We had the pleasure of having some family come to visit us here in Cyprus: my brother Norm and his wife Laurie, and her parents Wayne and Gladys. They made a long journey here for just a one-week visit. It was like Christmas all over for us here.
Upon their arrival it reminded me of my first week here. My brother was laughing at me driving on the wrong side of the road, but he immediately knew he did not want to have anything to do with driving in Cyprus, and he had not even been to the city yet! Maybe we drive on the wrong side at home and this is the correct side? I am not sure. Wayne offered to drive but Norm would not have anything to do with that idea!
We started out slow with some sights in Limassol. Norm and family were staying in a town called Erimi; Wayne and Gladys had a timeshare here, not far from the Kolossi Castle that dates back to 1210 AD, destroyed and rebuilt in 1450. It has a lot of history around it. What is great is that you can tour the castle freely – at your own risk, of course – and are able to go all the way to the top. It has a very narrow spiral staircase leading there. It’s not hard to imagine the knights in armor milling around the castle.
The next day, we headed for Larnaka. It is a good time of year to see the pink flamingos in the salt lakes as they make this their winter home. We got a good view of them up close. Along the lake we stopped to see a mosque, Hala Sultan Tekke. According to legend, Muhammad’s paternal aunt, accompanying her husband on an Arab raid of Cyprus in 649, was attacked by Byzantine forces there. She fell from her mule and broke her neck and was buried on the spot. The mosque grew up around her grave and is considered one of the holiest spots of Islam.
While in Larnaka, we visited the Larnaka Castle, another great site located on the seafront, complete with some old cannons. After lunch we went to the Church of Lazarus, It was absolutely beautiful inside. I wish I could have taken some pictures but settled for a small history book instead. St. Lazarus is known as “The Friend of Christ” who after being dead for four days in the tomb, was raised by Jesus. There is an amazing story and history around Larnaka.
We rested for a day, at least some of us did – a couple of us passed a flu bug around. We moved on to Pafos for some more great sights. We had some friends from Pafos, Angelo and Patty, give us the tour. Down on the seafront was the Pafos Castle. The reworked western tower we saw is of a much larger Lusignan castle dating from 1391. Too much history to write about.
We wandered into town a little further and enjoyed some beautiful mosaics. Most of these were discovered in 1962 and the ruins are believed to have belonged to families of great wealth, dating back to the mid-Roman period. The mosaics we toured were in what is called The House of Dionysos (Bacchus), the god of wine, who was featured in many of them. There was so much to see in this area including the castle of “Saranta Kolones,” built in the last three decades of the 7th century AD to protect the harbor and town of Pafos.
Gina toured with the group to the Tombs of the Kings, also the Ayia Solomoni catacombs and Cyprus’ most famous monastery of Saint Neophytos where the frescos are spectacular! St. Neophytos was a hermit, born in 1113 and died in 1214. His cell was cut in rock on the mountain slope near the monastery, which was built later. Inside the church are the bones and cranium of St. Neophytos.
We finished the week off with a trip to Nicosia. Everybody enjoyed the Archaeological Museum that had some items dating back to 2100 BC. We wandered through the streets of the old town and down to the border looking at the Turkish side of the island. There has been a lot of tension with this particular area as they are trying to open up a new crossing. All was calm on this day, but there were some protests in the following days.
On our way home we stopped in the village of Leftkara. It is well renowned for its lace work, referred to as Leftkaritica. There is some beautiful work; for centuries the craft has been inherited from generation to generation. Leonardo Da Vinci brought the lace cover that’s on the Holy Alter in Milan Cathedral when he visited in 1481. It gives you the true feeling of being in a village when you stroll down the narrow streets. We concluded the visit with an easy day in Limassol, walking through the old town and did some last bits of shopping. All of the old towns in each city have a unique atmosphere. Everyone enjoyed the bakeries here and their delightful assortment of goodies from baklava to spinach pies. Last stop was the flea market in Pissouri for some souvenirs.
We really have seen wonderful sights during our stay here in Cyprus and made some great friends. I would like to thank all the readers who took interest in our adventure.
