Cyprus

CYPRUS

Cyprus,   the birthplace of Afroditi (Venus).  At the site which is known as Petra to Romiou, or Rock of Afroditi, there are several rocks protruding from the sea.  As the sea swell rises and falls, the rocks look like human heads rising up out of the water.  It is easy to see how they can be mistaken for the human form rising from the deep, especially as this coast is often shrouded in  mist in the mornings.  On the top of a cliff, overlooking the rocks, is an ancient temple to the goddess.  She was the goddess of  love and fertility.  Legend has it that barren women came to the temple to ask the goddess for a child.  They were told that to appease the goddess, they would have to sleep with the first passing male they saw.  Many of these women had their prayers answered…..

The western side of the island, where we spent most of our time reminds one of great antiquity.  The rock is a rich cream colour, the same colour as the many ruins that one sees throughout the island.  Added to this, due to the lack of summer rains, is dry grass, only a shade darker than the rock.  Interspersed throughout this are green shrubs and squat trees, forming an intricate jig-saw of cream and green.   Many Pafos mountain villages have been built with this stone and still exude the charm of an earlier age.

In contrast, deep gorges and valleys abound in the Troodos Mountains which are covered in pine forest.  Here, the cooler pine-scented mountain air is a delightful contrast to the heat and humidity we found on the coast.  This is also home to the Cyprus mouflon or agrino, one of the two ancestors of the present day sheep. They were introduced to Cyprus during Neolithic times and gradually evolved into a subspecies which is now only found on Cyprus.  A few of them still survive in the mountain forests and are vigorously protected.

Many Medieval churches and monasteries were built in this area.  They abound with beautiful frescoes and icons.  

The monks carried on the ancient tradition of wine-making, which goes back 5,500 years in Cyprus and one can see the oldest wine-making site of the region at Chrysorrogiatissa Monastery.   The sweet tasting Commandaria wine,  made from dried grapes since 800 BC and still obtainable today, was a favorite drink for the medieval crusaders. They toasted Richard the Lionheart with it when he was married in Lemesos in 1191.  Richard declared that this was “the wine of  kings and the king of wines.”  This wine has the distinction of being the world’s oldest named wine still in production today.

Evidence of many other invaders abound, such as the rich 3^rd century AD mosaics of several Roman villas, the Pafos harbour built by the Phoenicians and the small fort at its entrance built by the Lusignans kings and later modified by the Ottomans as well as the nearby  3^rd century BC tombs, the Tombs of the Kings.

We visited Lefkosia (Nikosia), the capital and saw the “Green Line”.  This is a gross misnomer.  “Green Line”  sounds like a pleasant area of parkland, but sadly, it is the dividing line between the Turkish occupied northern half of Cyprus and the southern Republic of Cyprus.  It is sad to think that in 41 years a solution has not been reached for the island to be reunified, so the city remains divided, both by the ancient Venetian walls which were held during the invasion and by the barbed wire along them……

The city has many lovely old buildings and churches, some very old, with beautiful frescoes and icons. We saw one icon which was 1,200 years old.  

Between our marina at St. Raphael and the town of Lemesos (Limassol)  is the ancient city of Amathounda.  The site is very large and much of it still needs to be excavated. It is very beautiful to pass by at night and see the lit remains of the ancient temple.

Lemesos is situated in a very large bay. The waterfront has been beautified over the last few years with treed parkland, complete with a walkway/bike track and many beach tavernas running for many miles along the waterfront.   We ate at some excellent restaurants while there, serving ‘fusion’ Greek meals.

For us, the highlight of our trip to Cyprus was meeting up with cousins who we do not see often.  We spent much of our time eating, drinking and being merry!