From Portugal, we fly to Cyprus for an interim stop along our way to Jordan. There, we have an eight-day tour planned to roam around Petra, as well as other Jordanian sites. The island of Cyprus sits strategically only a one-hour flight to Jordan, a forty-five-minute flight to Israel, a forty-minute flight to Lebanon, and a five-hour flight to Iran. Cyprus marks my ninety-ninth country! Jordan will mark one hundred.

Map of the Middle East

The genuine friendly Cypriots live a laid-back life which carries on normally, despite the nearby wars. They are happy to see us. Since the war with Iran began, they have experienced a 40% drop in hotel bookings, and short-term rentals initially had 100% of their bookings cancelled.

We begin our Cyprus adventure with an inexpensive rental car and drive to an Airbnb in the small fishing village of Zygi. I have had lots of training for driving on the left side of the road lately, and if you can do it in Northern Ireland, you can do it anywhere.

Zygi Harbor, Cyprus

Zygi is a local, as well as tourist destination known for its fresh seafood taverns. Each Sunday, crowds of entire families fill every vacant seat in the various restaurants. We notice the colorful murals painted on the walls, one painted with a stroke of humor.

Sunday Brunch in Zygi

Restaurant Wall Mural 😳

Seafood Platter

When not breaking bread with the locals, I enjoy cooking with a view of the Mediterranean Sea at our Airbnb. Roadside farm stands and the nearby fresh fish market provide everything we need.

Sea Bream for Dinner

Views from Zygi, Cyprus

During the days we explore the best-preserved prehistoric settlement in the Mediterranean, and the 11^th-century domed cruciform church of Panagia Angeloktisti. Unfortunately, our stay in Zygi must stop short when an unexpected major refurbishment in the suite above us begins.

Choirokoitia Neolithic Site

Angeloktisti Church Kiti Village

Onward to the lively beach town of Larnaca, where we truly fall in love with Cyprus. And it is a good thing, as the tour company canceled all travels to Jordan because of the war.

Larnaca, Cyprus

We extend our stay in Cyprus for one month. What a fabulous place to be stranded. Larnaca provides all the services one could need, like take out, especially if someone were to come down with a horrible chest, sinus, eye, and throat virus, like I did. Oh well, it happens out here on the road.

Take out – Dolmades – Stuffed Grape Leaves

More take out – Lamb for dinner

Rows of empty beach chairs and umbrellas sit beside the sea. “Usually, you would have a hard time getting a chair this time of year,” a local vender explains. “Tourists quit coming because of the war.”

Signs of tourist cancellations due to the War

The Orthodox Easter extended weekend brings a slight surge in tourism, albeit locals. It provides great family and group celebrations throughout the town.

Finikoudes Promenade Larnaca: Easter week brings more tourists

Orthodox Good Friday, Church of St. Lazarus, Larnaca

Time for a day trip into the Troodos mountains. We were excited to find lunch of fresh trout from a cold-water stream.

Fresh Trout in Kakopetria

I spotted a written quote that stays with me: “You do not see things as they are. You see things as you are.” Well today we are seeing UNESCO-listed Byzantine churches filled with startling, stunning, frescos painted between the 11^th and 15^th centuries. One should not be fooled by these church’s simple exteriors.

Panagia tis Podythou, Galata Village

Panagia tis Podythou

Panagia tis Asinou, Nikitari Village

Frescos in Panagia tis Asinou

Frescos Panagia tis Asinou

Cyprus has been called the “Island of Cats.” Large feral cats roam freely everywhere. They outnumber the 1.3 million humans on the island, despite the government spending thousands of dollars in attempts to have them neutered. They appear laid back and friendly too, like the Cypriots.

Cats, cats, everywhere!

Legend tells us that Saint Helena from Constantinople sent two boatloads of cats from Egypt in the fourth century AD to the St. Nicholas monastery. Their mission – to hunt and kill an infestation of poisonous snakes. It worked and now the cats live there in peace. So, off we go to see the cats at the monastery. St. Nicholas Monastery was a bust. Renovations have relocated the felines. Lucky little ones made it to the cat sanctuary.

Malcolm’s Cats Sanctuary

We asked to go in to see the cats but were told that they would jump on us and scratch us. Not to hurt us, but for cuddles. We passed. Instead, we journeyed on to Ancient Kourion where we hiked among the ruins, before finding respite, and a great lunch on Kourion Beach.

Sanctuary of Apollo Yiatis, Ancient Kourion

Ancient Kourion Roman Theater

Breakfast on Kourion Beach

Time for more sand and sea. I drove while coughing and hacking to the beaches on the southeast side of the island. We find Cyprus’s best-known sights, like Nissi Beach, the Bridge of Love, and the Sea Caves. An extra treat comes in the form of an outdoor sculpture garden near the tourist town of Agia Napa.

Nissi Beach

The Love Bridge

The Sea Caves

Aiya Napa Sculpture Park

Aiya Napa Sculpture Park

Cyprus gained independence from Britian in 1960, thus the driving on the left thing. In 1974 Turkey invaded the island and took over the northern portion of the island. The Turkish-ruled part of Cyprus is Muslim and uses Turkish lira for currency. It has only been in recent years that Cypriots can freely cross this border. Of course, Marilynn must see it, so off she goes across the border on an exceedingly long bus tour. I remain at home and nurse my ailments.

Bellapais Abbey, Bellapais, Northern Cyprus

St. Nicholas Cathedral, now known as Lala Mustafa Pasha Mosque, Famagusta, North Cyprus

Kyrenia Harbor, Kyrenia, Northern Cyprus

Views from Kyrenia Castle Walls, Kyrenia, Northern Cyprus

Outside of sighting mosques, abbeys, and bays, Marilynn had interesting conversations with two Israeli men who live part of the year in Cyprus. Most tourists in Cyprus are from Israel, followed by tourists from the UK, Poland, and Russia. Though since the war started in the Ukraine, they are seeing fewer Russians as they can no longer fly here directly.

Fish Kabob for Lunch, Kyrenia, Northern Cyprus

“You have no idea what living in Israel, a volatile high-risk area, is really like,” the Israelis tell Marilynn. “We live with drone activity and exploding missiles in the sky on most days and nights and have grown used to it.” They cannot understand why people are afraid to travel here because of the war. “It took only one drone centered strike here in Cyprus and suddenly tourists quit coming. Except from Israel that is.”

As my health begins to improve, we take a long drive to the city of Pafos and its expansive Archeological site which dates to the fourth century BC.

Pafos Castle, Pafos

Pafos Archaeological Site, Pafos

A farmer discovered these Roman floor mosaics while plowing this field back in 1962. Shortly after, archeologists uncovered an entire complex; however, much more remains to be excavated.

The Narcissist Mosaic, Pafos Archaeological Site

Floor Mosaic, Pafos Archaeological Site

Floor Mosaic, Pafos Archaeological Site

A short drive from the ruins brings us to Petra tou Romiou, better known as Aphrodite’s Rock. Legend holds that Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love, beauty, passion, and pleasure, emerged from the sea foam here when Cronus castrated his father Uranus, and threw his genitals into the sea. Yikes! It is one of the most photographed sites in Cyprus.

Petra tou Romiou, better known as Aphrodite’s Rock

Meanwhile, as I continue to recover from this lingering virus, it is time for a cold beer under an umbrella by the sea, where I witness my personal goddess of love emerging from the sea foam!

Makronissos Beach

We cannot believe our time here in Cyprus is ending. If we could stay, we would. The extraordinary time we have had here is another example of how sometimes the best travel experiences come out of happenstance and discordant circumstances rather than research and planning.

Thank you to the Cypriots who enriched our experience and to the universe for the lovely cool weather and lack of tourist crowds. (The lack of crowds please us more than the Cypriots) Hopefully, the world situation improves and Cyprus will once again prosper. Meanwhile, I look forward to spending time in my one-hundredth country, wherever that turns out to be.

Views from Larnaca

Thank You, Abundant Universe!