’ balcony. In Helga’s apartment they have an outside enclosed area with metal fence kind of thing on the first floor at least, high enough so someone can’t get in. Above them the tenants, simply stick their clothes on lines over the balcony. Solar heating provides heat for water and is supplemented by electricity but only turned on when necessary for showers or baths.

Fruit trees
Lemon and orange trees grow everywhere and the odd fig tree too. Apparently they grow wild as well, but the fruit isn’t as tasty. Bananas are grown here, and pomegranates, apples and grapes.

Cyprus Rain
One night we had a heavy thundershower. They call it a Cyprus rain. They are in desperate need of water here, and the days continue sunny and dry.

Traffic/parking
I have driven in a number of countries, but none where they drive so crazy as here. Rarely do people stop for stop signs, though they do for red lights. The roads are narrow and everyone exceeds the speed limit. Signalling to change lanes or turn a corner is almost non-existent, and everyone honks at everyone. When they decide to stop, they park anywhere and everywhere. Often they go onto the sidewalks. Sometimes they just abandon their cars, even if it means being double parked. The direction of parking is hilarious – all directions work…parallel to the road in both directions or perpendicular to it., and often in the driving lane.


























The cars may look like they are turning corners or going into driveways, but I assure you they are parked....abandoned really and no takes any notice though it makes it tricky for pedestrians, who then have to walk on the streets.

There are a few traffic circles here that work well, except on huge intersections. The motorways are fabulous, good roads, but once you’re off them, good luck in finding out where you need to go, as signage is scarce.







The other problem is that they often put the names of places in three ways on the signs – the Turkish spelling, the Greek spelling, and then in Greek letters. This is fine, except that the places suddenly disappear off the signs and you are left wondering which way to go. I’ve made a few turnarounds and had another go, certainly making many more miles than necessary at times. But I’ve also found some delightful things along the way that I would not have otherwise seen. Sometimes like on the trip to Lara, the roads are worse than our secondary gravel roads and would be best used by 4 wheel drives or donkey and cart, or mountain goats.

Food
Halloumi cheese is made from goat’s milk and has a mild, delicious flavour that I quite like. There are lovely market gardens here with everything very cheap and fresh every day. I love the Greek food too. I’ve tasted quite few different items. Also had a fabulous chicken, mushroom and cheese crepe at Pasucci restaurant.

Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is incredible. I was just out dipping my toes in it….I’m too chicken to actually swim in it right now…but some hardy souls are going in though they are few and far between. There were a group of swimmers at Pafos…

People from Cyprus are called Cypriots –pronounced sip-ree-ots), as opposed to Greek, though they are of Greek descent. The dialect is slightly different between the two languages in Greece and Cyprus apparently (like France French and Canadian French).


Here's the apartment where I'm staying in Limassol - it's on the first floor.

Nicosa/Lefkosia - Kyrenia, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus

November 29, 2007

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.

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.

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).

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….