Famagusta

By bus from Kyrenia, the ancient town of Famagusta is about a 75-minute ride to the east coast. It was quite hot here during our visit, but not as humid as it was in Kyrenia. We spent an enjoyable evening exploring the ruins of the Old Town and walking along the top of the Venetian wall which surrounds it. Of particular interest was the Mustafa Pasha Mosque, which was formerly the Cathedral of Saint Nicholas. After the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974, many of the churches were converted into mosques. In the above photo, you can see the minaret that was added to the church. Also, all images of human form were removed, all frescoes were covered in plaster, the altars and statues were destroyed, and, to complete the conversion, the floor was covered with a carpet.

Northern Cyprus

The photo at the top was taken from the inside of the mini-bus, going from the capital, Lefkosia, to Kyrenia (Girne) in northern Cyprus. The upper one-third of Cyprus is controlled by the Turkish Cypriots and Kyrenia is the major town on the northern coast. Here it was hotter, less expensive, and somewhat less developed than the Greek Cypriot regions on the southern part of the island. After lugging our snorkel gear around for about a week, we found a fairly good place to snorkel off the coast, not far from Kyrenia.

A Divided Island

The top photo was taken on the bus from the mountain town of Platres to Lefkosia, the capital of Cyprus. In 1974 the Turkish army invaded, taking over the northern third of the island, and since that time Lefkosia has been a divided city, with the Turkish Cypriots in the north and the Greek Cypriots in the south. In 2009, a surprise decision came from the Turkish side, suddenly permitting crossings, the first in 29 years. It's estimated that approximately 35% of the entire population of Cyprus crossed over the "Green Line" in Lefkosia during the first several weeks.

Street Art

The capital of Cyprus, Lefkosia, is a wonderful city for wandering around on foot. In addition to the many cafes, restaurants, museums, and shops, and the soldiers, wall, and barbed wire that divides the Greek and Turkish sides of the city, there's also an inordinate amount of graffiti. In the summer many of the residents have fled to the cooler beach or mountain regions so the city's not very crowded. Since 2009, crossings are allowed between the Greek and Turkish Cypriot sides. It only takes a few minutes crossing the border as all that is required is a quick passport check, and it's fascinating to spend a couple of days going back and forth exploring both sides of the last divided city in the world.

Cyprus Hill Station

Summers are extremely hot in Cyprus so many people head for the beautiful beaches or up into the central highlands around Mount Olympus. Our 10-day plan is to mix it up with a few days on the beach, some time in the mountains, several days in the capital city of Lefkosia, then across the border to northern beaches on the Turkish side of the island. The above photos were taken in and around the mountain town of Platres in central Cyprus, where many Cypriots go to hike, dine out, and enjoy the carnival-like atmosphere and cool mountain air. While hiking on a mountain trail several hours outside of town one morning we came across some Russian musicians with masks making a film in the woods.

Larnaca Beach

The Howling Man

In addition to a beautiful beach, Larnaca has many shops, cafes, bars, and restaurants. I took the above pictures at the Pierides archaeological museum in downtown Larnaca. The one at the top is a photo of the famous Howling Man statue (5500 B.C.). Though no one is sure what the purpose was, water can be poured into the top of the statue’s head and it will come out of the penis.

Gulf Air Offers Free Hydration Service

When we landed in Bahrain, what appeared to be smoke or steam or some sort of chemical began pouring out of the upper areas near the baggage compartments, quickly fogging up the entire inside of the plane. Dawn thought that it was some sort of pesticide or herbicide because we’ve been on flights where just before takeoff the attendants walk the aisle spraying the stuff into all the baggage compartments (to our chagrin). When we were getting off the plane in Manama I asked one of the attendants about the sudden fog and he said it wasn’t any sort of chemical spray but simply excess moisture due to it being so much hotter outside than inside the plane.

On to Cyprus

No more traveling alone for now. After a couple of weeks in Abu Dhabi, I’ve left for Cyprus with my wife. The journey went very well. We left on a one-hour early morning flight for Manama, Bahrain, and from there a 3-hour flight to Larnaca, Cyprus. (By the way, those aren’t real men in that wooden boat at Manama Airport).