Everyday is a Holiday
I was wondering about the flags:
The white and red flag of the Turkish Republic of Cyprus (TRNC) is a reverse mirror of the colours and design of the flag of Turkey. The North Cyprus flag dates from 1984 after the TRNC was declared in 1983. The flag as a white background with the star and moon in red – and a red stripe at the top and bottom.
Northern Cyprus:
Turkish Flag:
The Southern Cyprus flag is different, white stipe is for peace, orange for copper, green for olives.
That’s how long it takes for me to relax. I finally feel like I am on vacation. I woke up very early again and watched some Netflix. Way too many episode of Pact of Silence. I hated my last hotel and everything about it. I had to check out and I just said the hotel wasn’t my cup of tea and left it at that.
Drove to the nearby Tombs of the Kings. No kings here but high officials of the 3rd and 4th centuries BC. Kinda cool but once you’ve seen a couple….
Parked the car and loaded my back pack, got directions and walked to the Holy Cross Catholic Church. It sits on the buffer zone. They solved their problem by keeping the back doors which are on Turkish territory locked, since 1974!
I read somewhere that over 50 nationalities come here to pray! Wow
So then I started walking back towards my hotel. I was just a bit intimidated. I kept my bitch face on and no problems, but I was lost and no internet map. I kind knew what direction so I walked til I found a nice looking restaurant. Table for one. Yes drinks and lunch. Awesome food and nice people and just a few blocks from my hotel. Just happened to be one of the best restaurants in the city. Btw the city is divided North and South and also has two completely different names Lefkosia and Nicosia. The GPS says the streets in Greek, so I have no clue and there very few street signs with the names of the streets on them. The GPS took me very close to the hotel, but not quite. I parked the car and paid for parking and started walking the wrong direction and figured that out pretty quickly and found the hotel. Just one of the challenges of traveling
Great food finally!!
I have new directions to the hotel. Time for a swim!
After a quick buffet breakfast, not my favorite thing, I got in the car and drove West. I wasn’t sure if my GPS would work, but I had the whole day. I drove though the country side and over the mountains. There were beautiful views but a camera would not have captured the beauty. The ground is dark and very fertile looking. The vegetation is dark green. Further to the East the ground was much lighter. It’s beautiful but not golden like Italy.
I was planning to go to Polis. My guidebook described a waterfront that was spectacular. I never did find it. There was some construction along the way with detours that almost told me which way to go. I hate that the GPS gets so confused when you get off the route. It kept saying, go right, go left, make a u turn all within seconds. I figured it out. When I got to the fork in the road I decided to go to Aphrodites bath. Apparently she bathed in the pools here.
I drive to Polis, never found the harbor so I headed back to Pafos. I needed to get in the Mediterranean.
Time for the beach that was part of the reason for staying at this 5 star hotel. Some of their stars need to be removed.
I did dip a toe in, it was too cold, but amazing blues and greens.
I did a lot of reading today and was too tired to get out of the hotel for dinner so I ate in the lounge. This hotel caters the the all-inclusive crowd so their other offerings for other food are not great. Many restrictions, for food, for drinks, the gym opens at 10am, pool closes at 7pm. Too many rules for me!!!
These prawns look so much better than they tasted!
I have decided to leave two days early. So off I go to South Nicosia to the Cleopatra Hotel. This is the last divided city in the world, Turkish in the North and Greek in the South. There is a buffer zone and gates between. It will be fascinating. It’s about a two and a half hour drive but I have some spots to stop on the way!
Waiting out a sudden squall in a cafe. It started as a couple of raindrops and continued to a downpour. Amazing to see the servers here shoo everyone inside, grab the cushions and placemats and salt and pepper, then close the umbrellas. All without any hesitation, no one shirking duties and now they are wiping the tables and chairs off, umbrellas back up and back to business. The sun is back out and it’s a beautiful day. If this was in America, they would shut down for a few days and get unemployment. Exaggerating, of course.
I didn’t sleep well last night. I am not following my sleep rules. I got up early to sit on my balcony with coffee. I drove to the Archeological Site of Pafos. Incredible mosaics and ruins and a castle.
After the storm, it for sunny and hot very quickly. I walked a mile or so to the catacombs. So interesting that sometimes people are buried here and sometimes in a cemetery.
I walked around a bit then went into the church. It was communion time in a Catholic service in English. This church probably held 50 people. There was a mosque across the street. The whole area was 10 degrees cooler and shaded by trees. I had to cover my shoulders and knees with scarves left by the door. It was so hot inside. Mass ended and I took some photos and then listened to the priest and another clergy man talk about how the young people don’t want the old music in churches! Haha same in USA.
Pool time, reading and a nap. I decided to venture off the property and find better food. I chose Jimmy’s killer shrimp where I had some very fine servers from South African and a few not so killer prawns. I did get a telephone number with my check too.
I really was naive thinking I could just come here and expect public transportation to be easy. First, I learned it isn’t reliable, like no time tables. No trains just buses. Websites not working or updating. I had found a ap based taxi called CABCY and my ride did arrive on time, correct price quoted but dropped me off at the car rental spot rather than at arrivals so I could carry all of my stuff and then I could enjoy the contract nightmare of renting a car.
I had an ok night sleep, I woke to a creaking door, fell back asleep then the said door slammed shut. I had to investigate. Nothing so I was wide awake and watched a little Netflix, new series called Pact of Silence. On episode 3. I wanted to get up early and walk before it was too hot, but morning came too soon. I did walk for an hour though, seeing other people out getting exercise.
When I got back I showered and packed. I had broke down and rented a car. It was the only way I was going to see this Island properly. I was dreading driving on the wrong side of the road and wrong side of the car and a stick. I mapped it out and took pictures, especially since I wasn’t sure about phone service and literally the road signs are in Greek!
After being dropped off in the wrong place, I stopped at the airport convenience store and bought a SIM card. I had always meant to do this to make directions easier. The guy who sold it to me didn’t have the little wire pokey thing and suggested I use my earring but the gold was too soft. Pulled out a cheap earring still no luck. Went to the car rental, yes I will pay 6 euro more for non stick, automatic, what ever you call a modern car! And yes, I did actually buy insurance. I was nervous! Sat down and fiddled with the stupid sim and then when I finally got it inserted correctly, my phone said no luck. Took it back to the merchant. He muttered something that I finally figured out to be turn your phone off and then back on. Still didn’t work. He asked if I wanted my money back. Duh! He had to call a supervisor and she asked if I wanted my money back and where was my receipt.No clue but she handed me back my 20 euro and I was on my way. Checked my route again and off to get the car. I admitted to the woman doing the car inspection that I was nervous and she said she was too when she drove in right side of the road countries and not to worry. I cannot believe that I only got lost once! My phone worked the whole time. No scratches, no dents, no loss of lives, yes, George Bailey , I am talking to you who kept track of near misses, certain death and other cute deadpan phrases you stated on our Ireland trip years ago. I was honked at twice, not because of my beauty! Made it to the Venus Beach Resort where I will stay for a few days.
The drive was so beautiful. The ground is very white with limestone and the ground cover very dark, almost like a black and white photograph. The ocean is a beautiful cornflower blue. Time to nap.
I am always looking up places to eat, best restaurants, unique food and experiences. On Sunday I was looking at some places in Larnaca and for a Food Lab. Private cooking lessons with a chef named Stavri Georgiou. And guess who was the chef at the resto I was at last night? It was him! I thought maybe he was my handsome server but he wasn’t. The name of the Restaurant was Sea Natra. The food was top notch, but too much! I like to try everything!
I started out on the promenade around 10 am. It was already hot. I was headed to the fort.
Had a long nap today. And did some reading and research. Headed to Paphos tomorrow for a few days. Dinner after promenading.
Best salmon. Crispy skin, olives and capers, beurre blanc with fresh herbs over a delicate couscous. The truffle parm fries were top notch as was the citrus forward chimmichurri.
It was a little fishy smelling from the ocean a few feet away but probably from the restaurant below. Many people were in the promenade until very late, including loud kids having fun, imagine that? I slept fine and when I did wake up , I just read a book. The bed was very squeaky but I found WD40 and fixed it. This morning I have been making some plans. I rented a car starting tomorrow. Hope I will be ready for wrong side of the road etc. Tonight I will do a sunset cruise. There is a dive shop below my apartment so I will check on a wreck dive that is famous here. I booked a flight hotel on the way home on the 27th in Istanbul.
Off to see the sights…
The Hagia Sophia has been around for 1600 years and is steeped in history while the Blue Mosque was built to confront and surpass the older one and was built some 1200 years later.
Although very close to each other, the two mosques are entirely different in history and style. The Hagia Sophia traces its origin back to the Byzantine period when it was built as a church over the ruins of Roman temples. In its lifetime, it has been burnt down and rebuilt at least thrice, converted to a mosque and then into a museum and has a unique architectural style unmatched anywhere else in the world. The Sultan Ahmed mosque, on the other hand, is an example of pure Ottoman architecture and was never anything else than a mosque built to dominate and intimidate, but lacking the grace and artistry of the Hagia Sophia.
Roughly 1600 years ago, the Eastern Roman Emperor Theodosius I decreed that Christianity shall be the sole official religion of his empire. In 380 AD, in his capital Byzantium, he built a wooden church on the ruins of pagan Roman temples. Sadly, the church was burned down twice, but each time it rose like a Phoenix from its ashes, rebuilt by the ruling emperor.
The burning stopped only after the wooden church was replaced by a cathedral of stone by the Emperor Theodosius II. However, what fire could no longer do, was accomplished by mob fury. After its destruction in a riot in 532 AD, the Emperor Justinian built a very remarkable church in his renamed capital Constantinople, in 537AD. This church the Hagia Sophia endures even today as a world heritage site.
Justinian employed a famous mathematician and a professor of mechanics to design and built the church. No expenses were spared, and Justinian himself oversaw the work. On its completion, the Emperor exclaimed “Glory to God who has deemed me worthy of accomplishing such a work! O Solomon! I have vanquished thee’’. Justinian was referring to the great height and unique design of the massive dome and comparing his church to the great temple of King Solomon.
When Constantinople fell to the Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II in 1453, the city was renamed Istanbul, and the Hagia Sophia became a mosque.
Fortunately, the conversion resulted in minimal damage and defacement to the Christian symbols of Hagia Sophia, although they were not periodically restored over the years. However, acknowledging the unique architecture of the church, the Ottomans added many symbols of Islam inside the building without uprooting all signs of Christianity as was the prevailing custom. Recognizing the structure’s importance and its venerable age, the Ottoman architects supported the building outside with massive buttresses.
The exterior is aesthetically pleasing and imposing at the same time. The interior shows you its majestic dome’s unique style, in which a huge circular dome appears to float on a square foundation. Designated as a public museum by Kemal Ataturk in the early 20th century, the structure fully deserves its World Heritage tag.
The Sultan Ahmed Mosque was built solely as a mosque. It is massive and dominating, but it lacks the aesthetic grace of the Hagia Sophia.
Early in his reign, Sultan Ahmed I realized that he had little chance of making it to the Ottoman hall of fame due to his poor success in war, the chosen route to riches and glory amongst the Ottoman sultans. So, at the tender age of 17, in the year 1607, he decided to praise the Almighty and be remembered for the magnificence of the mosque he would build to surpass even the Hagia Sophia.
He chose a location facing the Hagia Sophia across the Sultan Ahmed square, next to the , on the spot where the Great Palace of the emperors had stood, and used their existing foundations and vaults. Sadly, the Sultan lacked the funds that other sultans could amass as war booty. So he could not entirely create what he had hoped for. Yet, the mosque is a unique blend of Islamic and Byzantine architecture and the interior is decorated with 20,000 blue tiles bearing a lotus motif. These tiles give the mosque a grand interior and are the origin of the mosque’s alternative name, the Blue Mosque.
However, Istanbul’s last imperial mosque has a cluttered interior with four pillars supporting its dome thus failing to create the illusion of the main dome of the Hagia Sophia that appears to float! To compensate, the mosque was provided with six minarets against the 4 of the Hagia Sophia. Unfortunately, this act led to more trouble for the sultan since only the Prophet Mohamed’s tomb had 6, and it was sacrilege for any other mosque to have as many. The sultan had to appease the keepers of the faith by paying the cost for a seventh minaret for the mosque at Mecca!
Whether the Blue Mosque fulfilled Sultan Ahmed’s desire to go down in history is debatable because the title of the greatest Ottoman sultan undoubtedly goes to Suleiman the Magnificent the 10th sultan who ruled between 1522 and 1566 when the Ottoman Empire was at its peak. Suleiman built the Sulemanaya Mosque also in Istanbul.
Regardless of the reason for the construction of the Blue Mosque, the world has to agree that the two great monuments facing across the Sultan Ahmed square give Istanbul a vista that has perhaps no equal anywhere else in the world.
This island has been on my bucket list for many years. A Mediterranean Island or country or divided country. Not sure yet, but I will know soon.
The flight was easy. I was only in Athen as my layover for 90 minutes. It’s crazy how these airlines can put out a small meal and beverages in an hour span and also be pleasant.
I was worried about my backpack making it, it was off to the side with the strollers, put me into a tiny panic for a second, almost like a few minutes before when I left my jacket, with my passport on the plane. Only a few rows when I realized what I was missing but then you have to wait for everyone to get off.
I got in the taxi line where I was told five minutes. After ten I was out in a car with another woman. She had been waiting 20 minutes. She gave me a few tips for my trip. She was where for a few days from Paris.
The taxi ride was just a few minutes and 15 euro. The Airbnb was next door to a restaurant so I decided to eat there and wait for my check in time. I was so tired. Had some wine and calamari and mushrooms. The dessert was kinda good!
I found the place quite easily. They had pictures on their messages. A sweet cleaning person was still there. She knew my name and let me in early. She was African, from Zambia. We chatted about my future trip to Zambia and Victoria Falls. I finally told her that I needed to sleep and she could just finish up.
It rained while I was sleeping
Rainbows!
The place is ok, very clean. Great location right on the water and the promenade.
After a well needed nap I walked on the promenade until I found a place that looked good. It’s interesting to see all types of people enjoying an evening stroll. There is some car traffic a few scooters but mostly people walking. It’s the same as so many places in Europe, this is their daily exercise and socialization.
A little vodka and tonic, halloromi grilled cheese and meatballs. Nice salad too
Tomorrow I will see some sights. Transportation might prove difficult.
And so many cats!!
Travel Pig 