Cleopatra Hotel Nicosia

... into a Greek post office and send a postcard to Kate in Toronto. It will probably show up well after our arrival home. <br><br>4. After a five-hour trip to Nicosia we had a couple of hours back in the port of Limassol. We took a shuttle bus into the heart of the old city which features a castle erected by the Byzantines. We looked for a place to have a quick Greek salad but slim pickings because everything seems to shut down Wednesday ...

... some wait for the parade to start. We are all scattered here and there, and I am busy taking pictures, knocking on doors to see the inside of houses and gardens, taking photos of women working on their embroideries, and talk with the locals. Everywhere I see happy faces and hospitality. Women seeing me taking photos insist upon offering me a homemade dessert or a cup of coffee. Of course I have no time for such luxury! Men are sitting at ...

LARNACA MUSEUMS<br><br><br><br>PIERIDES MUSEUM &#8211; Here one can see the fascinating private collection of Cypriot antiquities acquired over the years from 1839 by five generations. <br><br>Pierides family is one of the most well known families of Larnaca.<br><br>This old family mansion was built in 1825 and includes exhibits from the Neolithic times ...

KAMARES, THE OLD AQUEDUCT OF LARNACA<br><br><br><br>A little history:<br><br><br><br>(Kamares) &#8211;as they are called in Greek.<br><br>They are found at the exit from Larnaca towards the Limassol highway. 18th century aqueduct of Larnaca, 16 kilometers long. For the adventurer the old aqueduct of Larnaca offers a tremendous challenge.<br><br><br><br>Walking in a straight ...

... 8220;The building of Cyprus Tourist Organization,&#8221; &#8220;The Central Police Station&#8221;, &#8220;The Governors Residence&#8221;, and &#8220;The Larnaca old Hospital&#8221; near the American Academy.<br><br><br><br>URBAN TRADITIONAL BUILDINGS<br><br>(I got from the tourist information)<br><br><br><br>This is the anonymous ...

... inner courtyard is used as an open air garden-theatre during the summer months, by kind permission of the Director or Antiquities. <br><br><br><br><br><br>THE TOUZLA MOSQUE <br><br>(11th century)<br><br><br><br>It is situated near the Metropolis Square, and the Church of the Savior, on Metropolitou Nicomedias Street. It was turned into a Mosque after the Ottoman ...

... I heard a thu-thunk, thu-thunk noise that kept repeating itself. I began to smell ink and there it was...an old ink printing press from about another lifetime. Remember in elementary school (if you are old enough) when teachers ran dittos off on that blue ink machine and the pages were damp and had a chemical reek? This is exactly what I found here and I was transported back a few decades in an instant. <br><br>A blue line painted down sidewalks ...

... rocks. I left during the hot days. I was always happy to return around sunset, to eat bananas and fudge cookies (the most affordable foods), and swim before sleeping. Once, I didn't swim before sleeping, and it was difficult to fall asleep because a membrane of sweat still choked my body. In the pink-sunned late mornings, I hitchhiked to Nicosia. Young casino dealers often drove me the four kilometers back to the port of Girne. Once, a young Turk ...

... were able to recharge our batteries, managed lie-ins until 1pm, sampled great home-cooking, tumbled around with the baby, chatted to both sets of parents for the first time in 2 months, had a night out on the town, babysat for an evening, plus Tom caught his second bug of the trip. No doubt he picked the parasite up on Fergun and it had been lying dormant for a few days...grrrr.

Cyprus is hot. Anyone thinging to come here, well, thing again! Especially not in the summer. The water is nice though. Great for snorkelling, and hopefully SCUBA diving. Planning on our return to New Jersey, this time via Zurich and Milan. Sounds fun, but I'm not really sure how we get from ...