The Med Sea shore on the West coast

Martin and Nathaniel playing music

Disheveled houses in charming Neo Chorio

Hiking the Akamas Peninsula

Aphrodite’s Rock, where it is said she was born out of the foam of the Sea

Great grafiti scene in Limosol

A patio scene in Old Town Nicosia

The view from our AirBnB in Neo Chorio. In the mornings you could hear goats grazing across on the hillside- they all had bells around their necks.

Killing time as we wait to go to the airport- enjoying a sunset on the south coast of the Mediterranean Sea, outside Larnaca

A day’s olive harvest- they are in the sacks and the crates

Grafiti scene in Limosol

The shore of the Akamas Peninsula

I spotted these wooden shoes outside a mosque in Lefcosia. There were a few pairs of them waiting for their owners to return from the mosque. I would not want to wear them- they are literally flat as a board!

Troodos Mountains

Enjoying meze and wine

Drafts! At Aphrodite’s Rock Brewery

Enjoying a beer at the top of the mountain we had hiked in the Akamas Peninsula

Large ships coming into shore in Limosol

An amazing mosaic image in the Kourion, Roman ruins

Martin in a legit wine cellar- they store the wine in the little holes on the sides

Ancient Roman ruins at the Kourion, near Pafos

The old fashioned method of making olive oil

Old Town, Nicosia

Enjoying Turkish coffee across the border in Lefcosia, Turkish Cyprus

Giant Aloe plant

This is the largest fried fish I have ever enjoyed, at the Aphrodite’s Rock Brewery

The water of the Sea was warm! Behind me in the background is Aphrodite’s Rock.

Stacey and Martin in the Akamas Peninsula

We were lucky to enjoy this sunset while driving through the Troodos Mountains

These water spigots are found on the roadsides across Cyprus

Me in an ancient oak tree

The coast of the Mediterranean Sea, hiking in the Akamas Peninsula

The first week of November was my school’s mid-term break. It was a week long, so Martin and I took the opportunity to get out of the bustling city of Cairo and fly to the island of Cyprus. It was just the release we needed. We needed to get ourselves out to a place where we could feel refreshed.

This was the ideal place. Before moving to Egypt, I had not even heard of Cyprus. It is a common place for expats to visit from Egypt for a quick get-away. Cyprus is a fairly small island between Turkey and Syria in the Mediterranean Sea. The upper part of the island is Turkish, and the lower part is the Republic of Cyprus. They speak Greek on the lower half. The flight was short- just over an hour, and they fed us a whole meal on the flight! Once we landed, we rented a car and our adventures began.

It was nice to have the freedom that one has when driving (though granted it was Martin driving because I was nervous that the steering wheel was on the opposite side than what I am used to). It’s a bit freeing and I feel like I can go anywhere. If you ever get to Cyprus, I encourage you to rent a car because there are so many little hidden spots that you will never see from the bus.

I will give you some quick highlights of things that I learned in Cyprus:

1. I like olives. It makes me laugh to write this. I have never hated olives, but I’ve only ever eaten olives out of a can. In Cyprus, they are fresh as can be. There are olive trees everywhere, and olives are served everywhere. We ate them for breakfast, they were served when we ordered coffee, or in the evening when we ordered beer. And they are all home-made, doused in olive oil, spices, and sometimes lemon juice. Mmmm. So good!
2. When traveling, I prefer to stay off the beaten path. AirBnB is a great option for this. While in Nicosia, the capital, we stayed in a room in a Mansion. Wow were we impressed- the place was nice, yes, but the real treat was in the hosts. They are a wonderful couple who love to cook a large breakfast and share stories and have sweet pets. (Have I mentioned that breakfast is my favorite meal?!) We spent our mornings relaxing leisurely with other wayward visitors at the breakfast table. It’s so fun to share stories and hear about other people’s travels and interesting lives that happened to bring us all into the same room on the same day for breakfast. This mansion is a short walk to the heart of the old walled city. While in Neo Chorio, which is on the western side of the island and doesn’t even show up on all the maps, we stayed in a restored, charming house from the 1300s. The view from our patio was amazing. We could see the Mediterranean and mountains in the distance. While here, we were also greeted by amazing hosts who we ended up sharing music and stories with throughout our stay. While in Limosol, which is a larger city on the south coast, we found an apartment to rent in the heart of the old city. We love to be around the locals and experience the true culture of the area, rather than the one that’s all packaged for the tourists.
3. You are never too old to climb a tree. During our hike on the Akamas Peninsula by Neo Chorio, we came upon an ancient oak tree. It was huge, and had the perfect bends and curves in its limbs for climbing. We were told by a man there that it is a talking tree. You are to ask it a question, and sit in the tree until you have come to your answer. It felt good and peaceful to be up high in a tree with my feet dangling down.
4. Aprhodite was a smart woman. Legend has it that the goddess Aphrodite was born into her human form on the shores of Cyprus. There are sites where she was claimed to have taken many lovers. I don’t blame her. It is a beautiful and magical place.
5. The ancient Greeks and Romans were brilliant. The Kourion is amazing. There is a huge amphitheater and ruins of an old palace and community. You can still see remnants of beautiful mosaic tiling in the floor. They also pick the best sites with the best views! The Kourion is seated high on a cliff over-looking the Mediterranean Sea.
6. A capital city split between two countries is a neat (and rare) thing. Nicosia is the capital of the Republic of Cyprus. While there, you can cross over the border into the Turkish side of Cyprus and you are still in the same city (though in the north they call it Lefcosia). The whole vibe was different between the two sides. Even the culture is different. And these people live so close to each other, yet share so many different traditions, customs, foods, etc. I recommend spending time on both sides of Cyprus. I look forward to doing more in the north on a future visit.
7. Being in the fresh outdoors rejuvenates me and is good for my soul. I really enjoyed Cyprus. It reminded me a lot of home, which in the US for me is originally Wisconsin, and recently Colorado. In Cyprus we hiked, we drove through narrow mountain roads, and we swam. It’s so freeing to be in a big body of water. When I float with the waves in a large body of water, it makes me feel like I’m part of a bigger whole.
8. I enjoy good food and good drink! A popular food choice in Cyprus is meze- essentially it is a large variety of foods on small plates- cold salads, dips, sausages, soups, breads, etc. When we ordered meze, it was like the plates never stopped arriving on our table. It was amazing. Enjoyed with a carafe of wine, and it was even better! We were lucky on our trip too to stop at a winery and also a brewery. Coming from Egypt, where the local drinks are poor in quality to say the least, this was a huge treat.
9. A highlight for me when traveling is meeting new people. There are fascinating people all over the world. We were fortunate to meet many while on this trip. We met Cassy, who is staying at the mansion for an extended time while doing archaeological restoration on an ancient ship that was found off the shore of Cyprus. We met Susan, who is a retired woman who wanted to travel off the beaten path. We met Peter who enjoys solo travel for his holidays. We met an older retired German couple who swam in the cold Mediterranean Sea every morning. We met Gilly and Anthony who made the best breakfasts. We met Elena who shared her family history with us and I was lucky to try out her aunt’s restored loom. We met wonderful hosts who would do anything and everything to make our stays comfortable and easy. It is so fascinating to hear people’s stories. It is amazing that regardless of language barriers or past experiences, we are all curious humans interested in the same island gem of Cyprus.

If you want a more detailed account of our trip, check out Martin’s blog at http://martintheblog.blogspot.com.eg/