This blog is brought to you by Barry…
Here’s a test to establish if you’re an idiot while on holiday - you wake up at 7am in Cyprus, do you;
A. Roll over and go back to sleep. You’re on holiday, enjoy yourself!
B. Head outside for a 5 mile run in hot and sunny conditions.
Guess which one I chose? Terrible idea, 0/10, would not recommend. Annoyingly I can’t seem to let myself get out of the running habit even when on holiday. It is nice to get out and enjoy a run in completely different conditions and the coastal path was very pretty first thing on the morning but the novelty soon wore off with the low (and warm) sun right in my face for most of the route. I could tell I was struggling less than halfway through but managed to drag my carcass through the rest of the journey in a fairly acceptable time.
The morning’s foolishness complete I rejoined Ellie back in the room as we readied ourselves to head out of the door (via breakfast) by 9am. Breakfast was as marvellous as it had been the previous day and feeling very full we waddled down to the car. This was our road trip day with our first destination being the Cypriot capital, Nicosia. We were soon out of Paphos and on the quiet open roads through the mountains. The views were quite impressive with the blue waters of the Mediterranean to our right and dramatic hills and valleys to the left.
The drive took about an hour and 45 minutes all in with several changes in scenery. The clear mountain roads eventually gave way to the traffic and urban sprawl of Limassol. The most common billboards by far were huge images of different hostages who’d been kidnapped by Hamas in Israel. It did beg the question who was paying for these (and why) and what I, a humble motorist, was meant to do about this? Either way it certainly brought home that this conflict which had seemed so far off on the news was happening only a short distance away over the sea.
After we’d cleared Limassol we headed back into higher ground with the first real tree cover we’d seen in the country. There were some very steep climbs and being the Norfolk flatlanders that we are, our ears were popping on a regular basis. Eventually Nicosia came into view - one of the world’s last divided cities with half of the city lying in the unrecognised state of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. It only took a glance at the hills beyond the northern half of the city to tell that they believed themselves to be an entirely separate nation, as there was a huge Turkish Republic flag painted onto the landscape facing the rest of Cyprus, very much sending a clear message. As for the rest of the world, only one other country recognises them as a sovereign state (it should be fairly obvious, but if you need some clues it starts with ‘T’, shares a name with a bird often consumed for Christmas Dinner and ends in ‘urkey’).
After making our way through Nicosia’s fairly nondescript streets we parked up and made the short walk to the border crossing. Despite the strained relations between the two halves of the island the crossing process was fairly easy procedure. You first showed your passport on the Cypriot side, then walked a short distance over the ‘buffer zone’ before a separate passport check on the Turkish Republic side. Bonus points for our Turkish border guard’s incredible moustache, it was truly first rate.
The switch in scenery was quite stark as soon as we’d crossed the border. Not only did the language on the signs immediately change from Greek to Turkish but the western shopping chains we passed on the other side disappeared instantly to be replaced by cheaper wares. Sadly there also seemed to be a lot of mangy dogs wandering the streets in search of food. On the other hand, there were also many more pretty and historic buildings than we’d seen on the Cypriot half of Nicosia, including a walled market where Ellie spent some time marvelling at the locally handmade goods. This was definitely a peaceful and relaxed spot where she managed to pick up a couple of treats for herself and Christmas presents for others.
Aside from the main market and shopping area the city seemed very quiet. There were stark reminders of the troubles of the past with the walled No-Man’s Land separating the populace from their neighbours to the south, public parks surrounded by barbed wire and stern ‘No Photography’ signs, and UN guard towers. It was pretty toasty warm by this stage in the day so we didn’t head too much further from the border, eventually returning with the minimum of fuss to the Cypriot half of the city.
Once back at the car we punched in the directions for our next destination - the classic home of Brits Abroad, Ayia Napa. Our intention was to find a nice beach to sit on rather than any nights of wild clubbing debauchery, not that we’d have had much luck even if we’d have tried. Most of the town had simply closed up for the winter with most of the big restaurants and chain stores already shuttered for the season and those left open looking completely empty. It made for a more pleasant wander than it would have been at the height of summer and I quite enjoyed how all-in they’d gone with their slightly tacky Christmas decorations.
Soon enough we found a sheltered bay with a small beach which proved perfectly acceptable. The late afternoon sun was very pleasant and we both enjoyed a paddle in the sea before retiring to chill on the warm sands for an hour or so.
Eventually though the sun started to set and with a long drive back to the hotel ahead of us we headed back to the car park to begin the journey ‘home’ across the length of the island.
The drive back was fairly nondescript with not a lot to see now the sun had set, and the majority of it being on the same road. At one point Google Maps was predicting a 45 minute holdup around Limassol but this thankfully cleared by the time we passed through. We were still pretty ready for our dinner by the time we got back and after a quick turnaround we headed out to an Italian restaurant I’d spotted over the road. It was a lovely meal and the flavours must have been wild to the older group from the UK on the table behind me who were discussing their all-time favourite meals, ‘Eggs, Beans and Chips’ and ‘Sausage, Beans and Chips’ being two of the winners. Thanks for holding up those national stereotypes, guys.
And so another day is done, with lots of walking, lots of running and lots and lots of driving.
You’d almost forgive me if I hadn’t also planned a hiking day in the mountains tomorrow. Will my legs survive? Find out tomorrow!
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