Blogs from Kyrenia, Cyprus, Middle East - page 4

Amy may have been born more than 2 decades after the fall of the Berlin Wall but she got to experience some of the atmosphere from that time during our trip to north Cyprus. The island of Cyprus is split in two along the so called Green Line which divides the Turkish controlled north from the republic in the south. The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) may not be recognised by any country other than Turkey but it has existed in one form or another for more than 40 years. For many years the border was closed but over time it has become easier to cross and there are now 7 crossings between the two sides of the island. We crossed at the quiet border crossing near Kato Pyrgos in the north west of the ... read more

SEE TEXT IN ENGLISH BELOW 10-12 diciembre 2011 Kyrenia se dice en griego, pero es Girne en turco: el puerto más pintoresco y fotogénico de la isla. El viaje desde Pafos hasta Girne fue el más largo que hice en Chipre. Primero un autobús hasta Nicosia, la parte griega. A pie después por la calle Ledra, la frontera del paso de Ledra y continúa el paseo por la parte turca de Nicosia hasta el otro extremo de la parte amurallada: la puerta de Kyrenia. Muy cerca de la puerta de Kyrenia hay una parada de minibuses. En la parte turca, al contrario de la parte griega, no hay horario de transportes. Uno espera en el lugar, y cuando pasa un taxi compartido o un minibus, se para y se monta. Por suerte, el transporte público es ... read more

The 'border guards' on the Greek Cypriot side only ask what our nationality is and wave us through when we tell them. We leave the Republic of Cyprus and thus the European Union. The UN Buffer Zone is lined by some surprisingly well-maintained buildings, including a German-Cypriot Culture Club, and there are tri-lingual signs saying 'No Photography'. The Turkish Cypriot 'border guards' give us a form to fill in and check our passports. We get a stamp serving as our 90-day 'visa' for the Turkish Republic of North Cyprus (TRNC), a de facto independent state recognized only by Turkey. We enter Lefkoşa, or North Nicosia. After a bit of confusion and disorientation, we manage to navigate to Kyrenia Gate, one of the entrances to the Old City (well, the Northern part of it), where I exchange ... read more

WEDNESDAY 6 OCTOBER, 2010. Alarm set for 0615 hours. We needed to be up and back to Nicosia for 0800 hrs if we could. The Dome Hotel was obviously a very grand place in it’s day, but isn’t at it’s best just now. It has a Casino, which I would guess was pretty smart. Breakfast was from 0700 and we were down about that time. Pat had some cereal, I had some toast and coffee. While Pat was finishing breakfast I went to pay the bill, but my usual credit card wouldn't work. I used another which was OK, cost 193 YTL. Back to the room to collect our belongings. Then off. At the car park to the Hotel the gate was locked so I had to go back into the reception to get someone to ... read more