In 1974, there was a military coup in Cyprus, and Turkey occupied the northern part of the island. In 2004, Cyprus became a member of the European Union. Although the northern part is still held by Turkey, negotiations are underway to try to resolve that. We did not travel to the Northern part!!!
We landed in Larnaka and then drove about 2 hours to Paphos. Larnaka is the seat of Christianity from its earliest years. It's the second home of Jesus' friend Lazarus. The Greeks settled the town in the 13th century BC, and the Phoenicians lived there from the 9th century BC. It's also the home of one of Islam's holiest places, the Hala Sultan Tekkesi Mosque, built in 648 AD. It is definitely a mixture of churches, mosques, monasteries. You almost can't turn a corner without seeing one!
The weather in Cyprus has been BEAUTIFUL! We've seen so many gorgeous landscapes. The contrast between the water and the sky has been breath-taking, and the sunsets just get better each day!
One of the funniest things that happened this week was watching Heather try to get in on the wrong side of the car when we went to get it at the car rental agency. She was "elected" to be the first driver, and cheerfully grabbed the keys and then opened the door on the left side of the car....oops!
Not only do they drive on the opposite side of the road here, but the steering wheel is on the RIGHT side of the car! Ha-ha! We had a good belly laugh on that one! The trip to our condo was a bit harrowing, due to the fact that she was a little uneasy about the driving and we had NO navigation system, and could not read any of the road signs.....hmmmmm....but we were told there were only 2 main roads on the island, so we shouldn't have any trouble. Well, we finally found the place--right before dark--thank goodness!
After that, the driving got easier each day. I drove one time, but I got sick right after we got here, and between that and the medication, my brain had a really hard time remembering to stay on the left. After one close call at the grocery store, nobody really asked me to drive again. Kim scared us REALLY bad the first time he drove, but then he got better too.
We've been staying in Paphos, which is on the southwestern part of the island. There are some great sea caves in the area.
There was also a rock memorial on the beach near us. People just write the names of their loved ones who have passed away on rocks and lay them at this memorial.
One day while we were walking there, a donkey came running across the field and "visited" the memorial. Then, some men came running after him, telling us he was dangerous. He started chasing us. Scary! A few days later he bit one woman who was in his way!
We thoroughly enjoyed the food---AND being able to sit outside to eat in the pleasant weather!
One day we went to Lemesos (2nd largest city on the island). It's the main port and the center of Cyprus' wine industry. We toured the Kourion Archaeological site. There is a breathtaking 2nd century BC Greco-Roman theater where they still have performances. Among the other excavations are a private villa and an early Christian basilica from the 5th century AD. There was also a "House of Achilles" and a "House of the Gladiators" which had mosaic floors.
We also toured the Sanctuary of Apollon Ylatis (god of the woodland and protector of Kourion). He was worshipped here from the 8th century BC to 4th century AD. At the ruins we saw Apollo's temple, the palaistra, and a holy precinct. Got one really great shot of the moon through the columns.
We saw the Kourion stadium which is where they say ancient pentathlon events took place.
Paphos was the capital of Cyprus for a long time. It is near Paphos that Aphrodite is said to have risen. There is a medieval Byzantine fort at the port to protect the harbor. This fort was rebuilt by the Ottomans in the 16th century when they conquered the island.
Paphos was listed in the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1980, which has helped to protect the remains, but it is amazing that you can walk all over and around the remains.
So many excavations have unearthed beautiful mosaics with the tiniest little squares. The first house to be discovered, the "House of Dionysus" was accidentally discovered by a farmer in 1962.
The "Tombs of the Kings" were carved out of solid rock in 3rd century BC. We walked all through this area, which overlooks the Mediterranean.
Petra Tou Romiou means "the Rock of the Greek." This is where the hero Digenis Akritas is said to have protected the area from Saracen Arabs by heaving a huge rock and tossing it into the sea to prevent them from landing. The rock still remains and is called the "Birthplace of Aphrodite." It is one of the most beautiful coastlines we drove along. Here is a picture looking down on the rock.
After all the gorgeous weather we had for the week, a terrific storm came in on our last day. We enjoyed watching the storm all that day and night out over the water. Then, after it cleared, we went riding along the shore and discovered a ship that had been thrown up on the rocks near us. The waves were still crazy!!
Then, we headed home for Christmas Day! We will head to Jordan next for some more history.....
Abu Dhabi Time