The divided island of Cyprus.. My trip in the eastern Mediterranean Sea

content:
photos:
Vote this travel review

We decided to stay 6 nights in Larnaca as a base for exploring the island, both the Cypriot and Turkish. Larnaca is a beautiful small town of 90 inhabitants, built on the ashes of an ancient city state Kition, birthplace of the philosopher Zeno and adopted home of his friend Lazarus, Jesus, with a beautiful modern waterfront with restaurants, clubs and pubs, deserve to be visited the medieval fort (1.70 euros) with the adjacent Kepir Ottoman mosque, the church of St. Lazarus, the Pierides Archaeological Museum (of 1815), the archives of the town historical museum, the aqueduct of Kamares (eighteenth century). , the salt lake with beautiful mosque Hala Sultan Tekkesi (648 AD). Larnaca is divided in two by the strong, it left (looking seaward) part of the new and modern with the hotels on the waterfront and a nice beach with marina, and the right hand which is the old low houses made of Larnaca, colored, with olive, lemon, fig and pomegranate trees in the gardens, the sea and a fishing port, where you can taste better the true Larnaca with beautiful restaurants, frequented mostly by Cypriots where you can taste the famous fish and meze. We then visited the 2 nd day the city of Nicosia with a bus (5 Euro valid all day) from Larnaca after a party we are now in Nicosia (Lefkosia), the only city in the world still divided in two by a wall. We visit the first part of the city's ancient greek Cypriot inside the attractive and well preserved Venetian walls of 4.5 km with 11 heart-shaped bastions, here is worth seeing the district of Laiki Geitonia with its houses of the early ' 900 refurbished, the old and the new archbishop with the statue of Bishop Macharia and first president of Cyprus, the Cathedral of St. John, the Entografico Museum, the church, with its center Chrysaliniotissa crafts, port of Famagusta renovated, the house of Chatzigeorgakis Kornesios (dragoman Lefkosia), the Omeriye Mosque, the church of Faneromeni, the church and outside the walls of Trypiotis the Cyprus Museum. Do not forget to take a coffee in a bar with a terrace to enjoy the beautiful view of the whole city from above! As you walk in you'll come across the border with the Turkish side, and here you can see the damage that since 1974 has created a rift between the Turkish and Greek, a kind of green line made of walls, barbed wire, guard towers and houses destroyed by bombing or abandoned. In the afternoon we go to the Turkish part of Nicosia, there is revealed the difference immediately, written in turkish, Turkish language (but English), Turkish currency (you can also pay in euros but the exchange rate is unfavorable), atmosphere totally different ways full of products, flavors, fragrances Middle East. There has to be seen the Selimiye mosque, the mosque Haydarpasha, the great turkish bath Buyuk, the Armenian church under renovation, the house of dervishes, the Venetian column, the British Colonial Law Court, the Mevlevi Museum and the port of Girne ( Kyrenia), but above all enjoy the atmosphere of the Turkish occupied part. At 18.30 we return to Larnaca.
Wednesday always decide to take a 5 euro ticket valid all day for the area of ??Agia Napa, Protaras, Paralimni and Cape Greko. At 11 go down in front of the famous beach of Nissi Beach, the most beautiful beach on the southeastern part of the Greek side, in fact, is similar to the Caribbean beaches, fortunately there are not many tourists in October and we can enjoy its beauty, then walk to walk a little up the coast in the center of Agia Napa to see the beautiful monastery of Agia Napa (lady of the forest) of the sixteenth century. Viewed the monastery to take flight, a bus (always done with the ticket 5 euros in Larnaca) we get to 2 km from Cape Greek, and here we can make the whole walk to the tip .... SPECTACULAR! And 'one of those things that Cyprus does not have to lose, and turquoise blue sea, the cliffs overlooking the sea ... a true spectacle of colors and peace, in a strip of Cyprus still totally unspoilt. We leave at a time of Paralimni, we arrive at what is now the administrative center of the district since 1974 when the Turks occupied the city of Famagusta which is now partially inaccessible, a ghost town. Paralimni has beautiful Byzantine churches and a Roman church of the Virgin Mary, we refreshed after a long walk and then 18.00 to take the bus back from Paralimni, Larnaca.
Thursday 'morning, we decided to bring us back to the bus stop on the seafront and take the bus (5 euros) to Nicosia to cross the border from the Turkish side and see the famous Kyrenia (Girne by the Turks), considered the most beautiful resort-turkish Cypriot. Let's change the border and 20 euros in Turkish lira and then continue on the main road to the door of the Venetian walls of Girne, 50 but right here is the place where they will remain small bus of 10-12 people every 15 minutes sum of 4.5 Turkish Lira (2 euros) take you 30 minutes in Girne. We arrive soon in the beautiful and ancient Girne (Kyrenia for the Greeks), the atmosphere is that of the coast of Turkey who's' been, all Turkish flags or the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, a beautiful bay with the Byzantine fort ( then the Ottoman Empire and then Venetian) starring in it. We go for 12 Turkish Lira (5 euros) and visit all doing great photos of the bay from the top of it, we go out and continue on around the country, for its narrow streets and shops, we buy various souvenirs. 16.30 to take the little bus that takes us back to Lefkosia (Nicosia) and then from there the bus to return to Larnaca at 20.00. Friday morning we wake up early and the bus at 8.00 Eman Tours from 15 people who will take us all day in the excursion that we booked with the hotel at Kourion, and Paphos Aphrodite's Rock for 30 euros. Kourion, one of the most impressive of the island, the second century BC, where stands the greek-roman theater which overlooks the sea, the house of Eustolios with its mosaics, the remains of the basilica, the baptistery and the stadium. Visited off again at Petra Tou Romiou where mythology says was born Aphrodite. It 'a beautiful stretch of coastline with the blue sea and the rocks from which Aphrodite emerged, the beach is of pebbles but the scenario still worth a quick stop. We leave at a time of Paphos where we arrived at 12.00, we go immediately into the lower part of Paphos where the sea lies the archaeological site of Kato Pahos because the town is a UNESCO. You can not miss the mosaics of the House of Dionysos, Theseus, Orpheus and Aion, the period from the second to the fifth century. A.D. They are masterpieces of mosaic art of the finest in the Mediterranean. Do not miss the Odeon used today for theater, the ruins of the Basilica and the tombs of the Kings Limeniotissa. Then we visit the fort was originally Byzantine (EUR 1.70), then rebuilt by the Ottomans. From its summit you can enjoy the view over the harbor and the bay of Kato Pahos and you can take good pictures. We return to the bus that takes us back in about 2 hour or so where we take advantage in Larnaca salt lake and going to the mosque Hala Sultan Tekkesi photographing the sunset. Saturday dedicated to ourselves, to the sea, the sun, the beach, the last purchase, the city is more alive than usual, in the center there is' the market and in the evening people are all out to clubs, restaurants and walk on promenade. Sunday return to Milan via Athens. I believe that Cyprus is an island that is worth visiting, all kinds of beautiful beaches, ancient archaeological sites, charming places like Paphos and Kyrenia (Turkish part), a city rich in history as Nicosia, and now the only divided city in the world