Cyprus: Yes, Please

Saturday morning, Betsy, Maryam, Meghan and I left Amman for Cyprus. Qasid gave a generous week-long break for 'Eid al-Adha (a Muslim holiday remembering the willingness of Abraham to sacrifice Ishmael for God) so we took the opportunity to travel. I arrived back earlier this afternoon after 5 days in Cyprus. There is too much to talk about in one blog post so I will post the highlights.

Background on Cyprus Cyprus is a small island in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea. In the 1960s and 70s, Cyprus experienced some violence between the Greek majority and the Turkish minority. Both Greece and Turkey have assisted their respective ethnic groups. Currently, the island is divided into the Republic of Cyprus in the west and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (recognized only by Turkey) in the east. The two are divided by the Green Line which runs right through the capital of Nicosia. 

Car Rental We thought it would be a good idea to rent a car. Lonely Planet Cyprus said that buses and taxis were a pretty unreliable way to see the country. Additionally, our travel plans included exploring Cyprus's mountains. So, we rented a tiny Hondi Colt. Betsy and I took on the position of driver. The only difficulty being that Cypriots drive on the left side of the road with the steering wheel on the right side of the car. At first, driving was a little strange but after a little bit, driving on the left side of the road became comfortable. Looking back, I don't think we would have seen nearly as much as if we had not rented a car. Driving allowed us to change our plans depending on our mood or the weather. 

Pafos Our apartment was in the Cypriot city of Pafos. Pafos is a beach town on the west coast of the Island. Pafos hosts a couple of archeological sites namely the Tombs of the Kings (a serious of elaborate below ground tombs) and the Archeological Park (an expansive park with uncovered mosaics, a ruined fort and an amphitheater among other things).

Limassol  On our first full day in Cyprus, we had every intention of trying to hit the beach (because of the 80-degree weather). However, the weather looked pretty overcast so we decided to drive to Limassol instead. On the way there we stopped at Petra Tou Romiou also known as Aphrodite's Rock. According to mythology, Aphrodite was born out of one of Uranus's testicles which was cut off and thrown into the sea. This supposed location is Petra Tou Tominou where the shoreline is littered with huge rocks. The location is a popular attraction for those interested in mythology. The hillside was decorated with hearts outlined with rocks collected from the beach. We spent about 45 minutes here posing on one of the rocks like Aphrodite. Many of the other tourists found us pretty amusing. From here we continued on to Limassol, another beachfront city on the southern coast of Cyprus. Limassol was less touristy than Pafos but also contained a few historical landmarks such as the castle where Richard the Lionheart married his fiancee. We spent a few hours here before driving back to Pafos.

Troodos Mountains The Troodos Mountains are a mountain range located in the middle of Cyprus. We decided to take advantage of the opportunity to hike to drive up to the mountains and scope out a trail. On our way up the mountain, we stopped briefly at a winery to sample some Cypriot wine. This was a good decision. Our hike in the mountains was 7 km and took us about 2 hours to do. It was a beautiful taste of autumn. The temperature in the mountains was down to a cool 65 degrees. I enjoyed the ability to walk outside in a skirt that showed my knees. It was refreshing. 

Nicosia The capital of Cyprus is Nicosia (locally, Lefkosia). We drove to Lefkosia after our hike in the mountains. Our objective was to see a little of the city but also to cross over to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. We parked inside the Old City walls of Lefkosia on the Greek side. A quick 10 minute walk led us to a commercial pedestrian street lined with restaurants and stores. On one end of the street was the Green Line and the pedestrian crossing. Crossing the border seemed to be an everyday affair. In order to leave, we presented our passport and filled out a sheet of paper with our name and nationality. Then the guard stamped our paper and we were welcomed to Turkish Cyprus. As soon as we crossed, the dusk call to prayer sounded. We walked around the Turkish portion of the capital looking at a few of the sites and stopping in a shops here and there. Before crossing back to the Greek side, we sat and had a beer and watched the people. Thankfully, the cafe accepted Euros as well as the New Turkish Lira. Visiting both parts of Lefkosia was probably the highlight of my visit to Cyprus. The city was more European than anything else. The atmosphere was relaxed and welcoming. I enjoyed strolling the streets and seeing the effects of an ethnicity on a city.

Food in Cyprus During our stay in Cyprus, we made breakfast at home and packed sandwiches for our lunch. We ate out a few times for dinner. Perhaps the best meal in Cyprus was at Mother's Kitchen. We found a recommendation for this restaurant in our Lonely Planet guidebook. The restaurant was located down an alleyway in Pafos. We arrived at the restaurant at about 6pm and were the only people there. A 55 or 60 year old Cypriot man greeted us and sat us at a table in the back of his restaurant. The restaurant looked as though it was an expansive kitchen/ dining room. Oh, and there were about a dozen cats being fed at the same time. We all ordered the special. The special that night was beef and chicken slow cooked in a traditional Cypriot oven with potatoes and vegetables. The meal was excellent. There was more meat in that dish than I usually eat in a week or two weeks in Jordan. Needless to say, after dinner we decided to walk for a while to help the food settle. The second restaurant of note was St. George's Fish Tavern, another recommendation from the Lonely Planet. The tavern was right on the ocean with a beautiful view. I ordered fresh salmon. I was happy to have plain grilled fish. I think it tasted better because I was watching the sun set over the ocean. 

Other: There was a strange smelling tree in Cyprus that made everything smell like yeast. Also, Christmas decorations were already up. They seemed pretty tacky considering the 80 degree weather and Santa in full winter clothing. We ate bacon our first day in Cyprus! There was a toaster in the apartment we rented. It was nice to be able to wear skirts that showed my knees. I loved the clean air and the smell of the ocean. I forgot how much I liked to drive! Essentially what I am getting at is that I had a really good time in Cyprus. And now, there is less than one month between me and Oxford, Ohio!

Maryam, Betsy and Meghan

Travel partners!

Ruins in the Archeological Park

Aphrodite was born here!

Pedestrian street in Lemissol

Dinner at Mother's Restaurant