I studied abroad in Cyprus in the summer of 2006 and haven’t been back since. A major reason of why I decided to move to Turkey was because of that summer I spent in Northern Cyprus, learning about and experiencing Turkish culture. The food, music, people, and religion had all been so interesting to me then, and it was a great experience for me to go back, as it was a much needed reminder of why I chose to live in Turkey.
I went with my American friend Veronica as her last hurrah before leaving Turkey for good. We flew into Northern Cyprus, outside the split capital Nicosia. While planning for the trip, I had been worried about transportation on the island. Ended up transportation was not a concern at all. From the airport, we took a bus into the capital, and crossed the border with no trouble. As soon as we crossed the Green Line, we heard church bells, a sound so welcoming to Veronica as she gets really annoyed with the call to prayer. We had a bit of a difficult time looking for the house of our Couch Surfer, but eventually found him. Couch Surfing is a pretty cool website, where you can offer your house for free for guests to stay at. We stayed with a guy from the Netherlands who has a remodeled house right near the Green Line where most homes are still abandoned. We met up with another Couch Surfer for dinner, a French guy, who was actually going to San Diego the following week and wanted to talk to V and I about our hometown ☺ We had an excellent dinner of Greek Cypriot mezes, or appetizers. Eating that meal I instantly remembered why I had fallen in love with Cyprus. The next day we walked along the Green Line, sneaking photos of the UN checkpoints, and eventually made our way to the Byzantine Museum. There’s something about Byzantine icons that just amazes me; it’s an era of art history I just love. We then had some amazing fruit smoothies and a chicken sandwich before taking a bus to Paphos, a Greek Cypriot town on the southwestern coast.
In Paphos we stayed with a Couch Surfing couple from Lithuania. Again, we had a great Greek Cypriot meal and enjoyed playing with their dog Sushi. The next day was a bit of a disappointment. We walked 45 minutes down to the city center on the water and found a tiny castle and small harbor. It’s a contestant for the European Capital of Culture in 2017. I’ll just say it wouldn’t get my vote. We enjoyed frappes looking out at the water and playing the tourist game (trying to guess where all the tourists are from) and eventually found Starbucks and enjoyed another coffee (iced peppermint mocha). We hiked back up to the house, stopping at a church on the way, and then made our way back to the bus station to head back to Nicosia. We crossed the border to the Turkish side and caught a bus to Kyrenia (Girne in Turkish).
Kyrenia had been my favorite city in Cyprus 5 years ago. It has a beautiful little harbor that just takes me breath away. It’s still just as beautiful now. Here we stayed at a pension and got a room to ourselves, with a double bed. It’s a good thing V and I have gotten so close over the past six months… We ate dinner overlooking the harbor and I had the spiciest Turkish meal I’ve ever had. My mouth was literally on fire. The next day we took a taxi up to Bellapais Abbey, another one of my favorite sites in Cyprus, which offers a beautiful view of Kyrenia and the Mediterranean Sea. We played a game of backgammon and drank some tea and then went back into town. After eating a not so great meal of Turkish mezes, we checked out the Kyrenia Castle and walked along the harbor and seaside. It was an enjoyable afternoon, but our time in Cyprus unfortunately had to end. At the airport, I bought some Baileys and Malibu in Duty Free, as imported alcohol is very expensive in Turkey. That was definitely one of the best decisions I made in awhile.
Overall my experience in Cyprus was positive. I had decided not to return to the place I had lived, Famagusta, because I didn’t want to ruin any of my memories from there. I am really pleased I went back though and am very thankful that I had Veronica as a good traveling mate. I’ll really miss her these last 8 months in Antalya…
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