Snow at last! Then a sobering reality check.
Trip Start
Jul 04, 2006
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61
63
Trip End
Jan 16, 2007
Nicosia,
Cyprus
Sunday, January 7, 2007
Today we took a drive into the Troodos Mountains, which rise to almost 2000m above sea level. Here there are some brilliant painted churches of Cyprus, superb examples of Byzantine art, and also located here is the Kykkos Monastery, founded in 1100, and where there is a golden icon of the Virgin Mary, allegedly painted by St. Luke.
Before leaving our hotel we were told it had snowed in the mountains the week before we had got here, but that the snow had since melted. However as we were driving up into the mountains, and through the low level clouds, we saw a little snow here and there and thought we were lucky as all the snow obviously hadn't melted as we had been told. However it must have snowed last night, because as we drove higher we could see more and more snow lying alongside the road. When we reached as high as we could drive in the slippery conditions, we got out of the car to a winter wonderland, and just then it started to snow again! Just a little so that it covered you in a soft white layer, but that just made my day. The snow was very deep as you can see from the photos and it was in the trees which looked magical. I have never seen anything so beautiful (except of course my children and grandchildren). I built a snowman, and made a snow angel for Jacki, and Brian and I had a snowball fight along with everyone else that was there, and it was just fabulous. Later when the sunshine had melted the snow off the road, we continued our journey up the mountains, and eventually made it to the top of Mount Olympus just as a brief snow fall came, and for a while there it was a total "white out".
01 Snow at last! Troodos Mountains, Cyprus.
All thoughts of visiting churches and monasteries disappeared and we stayed up there for tea and ate in a little café while watching the snow melt off the trees and off the roof of the building we were in. So we have been to England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales and didn't see any snow, but here in Cyprus where the average winter temperature is around 16 to 18 degrees we finally got to see snow. While the day had not gone as we had planned, we could not have asked for a better experience, and as we started on the almost 2 hour drive back to Paphos, we laughed and smiled like little kiddies all the way. Sunday 7th January
After the childlike pleasure of yesterday, today was a sobering experience and one that will not easily be forgotten for either of us. Please understand we knew nothing of what we were about to see, and don't pretend to know the politics of the situation, so please don't be offended by our ignorance or any inaccuracies that you may read below.
We spent today in Nicosia, (also known as Lefkosia) which is the capital of Cyprus, and the drive took just over two hours along the major freeway on the island. It has served as the capital since the late Byzantine period of the 11th century after the coastal towns were destroyed following the attacks and looting of the Saracens. We wished to visit the Royal Palaces, ancient churches, and take in the regions historical past, that includes visiting the old town that is surrounded by the Venetian Walls built in 1567 to protect the people from the threat of the Ottomans.
02 Feeling the snow falling all around.
Once we arrived in Nicosia it was an experience in itself, as you see Nicosia is a divided city (the only divided city in Europe) due to the fact that in 1974 Cyprus was invaded by Turkey, who took over and occupied almost 40% of Cyprus which includes part of the city of Nicosia. The UN sent in a Peace Keeping Force, which is still in place today, and they established a "buffer/no-go zone" across the country, so that through the middle of the city there are barriers with armed guards. This section through the middle of Nicosia, which is about 100-200 meters wide and is barricaded on both sides, has been deserted since the invasion, so for the last 30+ years it has been left to rot away. It is very eerie, and although I never felt threatened I certainly never felt comfortable, and it is a place you have to see to believe.
We crossed over at a check point in this "border" into Turkish Cyprus from Greek Cyprus, and had to have our passports checked and stamped and get visas so that we could leave one side and enter the other. It is quite freaky that on both sides of the "buffer/no-go zone" there are vibrant cities, but through the centre is a huge area of deserted city. Brian was fascinated and kept talking to the guards along the "buffer/no-go zone", but I wasn't comfortable at all. We were told we were not allowed to take any photos of the guards with their guns, and there were also a lot of areas where no photography was allowed, so not a place that I will go back to in a hurry.
03 Our first snowman.
Apart from all that, traveling to Nicosia on a Sunday is not a good idea, as in spite of the assurances we were given, we found all the churches, museums and other ancient sites closed and we were unable to see what we had originally came for. Therefore we settled for wandering around each side of the city for a couple of hours trying to get a feel for the life style and endeavoring to understand what it was that had happened. We had withdrawn some Cypriot Pounds from an ATM on one side, only to walk a couple of klms across the "border" where we withdrew Turkish Pounds from an ATM there.
The past three days could not have been of greater contrast, starting with visits to ancient archaeological sites where we looked on in wonder as we learned of the ancient past; followed by the unbridled joy of an unexpected day in the snow; and finally the slightly unnerving experience of being too close to a modern day war zone for our liking.
Oh, one other thing. While in the Greek side of Nicosia we stopped and had a coffee in what you would call a bit of a trendy, up market café. We ordered a cappuccino, a caramel espresso and a muffin. The cost was ₤7.35 Cypriot pounds, which you may think is not too bad. Well one Cypriot pound equals three Aussie dollars, so that coffee break cost about $22 Aussie dollars! Our Aussie money doesn't go too far over here!
G'day all, and a little addition to Gail's story from me. As we walked along the Greek Cypriot side of the wall for 2-3 klms inside the ancient town, I became totally mesmerized at what I was seeing.
04 Gail in a state of total joy and excitement.
Gail and I were totally alone as few people ventured down to this area, and there were armed Cypriot soldiers carrying automatic rifles protecting their side of the barrier. The dividing walls were made up of sandbags, razor wire, and surrounded by burnt out, shot-up buildings, that were almost falling down. Nothing appears to have changed or have been repaired in the past 30 years, and inside the "buffer/no-go zone" dividing the two sides of the city, there were heavily armed UN soldiers patrolling up and down. Taking photos of any soldiers or of the "buffer/no-go zone" is strictly forbidden, so the few photos I have included were taken with a bit of a risk involved. Later, once we entered the Turkish occupied part of the city, I walked along the streets and up to one of the barriers, and peered into the "buffer/no-go zone" and looked back across to the Greek Cypriot side. A soldier was sitting within the barricaded area, inside a secure sentry box about 10 feet away from me with just his head showing. I smiled at him, but continued to peer into the desolate and deserted zone in sheer amazement at what I was seeing. After 10-15 seconds, the sentry stood and stepped into the open. He was holding an automatic rifle, with one hand supporting the barrel and the other near the trigger region of the weapon. He lifted the rifle to chest height and held it pointing about 6-8 feet to the right of me. Not wanting to alarm him or to make any sudden movements, and in an attempt to demonstrate my impartiality, in my broadest Aussie accent possible I said to him "G'day Mate, you going all right?" His facial expression did not alter, but as I continued to stand there almost frozen to the spot, he slowly moved the rifle so that it was now pointing just to the right of me, and still he made no attempt to smile or reply. At that point I slowly walked away, and while I was never threatened or had the rifle pointed at me directly, I was left in no doubt that this was serious business and that even after 30 years there was a sharp edge to those involved! 
