Paphos: The Redemption of Cyprus

Although Britain left Cyprus in 1960 seems like Britain did not completely leave.  Cyprus appears to have inherited the English language (a fair amount of English speaking Cypriots), driving on the left side of the street and the distinct electrical plugs requiring bulky adapters.  Britain seems to have lingered on in the west Cyprus town of Paphos, as almost everyone we’ve heard on the street has an English accent. 

The streets in Paphos are filled with English specialty shops, betting parlors, pubs and restaurants offering full English breakfasts.  The pubs show English football leagues on big screen TV's.   

Walking along the beach promenade almost felt like being on the North Sea coastline, again, but with a bit more sun; https://thechosenfugue.blogspot.com/search/label/Scarborough , https://thechosenfugue.blogspot.com/search/label/Eastbourne

While Kyrenia in the North also seemed to be a haven for British ex-pats, we did hear a lot of Russian mixed in with Turkish ( https://thechosenfugue.blogspot.com/search/label/Nicosia).  Cyprus gets about 3 million tourists a year. 1.2 million from the UK, then 800,000 from Russia, so 2/3’s of the tourists are from just these 2 countries.  Israel is third but with only a ¼ million visitors a year.  The US is not even in the top 10. Cyprus also seems to welcome ex-pats, with housing developers advertising that a condo purchase is enough to earn you Cypriot (and EU) citizenship.  

Paphos definitely tempts with it's mix of cheesy tourist area with themed bars

Yet another  Flintstones themed bar, confirming that the Flintstones were originally from Cyprus

old downtown with renovated pedestrian area,

 modern town with shopping mall (hello Taco Bell!-although it was very disappointing),

and ancient ruins with beautiful mosaics.


  

Paphos kind of has a Disneyland of Ruins, the Archaeological Park and down the road from that the Knott’s Berry Farm of  Ruins, The Tomb of the King. Our first attempt to go to the Archaeological Park was rained out with a very painful hail storm but the next day the sun was back out. 

The park was essentially ruins of the posh part of the original town, 2nd-4th AC; an amphitheater, palace and homes.   Striking ruins with beautiful mosaics although, many of the mosaics were unfortunately purposely covered with sand and tarps- they still had the educational placards describing them.   

We figured it was to protect from winter rains, and asked but the visitor center guide was the least informed person at the Park that day,  shrugging her shoulders and saying "I don’t know" when we asked a question that’s surely been asked thousands of times. The mosaics that were exposed, roofs protected these, were enough, though.

One of the great things about wandering, is stumbling across amazing places like this church  from the 2^nd century AD. 

Not only were there  wonderful mosaics (from the 4th Century) but this church also had St. Paul’s pillar where he was apparently lashed 39 x’s,  impressing the King enough for the king to convert. 
Apparently then they celebrated at St. Pauls’s Pillar Pub next door.  

Who knew there was a sacred spring here?

Without drinking, we also (literally) fell into the St. Solominus Catacombs. Underground shrine with deep caverns with steps leading down into an unseen pool of water, baptizing Nick’s feet. 

This may have been one of our favorite spots in Cyprus. Good story, Jewish/Catholic/Pagan history- this is thought to have been a synagogue, converted to a church in the 9th century. It is the burial cite of the  Jewish Maccabee brothers killed by the Romans for being Jewish.  One story says the king asked them to eat pork and they refused saying they would rather die. Another story says they refused to worship idols and were killed. Their mother, Solomini became a Christian and one story says she was locked up in the catacombs and two hundred years came out alive.  In addition to these stories, people tie ribbons and rags (Pagan ritual) to the tree growing out of the catacombs to be cured of ailments.  As we approached, we saw two young men in track suits, deep in discussion, pause, kiss the tree and then continue their discussion. 

Offerings and remnants of 12th Century frescos

We walked pathways along the beach, from one end of Paphos to the other as well as along the the beach in Polis a small town we also visited just north of Pathos in the Akamas pennisula.  On either side of the town of Pathos are massive hotels (south end) or housing and hotels (north end) .  The hotel and beach condo/resorts were mostly deserted for the off season with the exception of the contingent of zombie like British pensioner couples combing the beaches, Russians using the outdoor exercise equipments and the ubiquitous cats. 

Comorants at end of pier

Polis is not as developed as Pathos, a lot of condos but not the big hotels.  The bus between Pathos and  Polis  went through winding narrow mountain roads thru small villages to the Akamas penisula where Polis is.  The villages looked like Hollywood back lots of mountain villages with the back drop of beautiful lush green fields on sloping foothills of the Troodos mountains. These towns are apparently almost as deserted as a Hollywood set after hours, natives have mainly left and the old houses are holiday homes. Polis in Greek means city, so the town of Polis is aptly named as it felt kind of like a generic Cyprus town with non-distinct small commercial area, an “authentic” 2 block tourist area (which was fairly nice, small restaurants, souvenir and clothing stores plus a 115 year old simple stone church). 

The draw here is the Baths of Aphrodite-if you bathe in it, you receive everlasting beauty, just like Aphrodite.  However, to discourage this they have stocked the pond with creepy freshwater eels-which we saw.  Everlasting beauty comes with a risk of feeling eel.  After visiting the baths, we walked up the Aphrodite Trail, apparently as she did after her bath (early Spa treatment?). 

Looking down at her beach, we thought this was Aphrodite’s rock where she was born arising out of the sea, but apparently she had her water birth (sea section?) closer to Limassol, but we took lots of pictures of this rock so didn’t want to waste it.   

But the most exciting thing was seeing the wild goats climbing trees. 

Highlights magazine: find the hidden goats

We generally have not seen many animals (other then cats). Once we saw  a handful of Comorants (see pic above) but generally just crows, pigeons, doves and of course cranes

Then we stumbled on the helmeted guinea fowl

So Paphos and surroundings delivered. From the lovely place we stayed (and added on 3 days), the great supermarket with live snails in the produce department, to the really beautiful beaches. 

We embraced and cooked local foods, enjoyed halloumi, excellent yogurt, local potatoes (supposedly different then other potatoes) and wine but not snails. 

This week's photo of a topless old man looking out window contemplating his life...
"just saw his shadow, which means another six weeks of Seasonal Affective Disorder"

Cyprus: the good, the bad and it's mostly ugly part 2

Nicosia (Lefkosia in Turkish) the capital of Cyprus is a divided city, the last divided capital in the world.  The division is marked by the  "green line" named for the color of the ink used to draw the line on the map when the boundaries were decided in 1964.  The southern half of Cyprus is “Greek” Cyprus, the northern 1/3 of the island is “Turkish” Cyprus although Turkish rule is not recognized by any country other then Turkey. Technically the Island is just Cyprus with an occupied northern territory.

The history of Cyprus appears to be as convoluted as the Balkans'. Like the Balkans, different groups have at various times lived contently together. For centuries, Turkish, just 18% of the population, and Greek Cypriots lived in  harmony throughout the island.  Most spoke some of each language.   Also like the Balkans, roots of conflict go deep, even deeper in Cyprus going all the way back to Greek mythology where the island has a significant role, Aphrodite and Adonis were born here, leading to Cyprus’s deep attachment to Greece, so deep that during modern history, Cyprus has longed for enosis- return to Greece.  

Even though Cyprus is a tiny country,  the 3rd largest island in the Mediterranean , it is  geographically significant as a gateway to the east. For centuries it has been the stopping point for merchants, crusaders and armies.  Like all areas with a long history (with documented villages dating back to 8000 BC) it has traded hands multiple times, Greeks, Alexander the Great, Byzantines, Lusignans (wow, new players- from France!) Venetians, Ottoman, British-only Napoleon seems to have been been off the Cypriot dance card.  

Like Croatia and Tel Aviv, cats everywhere, here at an ancient bath house

A bit of humor along the Green Line

With the fall of the Ottomans, Britain picked up Cyprus in 1878 but by the close of WWI it was ready to reduce it’s colonial business. Britain  suggested that Turkey get involved, Turkey was not really interested.  Greece also declined taking Cyprus in 1915.  After WW2 , there was a time of turbulence involving Great Britain, Turkey, Greece and the Cypriots themselves.  Finally, Great Britain gave Cyprus it's independence in 1960,  and the turbulence only increased.  What followed was years of political manipulation and maneuvering sponsored by Greece and Turkey;  secret police on both sides created increased hostilities, tensions and violence. Cyprus was kind of like a child who  dealing with divisive parents (Greece and Turkey-never friendly with each other) who are more intent on maintaining their divisions regardless of the damage to the child. Most of Cyprus wanted to stay aligned with the motherland Greece, but newly interested step father Turkey wanted to be involved and in control.

On July 15 1974, the Greek majority staged an unsuccessful coup to unite with Greece (Enosis).  In retaliation, Turkey invaded 5 days later.  Escalating differences resulted in thousands dying, hundreds  still missing and many thousands displaced from their homes. 180,000 Greek Cypriots were forced out of Northern Cyprus, their property confiscated, 80,000 Turkish Cypriots (many prodded by their own leaders before 1974 to move) were similarly forced to desert their lives in the south and live in camps in the north until disputes settled.  An entire city in the north, previously a Greek Cypriot dominant city Famagusta remains deserted as a ghost town fenced off and now promoted as a tourist attraction, viewable from afar on a 40 euro tour.  In an effort to bolster the Turkish population, thousands of Turks were encouraged to emigrate from Turkey to the (northern portion of the) island, so that now about 28% of the population is Turkish.

Much of the continued animosity is due to the forced relocation on both sides, with generations still hurting from loss of life and property.  There also is a strong sentiment for reunification. 

How does this division work?
For the tourist, the biggest difference is probably that there are two names for many cities- the Greek and Turkish and the currency. The south is in the EU and use the euro and the north uses the Turkish Lira.  Prices are reportedly cheaper in the north.  
The Greek side felt more economically stable with multinational shops and restaurants, cleaner streets and more parks.  Southern Cyprus has a well developed public bus system, both inside of the cities and inter-city.  The North has very few public buses rather they use a network of individually owned  small, well-worn buses that go in between cities stopping in neighborhoods along the way. 

South

North

Public landscaping on both sides included tangerine trees. There was a reason they were still full of fruit. we picked fruit from two trees and the tangerines were horrible.

Both had large numbers of monuments honoring the recent history, although the styles were very different. The most common "monument" on both sides seemed to be the possibly abandoned concrete building shell-it was usually unclear if the building was in progress or just in decay. 

Urban renewal? A nylon facade wrapped around an empty building

"Victory" when the British left (South)

Monument surrounded by abandoned empty building (North) 

You can travel between the two sides, going through a passport check then walking 15 feet and going through another passport check.   We did it several times during our week in Nicosia and it was a benign process.  There are UN guarded barriers and a DMZ  along the green line, we weren’t allowed to take pictures, here is one.  Nick was only asked twice to move along while trying to get a closer look. 

There is a slight undercurrent of tension, maybe just our imagination spurred by the occasional sighting of Turkish or Cypriot armed military, but really minimal compared to what we felt in Belfast and Jerusalem.   And, again, unfortunately (and stupidly), religion plays a role.  The north is Muslim and the south, Greek Orthodox, but from our vantage point the country feels pretty secular. We were in the south for Epiphany (January 6) and Greek Orthodox Christmas (January 7) but most stores were open and just felt like any other day. We even checked out the famous old Orthodox church St. Lazarus in Larnaca on Epiphany morning and it seemed fairly low key, but there was a police presence around it.  

In the north, it also felt pretty secular.   We heard the call to pray multiple times a day, but nothing seemed to stop or change.  There were women with head scarves or well covered up (no burkas)  but most in Western clothes and uncovered up.  Men and women walked holding hands and the coffee houses/bars were full of couples. 

Despite the Islamic ban on alcohol, plenty of bars including one in the courtyard of the largest mosque. Gambling is also illegal in other Moslem countries but not so in North Cyprus. Kyrenia (or Girne in Turkish) is kind of an mini-Las Vegas but also with an ancient fort, ottoman cemetery and beautiful coastline in addition to the multiple casinos.

St Sophia minus  exterior gargoyles, angels and saints now Selimiye Mosque

We have seen repurposing of buildings throughout our European travels.  Castles converted to shops and residences; forts, ancient buildings to government buildings.  Again, here, in Northern Cyprus repurposing is commonplace. Almost all the churches in the Turkish portion were converted  to mosques or administration buildings during the Ottoman empire, leading to fusion architecture with church steeples side by side with minarets.  
We  experienced another example of repurposing as we checked out of second accommodation in Nicosia.   We had to go into the office to pay our bill and noticed medical diplomas on the wall, paintings of pregnant women and a bookcase filled with Gynecology books.  The owner explained that this floor had been her husband’s ob/gyn office which she had converted into the hotel  This helped explained our sterile-clean, small room with the odd bed and paper sheets.