Since it was a sunny day there were lots of people out strolling and passing the time, including these men playing backgammon which seems to be the national pastime.
Others were enjoying a chat in the shade...
We stopped for lunch at this pizza shop where the pizzas were flying out of the oven as they were only 3 Euros each...
Nicosia is a walled city with a series of defensive walls surrounding it. The first city walls were built in the Middle Ages, but they were completely rebuilt in the mid-16th century by the Republic of Venice. The 3 miles of walls are still largely intact, and are among the best preserved Renaissance fortifications in the Eastern Mediterranean.
The new and the old...
As we were walking we saw a group of the blue bereted UN Peacekeepers who are still deployed in Cyprus.
UNFICYP was originally set up by the Security Council in 1964 to prevent further fighting between the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities. After the hostilities of 1974, the Council has mandated the Force to perform certain additional functions.
In the absence of a political settlement to the Cyprus problem, UNFICYP has remained on the island to supervise ceasefire lines, maintain a buffer zone, undertake humanitarian activities and support the good offices mission of the Secretary-General.
Here is a map that illustrates the political divisions of Cyprus.
Even though it was a hot day we decided to take a walk around the older part of the city, some interesting street art...
Lots of old doors, see the date on this one...
Old houses painted brightly
Churches on every corner...
We also passed by the Archbishop's palace which is quite grand....
Since the onset of Ottoman rule, but more especially from the mid-18th Century, the archbishops of the Cypriot Orthodox Church have wielded a great deal of political power. In fact the first President of the Republic of Cyprus in 1960 was an Archbishop Makarios III.
Outside the Art Museum...
And finally this Monument built in 1973 to honor the EOKA fighters, who fought in 1955 to 1959 against the British colonial rule, particularly those who were released from prison in 1959.
The Liberty Monument was designed to represent liberty, yet it can be considered controversial, due to various interpretations. However, there's a Cypriot national holiday, commonly called EOKA Day, on April 1. These Cypriots who fought and died for independence against the British are considered heros by the local population.
The monument is quite striking showing many Cypriots being freed from the chains of colonialism
As a lover of sculpture I really thought this was well done and showed again the tumultuous history of this country.
Since we didn't have a car and the public transit system on the island is not great our host Olga and our neighbour, Yiotis kindly offered to take us for an outing into the mountains to see the more traditional way of life. We went on a Sunday and were blessed with wonderful weather as well as great company.
The beautiful landscapes....
There were many twists and turns but Olga did a good job of manoeuvring them.
Our first stop was at the Stavrovouni Monastery which is only accessible to men so Don and Yiotis climbed the hill while we explored the little church at the bottom.
Stavrovouni Monastery is a Greek Orthodox Monastery which stands on the top of a hill of the same name. The monastery is one of the few places where one can see a piece of the Holy Cross. Stavrovouni Monastery was founded by Saint Helena (Saint Constantine's mother) in around 327-329 AD and therefore it is one of the oldest monasteries in the world. There are still monks from all over the world living there.
On our drive we passed by many small, traditional villages...
We stopped to sample some of the tasty fruits and snacks on offer...
Try a sample...
Some scenes around Lefkara..
Lots of places to stop for a cofffee...
The town was full of quiet, colourful scenes....
Stopping for a picture...
Exploring the town...
Cypriots love their monasteries so there was another stop at a Monastery which was open to the public and a very quiet, contemplative spot. I can't remember the name unfortunately but learned from our conversations with our guides how important monasteries are to their religion. Many people make pilgrimages to them and there are a lot around the island of Cyprus.
The valley below the Monastery...
Our neighbour instructing Don on the fine points of the Greek Orthodox religion...
A few more twists and turns through beautiful valleys and we came to one of the oldest villages in Cyprus
It looked to be abandoned but there were a few signs of life , again so quiet and peaceful...
The houses are built with stones...
An outdoor oven...
Gardens are so green...
The Spring trees are starting to bloom...
Beauty everywhere...
Plants growing in a hanging gourd...
Yiotis had packed us a lunch so we stopped at one of the many parks that appear all over the countryside...
Enjoying our lunch...
Being an island Cyprus abounds with fish and one of their most popular meals is the fish meze, which is basically a seemingly endless supply of food!
The starters...
Then the fish arrives...
Others we didn't know
And the weirdest was sculpin which I did not eat!
We liked our stop in Cyprus as we didn't have many expectations about the country. We found it too be more modern than traditional. We were fascinated by it's history and It's resilience. And so fortunate to have met some lovely people who were always so hospitable and kind.
And of course our walks on the beautiful beach....
Now off to Italy!
No comments:
Post a Comment