The beautiful Mediterranean Sea from our condo in Peyia (Paphos Region) of Cyprus. We enjoyed our morning coffee and toast, afternoon rests and evening cocktails from this perch. 
Christine in the cave cellar of Sterna Winery. There are many niches about 3 bottles deep that are maintained yearly at constant natural temperature of 59-60 degrees. Vineyards line the terraced hillsides and roads throughout The Akamas Peninsula on western Cyprus. Here we shared our tour and tasting with a retired British gentleman and his German Wife, no surprise as the island is about 40-60 expats from the United Kingdom.
Tomb of the Kings (actually a cemetary for wealthy citizens) just outside city of Paphos. These rock-cut tombs form an impressive Necropolis with caves, chambers, rock formations and tombs. The tombs, with doric-style columns and chambers cut in the rock below ground level, were used as a burial ground in the Hellenistic and Roman period. We spent several hours exploring this large Unesco World Cultural Heritage site.
Scott enjoying suckling pig at the Savvas Grill in Peyia. Driving by one day, Scott noticed a hand-lettered sign board advertising suckling pig and ran in to make reservations. We were not about to miss any opportunity to enjoy pork. This meat was delicious and the crackling was so sweet, almost like candy. We ate here the following evening because the other food looked so wonderful. That evening was Dolmedes (stuffed grape leaves) made by the owner's mother-in-law, Beef Stifado (diced beef stewed with onion, herbs and tomatoes) and Grilled Sheftalia (minced pork, onions, parsley wrapped in thin pork skins). Yes, we ate our way thru Western Cyprus!
This is a switchback in pine-scented Troodos Mountains. Look at upper right and you can see a hole in the rocks. Our drive took us 1 1/2 hours up into the mountains and involved many hair-pin turns on 1-lane road overlooking sheer drops and white knuckles on Christine's part. The drive down was equally beautiful with fabulous vistas, but the Keo Beers we shared certainly helped to calm the nerves. (For those of you familiar with Sewickley, PA... imagine about 60 miles of Blackburn Road!). To add to the stress was Scott driving a manual transmission on left side of the road; it was an adventure.
Enjoying our lunch of typical Cypriot Mezza: crusty bread, salad, hummos, taziki, roasted potatoes, and roasted chicken and lamb. Open-air dining is quite common with this restaurant offering a gorgeous vista of the Mediterranean. Tables are quite close and we talked with fellow diners on several occasions. Lovely conversations with visitors from Wales, Scotland, England, Germany and we heard an awful lot of Russian, too.
"We made it" to the Last Castle, another outside restaurant (note the grill on right side of pic). This restaurant is only open for lunch because... it involves driving on non-lit or guardrailed, heavily potholed dirt roads and up a goat-path type hill climb. A the top of this plateau were vineyards and banana fields surrounding the establishment. Lunch was fabulous of typical salad & starters but the most delicious roast beef and chicken. Our wine arrived in an earthen ware jug and once again that spectacular sea view.
Paphos is where Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love and beauty, is said to have risen from the waves that crash on its shores. Petra tou Romiou, or Aphrodite's Rock, is a massive chunk of stone that marks the spot. Scott swam out around the large rock, thru the gap and around the smaller rock. This swim was on his bucket list and although he swam many times in the sea, this was special! We also took a drive to Aphrodite's Bath. According to the myth, this is where Aphrodite took her beauty baths in a pool of a natural grotto shaded by a huge fig tree. In ancient times people believed that swimming in the waters would aid their fertility, we passed on the swim.
Entrance to the Kykkos Monastery in The Troodos Mountains. Christine's former boss Linda told us this was a "must see" and she was correct. The sprawling stone compound featured beautiful jewel-tone mosaics and murals and reflective inner courtyards. The wood carved sanctuary was literally dripping with gold and of course, no pictures were permitted. There were pilgrims lined up with candles waiting their opportunity to touch/kiss a portion of a large, drape-covered icon. A sizeable, display-case lined relic room was adjacent. Rows and rows of various gold boxes contained relics of saints. The writing was local, so Christine could not spend hours reading each card, much to Scott's relief! "It's all Greek to me" was a popular comment throughout the week.
The mural shows homage to the special icon in the Sanctuary. The murals and mosaics were huge and gorgeous. Note the purple on Christine. All visitors must have their arms and knees covered, so these purple bathroom-type garments were issued at the entrance. Christine is smiling because she isn't thinking about the drive back down the mountain...---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hi All,
Cyprus, what a beautiful Mediterranean Island and not a location that many Americans have the chance to visit. Our British friends Paula and Martin Simpson (see Jan 1, 2011 blog for background) had just taken possession of their condo, when we discovered that they were accepting renters. Having deferred our planned spring trip to Egypt, we jumped on a week "at the beach", but it was so much more...
Cyprus is the third largest island in the Mediterranean. The strategic positon of Cyprus, attracted the first Greeks, who came to the island over 3,000 years ago at the end of the Trojan wars. Over the centuries Cyprus was occupied by the Egyptians, Assyrians, Persians, Romans, Venetians, Ottomans and finally the British. Hence driving on the left (wrong) side of the road and there are constant signs to remind drivers of this oddity. On 20 July 1974, Turkey invaded Cyprus and currently controls about 25% in the Northeastern region. Cyprus is the only divided country in Europe and Nicosia is the only divided capitol in the world!
Our week was spent doing what tourist do: we ate great food in copious amounts, we took drives in the mountains and hillsides thru darling little villages, we sunbathed, we explored antiquites & stopped at a winery, we paused at taverns for a beer and sat in the shade to people watch. Linda also raved about Keo, the official beer of Cyprus. We tried Keo and Leon, both Cypriot and both a bit light, but enjoyable just the same. Scott was pleased when we found taverns that had Guinness or Oyster Bay Stout. We watched watched football (soccer) at a brewery as we dined on wonderful Italian and we stolled the tourist areas several times. The Paphos Castle, actually a 4 foot thick-walled fortress, which was built by the Byzantines and rebuilt several times due to earthquakes and wars, was a welcome respite after long walk along the harbor. This was a low-key and restful holiday. Evenings we spent listening to music and playing gin rummy (Scott was usually the winner).
Two areas deserve their own blogs: The Paphos Archeological Site, Unesco World Cultural Heritage status and the darling little village of Kathikas up in the hills above Peyia. Keep watching for posts.
We are already dreaming of another visit to Cyprus...
Sweet Dreams,
Scott and Christine
