Journal #68 - Cyprus

Ya sas from Cyprus!

Our journey around the country was a road trip! We rented a car and took off to circumnavigate the island of Cyprus and take in as much as we could. Mr. Wanderer and I arrived in Larnaka, drove across the south, stayed in Paphos, visited multiple beaches, traveled through the Troodos, and ended in Nicosia.

Throughout our road trip, it was abundantly clear how the spread of the Greek pantheon impacted parts of this island. Many of the nature locations and archeological sites were named after or designed in the image of Greek gods. We visited two different Aphrodite's Beaches, as well as the Baths of Aphrodite. We also saw the ruins of the House of Dionysus. After having just visited Greece and having learned so much about their ancient deities in school, it felt almost familiar as we drove around the Cypriot countryside.

There were some beautiful ruins here, in sight of the water, that we got the opportunity to visit. The Tombs of the Kings and the Archaeological Site of Nea Paphos are both located on the west coast and hold unique monuments. We enjoyed the time spent under the Mediterranean sun seeing the ruins with minimal crowds and we really appreciated some of the well-preserved and lovely mosaics (we are suckers for a good mosaic).

Our road trip would not have been complete without a visit to some beaches, and we got to see the coastline across several different parts of the country. We were particularly enthralled with our visit to Lara Bay. Its beach serves the dual purpose of recreation and of a turtle-nest sanctuary. When we stopped by, we saw dozens of metal cages constructed to count the nests and help protect them from natural predators. If you come at the right time of year, you can even see the turtles hatch, but we missed the opportunity.

Instead, our visit continued with a drive away from the coast, through Troodos, where we saw some of the highest peaks in Cyprus. It is also home to a couple of famous waterfalls. We loved taking a lazy weekend drive through the mountains and inhaling more of what central Cyprus had to offer.

Our last stop was Nicosia. It was abundantly clear on arrival that the city was old. There were remnants of its history scattered between all of its buildings. We saw the old city gate, the hammam, and other historic sights. Nicosia is physically divided down the center with the green line, designating the split in contested ownership between Turkish and Cypriot governments. It runs directly through the city, so we saw boarded-up buildings converted into a de facto wall between the opposing sides. Manned by UN Peacekeepers, the barrier looms threateningly in the middle of the street.

I am not sure we had expectations when we planned our visit to Nicosia. Seeing what this state of turmoil has inflicted on the city, we found ourselves wishing we could go back in time and visit it before the conflict. It was clear to see from the layout how this would have been a thriving center, what would have been beautiful that is now slow or dried up. I am glad we visited, but it was sad to see the city so diminished, even compared to the rest of the country.

That being our last stop did not taint our visit. We still thoroughly enjoyed Cyprus and feel bittersweet about leaving our time here in the Mediterranean. This is our last European country planned for this Odyssey. The next nation we are headed to is home to the coco de mer - which is known for having the largest seed of any plant. Have you got any guesses where we are off to next?