Cyprus

As the cold wet and windy weather is heralding winter’s approach in Britain, I took a weeks leave to visit the warmer climes of Paphos, Cyprus with my dad and brother.

This was the first time I have ventured to this Mediterranean island, which will afford me a new pin on my world map.

A 7am flight meant it was an early start to get to the airport, but check-in and security was painless; before long we were at the bar having a customary airport beer! With a four hour flight ahead of me, I prepared by downloading the Netflix series ‘All the light we cannot see’.

Two and half episodes later the descent into Paphos began and before I knew it, we were at the hotel. After offloading the luggage into our rooms, we spent the afternoon and evening at the hotel watching the entertainment.

I even took part in a game of bingo winning €25, although I had to do a dance to receive my winnings; good job for the few beers I had earlier giving me a little Dutch courage.

The next day we had an explore of the immediate area, starting at the beach and walking along the promenade to the harbour, guarded by an Ottoman fort.

After having a gander around this old protector, we had racked up a thirst, prompting us to hunt for a cold glass of lemonade. Once our refreshing beverages were drunk, we returned to the hotel for lunch then in the afternoon walked in the opposite direction along main road.

We found the entrance to a 4th century BC necropolis, known as the ‘Tombs of the Kings’. Not wanting exhaust all the local attractions in the first couple of days, it was a plan for tomorrow.

My first time to a necropolis and for €2.50 it didn’t disappoint. The tombs had been cut into the stone with the “newer” tombs in a ‘Greek Dorian’ style, that had well preserved columns. The arid landscape above and the ancient structures below felt like a set of an Indiana Jones film.

Despite the name including royalty, no monarchs were actually laid to rest here. It was for the wealthy and important town officials.

Due to earthquakes and the erosion of time, some of the exposed rock faces looked like windswept desert canyons.

Having finished our tomb raiding, we stopped at a bar opposite the entrance for a drink. Enjoying the shady terrace watching the world go by, one of those hop on, hop off site seeing buses drove past. That was tomorrows activity sorted.

We asked the waitress about them and she had a leaflet left behind by a previous customer. They depart from the harbour hourly, perfect!

Our first stop was Paphos Old Town. The name is very deceptive, as it is very modern, with high street shops, trendy bars and ice cream parlours. I was expecting narrow winding streets lined with rustic buildings.

The oldest building we found was a former church of Ayia Sofia, that was repurposed as a mosque during the Ottoman conquest of the island.

We found a shaded square for a drink before heading back to the bus stop for the 25 min past pick up. We arrived at 24 min to see the bus heading down the road.

The next drop of would be at the archeological museum, which was a 10 minute walk. Enough time to walk there, look around the ancient artefacts and catch the next bus in an hours time.

Humans have been living on Cyprus since the Paleolithic Era, evidenced by stone bowls and flint arrowheads. It was interesting to see the evolution of technology through the ages and the progressive detail of carvings and artwork.

We took the bus back to the harbour after passing by Agioi Anargyroi church, Fabrica Hill with its cave systems and St. Paul’s Pillar. Our site seeing itinerary for the next day.

We headed to the huge church, built in a traditional Greek style giving an appearance of it being a lot older than it actually is. Disappointingly it was closed, only opening for services this time of year.

Next we went to the St. Paul’s Pillar and the ancient Basilica which is now a church for St. Paul. Around 40AD, St. Paul arrived on the island to preach Christianity. The ruling officials, tied him to a pillar and lashed him.

He did not balk and withstood the torture; because of that, the officials were impressed and allowed him to stay and preach.

On the way to Fabrica Hill, we passed a tree with bits of cloth hanging from the branches, and below there is a small shrine. This is known locally as the ‘Sacred Tree’. It is believed that if you leave a piece of cloth on a branch, you will be cured of all your Illnesses.

A short walk from the tree, we began the spelunking. A ramp leading into a cavernous chamber, with smaller ones leading off it. A huge pillar appears like a strut keeping the roof aloft.

A set of steps carved into the rear take you up to other chambers and eventually on top of the hill. A metal walkway that looks more like a water slide, gives views over Paphos.

With my lofty view, I saw a bus pass by below with ‘Coral Bay’ on the front; which sounds like it’s worth a look. Guess where we went the next day.

20min bus ride and the sandy beach of Coral Bay offered a typical tourist location. The town consisted of restaurants and bars all packed side by side. It had a “Little Britain” feel about it. After a quick paddle in the sea and lunch at a bar we hopped back on the bus to return to Paphos.

The next day was our last. We took a walk in the morning to old town, had a drink in a bar before returning to the hotel where we relaxed by the pool. Not wanting to over do it for our journey home in the morning.

The flight back was a gruelling 5 hours and I exhausted the remaining episodes to the Netflix series and almost finished a book I brought along.

Overall it was a great week in the sun, a bit of a shocker to return to the cold weather. Now I need to start thinking of my next adventure!