We left Amman at 4.30 in the breaking dawn – no problem – although eating breakfast at this hour is a challenge! It is a big city and while two of us decided to keep running on the tourist circuit others had more brains and stayed put by the pool as it was VERY hot. We enjoyed a night out at one of the restaurants in the CBD – huge meal excessive food but wonderful flavours of the East. This is where we farewelled the Aussies to Israel and the next morning our two lovely mates Ann and Janne set off for their respective destinations – UK and Home to Wellington NZ. We will miss them and their contribution to our sevenontour!
The flight for the rest of us was fast and uneventful and we marvelled at how one hour’s flight could show such a difference between the chaos and clutter of the Middle East and the relative orderliness of the Cypriot Mediterranean although their entire history suggests otherwise. We took all day to reach our Villa as we took the secondary roads and avoided the motorways. We had been advised not to arrive before about 4pm so enjoyed the country roads and admit to having got lost a few times but picked up gorgeous strawberries and melons on the way and encountered a lovely Cypriot lady in a tiny sandwich bar in the middle of nowhere next to a cement works who gave us a drawn map to get to the villa on a secondary road called the Tomb of the Kings Road. . Villages were worth winding through especially the ones with the extraordinary bakery in the middle of them! The villa was worth waiting for – lovely and cool, spacious, well appointed and with a lovely swimming pool. We have relaxed for a couple of days swimming and resting but feel ready now to continue playing tourists and plan to visit Troodos Mountains, Nicosia and hopefully cross over into Turkish Cyprus although we have been told that we cannot take a rental car over there – don’t know why!!! We have enjoyed relaxing, finding cute little tapas bars at which to watch the sun go down over the sea and plan to take a bus tour to the Turkish side of the island as it seems to be easier than trying to do it ourselves.
There are Brits everywhere – you can get everything that you can get in Britain – even mushy peas and get your hair done in London based salons – as they say you don’t need to even leave England – everything from there is supplied – can you imagine that – not even trying the local cuisine!!!
We have been out in the car looking for local eateries in villages to try and they are there if you look hard enough. The beaches are very beautiful - clear warm water and golden sands.
We went to the Troodos Mountains yesterday – well worth the visit although a very long drive and visited Platres which was the skiing playground of the wealthy Cypriots and even King Farouk of Egypt had a villa there for visiting in the Winter. Very gorgeous - and further on over the mountains to the Monastery of Kikkos where Archbishop Makarios is buried high on the mountain top. The Monastery is an amazing place – Ostentatious and almost vulgar in it’s presentation although The Museum with its Byzantine Icons and history of the Greek Orthodox religion is very interesting and informative. Built 900 years ago the Monastery has 22 monks in residence and is a beautiful example of Cypriot architecture although it has been rebuilt several times over that period. It has one of only three icons in the world of the Virgin Mary with the Christ Child on her right arm (instead of the left arm!) reputedly painted by St Paul who couldn’t look at her radiant face and painted her reflection in the pool at her feet. Tricia thinks this is aligned with Aphrodite arriving in a clamshell to woo Adonis but its all good for the tourist so that okay!!! The faithful believe this icon heals barren women – none of us have felt the need to worship it and find out!!!
Will keep you informed!!!!
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