Cyprus Week 5 – History, Beer and Quad Bikes!
I am currently writing this blog still riding the high from our weekend. We had THE BEST time ever doing something neither of us have done before. But before we get to the weekend, let’s start at the beginning of the week, which had just an equally fun start, albeit not as adrenaline pumping!
On Tuesday, we left Limassol and headed to the capital of Cyprus, Nicosia! Since the fall of the Berlin wall, it is the only remaining divided capital city in Europe, and whilst we knew the basics of the Turkish-Cypriot War in 1974, we were looking forward to learning more about the country.
As a side note, if you’re interested in Cypriot history, a great book is ‘A Watermelon, A Fish and a Bible’ by Christy Lefteri, the same author as The Beekeeper of Aleppo if you have read that. I really enjoyed the book and whilst it is fiction, it is based on true events and gives a brutal idea of what the Greek-Turkish war was like and glimpse of what life was like for both Cypriots and the Turkish people in the Seventies.
Wanting to learn more about the history of Cyprus, our first stop was Nicosia Leventis Museum. We arrived at 10am so we were pretty much the only people in there, in fact, we weren’t even sure it was open as we creaked open the heavy door and poked our heads in.
The museum was quite large with 3 floors, starting with ancient history, and covering the Venetian and Ottoman rule, followed by information about the conflict between the Greek and Turkish Cypriots in the 1970s.
The museum itself was a bit confusing because it wasn’t exactly clear which bits you should read first and the information boards started and finished on the same floor so we ended up reading these a little out of order and got a bit confused – if there had been other people in the museum to follow, maybe we wouldn’t have messed it up!
The museum also focused more on the early history of Cyprus as opposed to more recent history which was a little disappointing but still interesting to read.
Our favourite part was definitely the temporary exhibit on the Ledra Palace Hotel, which prior to 1974 was one of the most glamorous and sought after hotels in the Capital and was named after the ancient name for Nicosia, ‘Ledra’.
The Ledra Palace Hotel attracted the upper classes and hosted cocktail parties, balls and had some well-known guests including former US presidents and Hollywood stars. It was known for its luxury, no expense spared approach and was one of the places to be and be seen in the whole of Cyprus.
Today, the Ledra Palace hotel sits in the buffer zone between Northern Cyprus (The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus) and Southern Cyprus (The Republic of Cyprus), acting as a crossing point between the two areas.
Unfortunately, the hotel has become run down and the whole area is occupied by UN forces. Up until recent years, British Troops resided in the hotel but now it has become so dilapidated that it is now inhabitable. Troops have now moved out into prefabricated buildings in the grounds, using only the ground floor of the hotel for UN meetings.
We stopped in a café, right outside of the Ledra Palace Hotel which is surrounded by metal fencing and we were served by a Brit in what felt like an English café, whilst British officers walked around the site.
Here you could see school children walking home from school with their passports in hand. We couldn’t help thinking how sad it was that this was normal for them to have to cross a border and buffer zone to get to and from school – and they probably thought nothing of it.
The Green Line itself is fascinating to walk along and despite the war having taken place just under 50 years ago, makes it feel very fresh and new.
The Green Line, also known as the UN Buffer Zone, is a physical divide which stretches through the centre of Nicosia, consisting of green painted, concrete filled oil drums, barbed wire and fencing with imposing military towers (which are still manned) and flags on either side for each state.
Photography is forbidden at most points, and there are still emotive signs and graffiti on the walls demonstrating the deep divide and pain caused by this conflict.
Originally, the Green Line was put in place as a temporary measure in 1964 as agreed by the UK, Cypriot and Turkish governments to try and prevent further hostility between the two nations which had been bubbling for over a decade. However, after the Turkish invasion in 1974, the Green Line was extended outside of Nicosia and now, it completely divides north and south Cyprus.
In recent years, many crossings have opened to tourists (like us!) which allowed us to experience both cultures simply by flashing our passports and walking a few meters. It was quite a mad experience, particularly because the Turkish side is so different to the Cypriot side. We had lunch on the Turkish side and we ate whilst listening to the call to prayer from the nearby mosque, paid in an entirely different currency, and tried to communicate with people that spoke a completely different language. – all the while, steps away from the Republic of Cyprus.
After a day of wandering around the city, drinking coffee and stroking city cats we headed back to the car to drive to the main reason we had visited Nicosia that day, the Nicosia Beer Festival!
The festival was in the middle of a dusty field with a large stage in the centre, with lots of beer and food stalls surrounding it in the shape of a square. In the middle were lots of rows of tables and chairs. We were pretty much the first people to step foot in the door (classic Brits!) and had a wander around the stalls to check out the beer selection before grabbing some tokens.
It was like being in a British pub! We had expected there to be some Cypriot craft beers to try, which to be fair, there was one stand offering that, but the rest were offering the likes of Carlsberg, Stella, Bud, Heineken and Becks! That being said, the one Cypriot craft beer we did try was delicious and we very much enjoyed it.
The main entertainment, and the reason for the stage, was because a Greek singer called Paola who everybody at the festival, young and not-so-young seemed to love! We had absolutely no idea what she was singing about but of course, a good tune is recognisable whether you speak the language or not. We shared a table with a few ladies from Larnaca who explained that usually you’d pay 60 euros for a ticket to see Paola so this was a steal at 10 euros a ticket.
As sensible drivers, we limited ourselves to a couple of beers each and after Paola had given us a full rendition of her entire repertoire of songs, we headed back to Limassol, not before buying the biggest stick of candyfloss I’ve ever seen. This was a huge mistake as I dropped it all over me in the car and both the car, my clothes and my hands were so sticky for the hour journey home.
On Friday, we moved flat and we’re now in our new “home” where we will be until we leave on 29 November. We’ve not moved too far, just a few minutes round the corner which means our local beach, pub and restaurants are the same as before. The new flat is old (like many of the properties in Cyprus!) but is comfortable and had everything we need. I can’t believe we’ve already been here for a month and are a third through the trip already 
Then time for the best weekend yet! We went to Akamas National Park which is on the Paphos side of the island and boasts some of the clearest water the island has to offer, and the best thing? We explored it all by quad bike! Chris and Lex kindly arranged it and we set off at 8am (super early for Cypriots!).
The journey was around 1.5 hours from Limassol and Chris kindly drove as he knew where he was going. The quads were 70euros per couple and we had them from 10am-3pm. 5 hours of quad biking seemed a long time when we initially collected the quads but the day went past so quickly!
The national park is right on the western tip of the island, and as such is surrounded by beautiful coastline, where turtles nest on the beaches at the right time of year. The Park itself is made up of a mix of dusty farmland (we saw so many goats!) and green woodland. It’s super hilly too, and of course we went all the way to the top to see the best view in the park!
Aaron took control of the driving, as we wanted to make it to the end of the day alive, and he was so good at it. Our first stop was the beach. We stopped at the water’s edge and parked our quads, before climbing down the rocks to the sand.
The beach was empty and there were only a couple of boats out in the water so it was really quiet which was unusual for one of the biggest tourist attractions in Cyprus, albeit we were slightly out of season. The water was unbelievably blue, warm and shallow and we walked out quite far with the water remaining at waist height (or hip hight for Aaron!). It was glorious.
As we made our way out of the water, the boats began to arrive, bringing hundreds of tourists all jumping out of their boats into the water. By time we made it back to the quads, there were over 10 large boats and so many people in the water – we couldn’t have timed it better.
We then made our way to the top of the mountain to see the view from the top. The drive was no joke, and I was clinging on for dear life at the back, whilst the wheels of the quad bounced roughly over rocks and slid through the sand – it was hilarious. The view at the top, was unsurprisingly, specular. We were so high up there was a change in temperature and you couldn’t hear a thing up there – it was silent.
Before going to grab some food, we decided to go and check out a different bay that we’d seen from the top of the hill. Once parked, we were greeted by yet more bright aqua water which was too inviting to resist jumping in. So, after we’d discussed at length whether the water was deep enough to jump in, and Chris taking one for the team and jumping in anyway to make sure. We all dived in! It was hands down the best water I’ve seen in Cyprus and could definitely rival water we’ve seen in the Philippines.
Getting out was no mean feat, having to wade through seaweed (ewww, so slimy!) and then pulling yourself up using a grotty old rope onto some sharp rocks. It mustn’t have been that bad though because Aaron and I decided to do the jump again.
Finally, we went and grabbed a coke and some desperately needed water to rehydrate before dropping the quads off. Aaron was chuffed when he was presented with a certificate for his brilliant quad bike driving (ha ha!) which he carefully stored in the boot of the bar, making sure it wouldn’t get creased!
For lunch, on recommendation of the quad bike owner, we went to a restaurant on the beach called Yiosou and had souvlaki (skewered meats and salad in a pitta!) and we were all so hungry after the day that we wolfed them down in silence. After grabbing a coffee at Latchi harbour, we made our way back to Limassol.
It was the most fun day so far, a bit of adrenaline, beautiful sea, yummy food and great company!
I’m not sure how we’re going to top that next week but we do have some fun things planned for next week so come back next Monday to read all about week 6!
Love,
Meg xx
