Blogs from Nicosia, Cyprus, Middle East

Am gestrigen Tag verließ ich nach dem Frühstück mein Hotel in Pafos und fuhr mit dem Taxi zum Busbahnhof. Dort erwischte ich ohne Probleme den Bus nach Nikosia und wurde zum ersten Mal auf der Insel aufgefordert, eine Maske zu tragen. Dort angekommen lief ich die bekannte Ledra Straße bis zum Starbucks, wo ich erst einmal eine Pause einlegte. Danach ging es weiter zum gleichnamigen Grenzübergang in der Altstadt und ich betrat nordzypriotischen Boden. Also man kann jetzt darüber streiten, ob man das als weiteres Land meiner Reisehistorie ansieht oder nicht. An einem Geldautomaten besorgte ich mir Türkische Lira, die ich für den Bus nach Famagusta und vielleicht die Fahrt nach Salamis brauchen werde. Nachdem ich auch den nördlichen Teil der Altstadt durchquert hatte - diese wird von Mauern und einem breiten Graben umgeben - setzte ... read more

Sorry about the technical difficulties with the last blog. I panicked when I realised that I was seeing & doing so much that the blog would go on forever and I would never get to the end so I decided to split it and post one straight away. Hence the chaos! I intend to stay calm and try harder this time, let’s see if that happens. The first 3 pictures are of Kakapetria in the Troodos region which should have been in the last blog. I called the last blog Complex and Surprising Cyprus. Complex because of the history, ancient and modern which has resulted in a divided island and surprising because although small it has a mix of areas ranging from traditional villages, towns, tourist resorts, cities, forests, mountains, gorges, beaches, and ‘alpine’ type villages ... read more

Today's I want to tell you about the village, where the houses are older than some countries. FIkardou is a small beautiful village located about 40 km southwest of Nicosia (Cyprus). Kalo Chorio and Lazanias are two traditional villages located in the neighborhood. FIkardou was declared an ancient monument and carefully restored to preserve the 18th century houses with their remarkable woodwork. My very first impression ofFikardou was that feeling of calmness, peace, tranquility this village creates. There were untold stories behind those old locked doors of abandoned houses. Beautiful flowers, breathtaking views of blossoming almond trees and the untroubled surroundings made you want to stay there forever. It is believed that the name of the village was originated from the greek "figa andron" (den of fugitives) from the fugitives who were recruited by two main ... read more

July 14, 2015 – Today I got up around 7am and started to get ready for the day. I had to repack and have breakfast, and then I walked back to the beach, where I could get the intercity bus to Nicosia, the capital. The bus left at 9am and I arrived around 8:40. The bus takes 45 minutes in theory, but with traffic, we arrived sometime around 10:20. I took a city bus towards the apartment I rented, and then had to look a bit for the right street. The woman showed me the studio – it is quite small, but had everything I needed. And by everything, I mean air conditioning. Nicosia is not on the coast, and is even hotter, at 100 degrees. The a/c will help a lot. Here, it also takes ... read more