Blogs from Cyprus, Middle East - page 13

When I left Lorraine and Roxanne, I got on a bus headed for Lefkosia where I would cross over to The Turkish Republic of North Cyprus. I was very curious to see what it was like and how it differed from the Greek side. I will start by saying I preferred the Turkish side! I only stayed three days on my own, but it was so lovely and I had many chances to use my very limited Turkish. I stayed at a beautiful hotel called The Ship Inn for 30 pounds a night. This was also a British package tour kind of place, but it wasn't really noticeable. My room was beautiful and clean with AC and a balcony overlooking the pool. It was easy to catch the dolmus (mini bus) into Kyrenia to see the ... read more

SEE TEXT IN ENGLISH BELOW 3 diciembre 2011 En Chipre hacía sol, y el sol era templado. Así que no me importó esperar un rato fuera del aeropuerto a que llegara el autobús para llegar el centro ciudad, unos 7 kilómetros. Mi llegada fue un poco desconcertante, ya que me fue difícil orientarme y encontrar lo que buscaba. En primer lugar, quería ir al centro, y estuve andando en sentido opuesto durante al menos un kilómetro. Después quise encontrar el albergue juvenil que me aparecía en la guía, según la cual se encontraba en un antiguo edificio que antaño era baños turcos. Cuando lo encontré, después de dar varias vueltas, resulta que no estaba. Es decir, me esparaba encontrar un albergue juvenil dentro de los baños turcos y de hecho había una señal que así lo ... read more

As I’ve said before, traveling is a lot about firsts. Here’s the short list of my big firsts in Cyprus: It's the first time I’ve been to Cyprus, the first time I ever rented a car, (they gave me a Chevy Aveo), and the first time I got to drive on the left side of the road, like the British. Getting out of the city is a big priority for me this spring. While it was cold and snowing in Istanbul, I walked the beaches of a Mediterranean island. It wasn’t hot swimming weather, but it was sunny and warm enough to be outside all day. I found a deal on flights that left Friday afternoon and came back Sunday afternoon, for about $50 round trip. That’s all I need. It was even cheaper than my ... read more

Whilst sitting at lunch today, one which I ran to the carpark to, high heels and all (apparently this was quite entertaining for my colleague who was watching all this from the kitchen) and then sped at 80 Ks to arrive comparatively on time. So, over lunch I was discussing my working schedule which involves four long days and a short day (Remnants of the old colonial past of the island) and then whilst explaining my schedule I realized it really is a fortunate work arrangement to get an afternoon to yourself. My problem? I rarely force myself out on time to actually enjoy it. BUT, keeping in mind that I can't burn out before my Corporate Runaway, I left a minute early. Handed over notes to my colleague and punctually went from responsible professional to ... read more

KOURION There are several sites of interest for visitors around Limassol (15-30 minutes driving distance). First and foremost is the Kourion classical archeological site, one of the best-preserved and most striking remains not only of Cyprus but the Mediterranean in general. Kourion was one of the ancient city-kingdoms of Cyprus, and has remains from Mycenean, Classical Greek, Hellenistic, Roman and Early Byzantine times. ' As one approaches Kourion, one immediately notices its prominent location: on top of a mount, facing the sea, where cliffs meet a beach down below. One of the pictures shows a view from the Kourion site atop the bluff, looking westwards and south; Kourion beach can be clearly seen (not a bad beach from most accounts either). Besides its location, Kourion posseses other attributes, starting with a beautifully preserved (ahem…, well reconstructed) ... read more