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The Delights of Cyprus
Need an editable PowerPoint map of Europe "One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things." –Henry Miller Cyprus is a beautiful place unfathomable in mere thoughts. It is also a destination that every traveller needs to visit at least once in a lifetime. This little country houses some of the most dazzling landscapes, to-die-for beaches and exotic wines all within its rugged borders. To add to this, a cool Mediterranean climate all year round, sumptuous cuisine, vibrant nightlife and friendly people make Cyprus very inviting. I travelled to Cyprus in the month of August with my partner and this was a good time to be there, since we were in time for the world famous wine festival of Limassol. This festival is a way of pleasing the Greek God of wine- Dionysus and the goddess of beauty-Aphrodite. It is held every year in Limassol, the home for the best wine in all of Cyprus. It is not surprising that every home here seems to make a living out of wine in some form or the other. The international airport in Limassol is small but well connected. We stayed in a hotel along the Miramare Beach, a popular spot with tourists due to its proximity to the town centre where all the wine festivities take place. We rested all through our first day here, lazing along the beach and soaking up the sun. Towards the evening, the party fever began along the streets, with the crowd gathering around the town centre and the central beach park. The whole town was lit up and the locals had put up pretty stalls all across the city offering free wine to all. Soft dim lights with the effervescent fragrance of fresh wine! Fantastic! We happily savoured all the varieties available, but the Cypriot wine, locally known as ‘Commandaria’ was my favourite. It is the most popular wine here, known for its sweet but luscious flavour. Apparently, it is also the oldest wine in the world, dating back to the 12th century. The celebrations go on until late night and the local youngsters seem to come out of hiding in the night. Coffee culture is big in Cyprus and all the coffee shops seemed to do more business than restaurants! We savoured the local fare known as ‘meze,' which is a mini meal course consisting of several ‘mezethes’ or items which may be salads, appetizers or main dishes. It is a heavy meal but goes down well with wine. We then retired for the night since our sightseeing trip began the next day. The day started with a trip to Nicosia, the capital of Cyprus. Also known as Lefcosia, this city, like any other capital city, is the most metropolitan of Cyprus's cities. It is steeped in history and we started our tour with the handicrafts bazaar where all the local artisans displayed their work ranging from pottery, lace work and metal art to honey-based products. The honey is quite fresh and is worth a buy. We then moved on to the Archaeological Museum, which is very well-maintained and gives a detailed insight into the history of Cyprus. There are numerous museums in Cyprus but this one has it all. The Faneromoni church close by is worth a visit as well. In the vicinity is the statue of the Archbishop Makarious, an important figure in the history of Cyprus, who is said to have led Cyprus's struggle against the British. Old ruins dot the city and it is best visited via a taxi or by renting a bike. The last stop for the day is Ledra Street, which leads you to the border famously dividing Cyprus into two parts –the Turkish Cypriot part and the Greek Cypriot part. This division came into existence sometime in the 1950’s due to riots between the two factions. But it was in 1974, when the Turkish troops invaded Cyprus and drove the Greek Cypriots away from their home that the world took notice of the atrocities of war. Right now, there is no thoroughfare between the two areas and it is said that there are numerous refugees of both groups on either side. There is an interesting watch tower on the street with telescopes, showing us a glimpse of the Turkish side of the divide. Also, there is a booming marketplace in this area where you can purchase some knick-knacks to take back home. Back at the hotel, we rested for a while, and then ventured around the Limassol town by bus. This is a cheap but effective way of getting around here. We shopped a bit, mainly for wine, honey and Turkish sweets. The locals were friendly and even knew about Amitabh Bacchhan!! (How famous could this man get?) It was finally time to call it a day. The next morning we set out to explore Paphos or the old town. We saw several wineries on the way, KEO being one of them. This is by far the most scenic and beautiful drive of Cyprus. Deep blue waters run all along the path from Limassol to Paphos and it is a sight I will treasure forever. My camera was working in super fast mode all along the way, with each click churning out a postcard in itself. We then reached the ruins of Kurrium which had an intriguing old Cypriot home restored in its earlier form, as well as a Greek –Roman open theatre in the neighbourhood. The majestic Mediterranean Sea cloaked the site in blue and the sparkling waters did justice to the beauty of the historical ruins. From here, we moved on to the famous ‘Tombs of the Kings’ site. Solid underground pillars stood in what seemed like an old castle which had been buried. They are actually tombs of some senior officials but the magnificence gives the place its name. From here, we travelled to the place I had been longing to see— ‘Aphrodite’s Rock’—the visual that Cyprus is most often associated with. This is said to be the birthplace of Aphrodite (goddess of beauty and love) and rumour has it that if you swim around this rock at night, you will be fertile and lucky all your life. This is indeed the most picturesque spot in Cyprus. From here, we moved on to the Paphos harbour for lunch. It is like any port if not prettier with white boats and ships lining the coast uniformly. Many folks choose to get married in these cruises and we witnessed one such celebration as well. From here, we travelled back to Limassol, where we explored the city streets a little more. We found our good old Bata shoe store here as well and it reminded us of good old India. A trip to the Troodos Mountains was on our itinerary the next day and we hired a local taxi to take us there. It gets quite chilly moving away from the warm beaches to the winding mountains. It is better to dress in warm clothing when travelling here. We missed the snow, which falls around winter time but the clear blue skies and the view of the pine forests compensated for it. Most locals come here for their summer vacation and ski the slopes in the winter. Along the way, we passed the Troodios Monastery, which is not open to the public and then we visited the world-renowned Kykkos Monastery. The interiors of the main church hall housing the famous Virgin Mary icon, is something that we had read of in childhood fables. It is reminiscent of an ancient castle bedecked with gold crystals lamps, chandeliers and intricate carvings. Lovely frescos line the walls of the monastery and herein lies a quiet peace that we so crave for in our normal lives. I captured this silence in my thoughts and the memory of the place to this day brings a sense of calmness to me. On our journey back, we stopped to shop for cheap but authentic local wine, fresh peaches and groundnut sweets. Back in Limassol, we checked out and left for Larnaca by car. This drive wasn’t as scenic as the other, but with no traffic, it was smooth and we reached Larnaca in four hours. Larnaca is a small city compared to Limassol and there is nothing much to do here; if, like us, you want some peace after a hectic tour, this is the place to be in. We enjoyed the events arranged by the hotel that night and savoured the local fare once more. Our last day in Cyprus proved to be the most relaxing and we decided against travelling to Ayia Napa, which is supposedly the party destination in all of Cyprus. We instead revelled in the Cypriot weather and did nothing but chill out by the pool, reading and snoozing. In the evening, we walked a short distance from our hotel and had food at an Indian restaurant which was quite deserted and understandably so, since most people around here do not prefer spicy fare like us. The following day was our return back home and we did so with heavy hearts and wonderful memories of a lovely place. Tolkien said "All that is gold does not glitter, not all those who wander are lost." This quote just about sums up my travel to wonderful Cyprus.
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