TRAVEL: Nicosia & Limassol, Cyprus

Please note that everything I did on this trip was done with utmost care and attention to corona regulations. If you're going to travel, travel safe! 

After my first week in Larnaca and my deep sea dive (read about that here), I had a big weekend planned, starting on Friday with an early bus to Nicosia, Cyprus' biggest city. First stop, the tourist office to pick up a map and find out everything that I needed to see and do. I started by wandering around some of the city's churches, mostly Orthodox with interiors coloured floor to ceiling in gold, portraits of saints and the like everywhere, and even chandeliers. I never would have linked decadence with religion, but these churches highlighted that it could most definitely be done in a tasteful way.

My journey brought me down to the border between South Cyprus and the Turkish side of the island, North Cyprus. Nicosia is basically split right in two and usually I think you'd be able to pass between the two sides without much issue, but due to the current situation, the borders were shut. Still, I found it strange to think that a city itself was completely divided like this, with barbed wire and gates literally slicing streets in two.

I headed down to Famagusta Gate, the old aqueduct, and the Liberty monument which seemed to be the main things to see in the city. The city was deserted, and it felt strange to be walking around what I assumed would usually be a fairly bustling city.

My day in Nicosia ended with a trip up to the 11th floor viewpoint at the Shacolas Tower which offered views of everywhere I'd walked around, as well as into Turkish Cyprus and the stunning Selimiye Camii mosque. I was also interested to see that the mountains on that side had huge Turkish flags painted on them, just in case you forgot where you were. From up here, the border was invisible, and it looked as if you could just walk right across to the other side. If only.

A few days later I made my way to Limassol, the second largest city in the country, and also the furthest from where I was. Indeed, once we arrived on the outskirts of Limassol, I thought we were already there, but it took about another half hour to actually get to the main part of town.

Being a Sunday, the tourist office was closed, so it was up to me to make my own route. Thankfully I stumbled across a pedestrian map which suggested a route I might like to take, so I walked from the old port to the upmarket marina, filled with expensive boats and nice restaurants.

From there, I spent an hour or so wandering the empty streets of Limassol, admiring the architecture of some of the churches, the boutique shops, and arty graffiti. My adventure brought me back to the Promenade which was probably the prettiest part of the city with a long palm tree lined avenue which was very well designed.
 

I knew that I wanted to head to Kourion that afternoon, and with only 3 buses running on Sundays, had ample time for a Greek lunch of halloumi gyros at Tavernaki and a refreshing bubble tea from Bubble Tale.

We walked up to the bus station only to find that the bus timetable was completely different to what was suggested online. Rather than waiting close to an hour for a bus which may or may not have shown up, we hopped in a taxi to take us to Kourion.

Situated about a 20 minute drive outside of Limassol, Kourion is a large amphitheatre high up in the hills. Not only was it interesting to explore the amphitheatre, mosaic, and ruins up here, but there was also a fantastic view out towards the sea.

Since the taxi service was getting little to no service at the time, we had agreed to stay with the taxi driver for the afternoon rather than catching the bus back, and this also meant that we were able to head to another destination - the Sanctuary of Apollo.

Here we found even more beautiful ruins - pillars and stairs and what looked to be part of a temple. It was just us and a resident cat (we nicknamed her Aphrodite) who loved belly rubs and showing visitors around her 2000 year old home. It was a shame to have to leave her behind as I'm sure she was happy to have the company. The Sanctuary was a wonderful place to visit, and I was glad to have seen some of the Cypriot ruins.

There's more Cyprus adventures to come, including a trip to the beautiful Ayia Napa, and even more excitement in Larnaca. Make sure to stay tuned by following me on Twitter @CiarasCountry, and I'd love to know where you're planning on travelling to once the world gets back to normal - leave me a message in the comments below :) Thanks for reading!

TRAVEL: Zenobia Wreck Dive, Cyprus

Please note that everything I did on this trip was done with utmost care and attention to corona regulations. If you're going to travel, travel safe!  

After my first few days in Cyprus (check that out here), I was so excited to do one of the top rated activities in the country. I was collected by Kyle in the early morning before heading to the Alpha Divers shop to get suited and booted. We made our way to the marina and aboard a small boat to set sail for the Zenobia Shipwreck.

About a kilometre and a half from the shore, we stopped the boat and got ready to descend. With dive guide Kyle, I headed down, down, down, to the uppermost side of the ship. Covered in 40 years of sea life, the ship was teeming with life - groupers, parrot fish, lionfish, sea cucumbers, and we were super lucky to even see a turtle!

The ship itself is vast, with depths ranging from around 15 - 42 metres, and I found it more serene than spooky to float around and see the railings, rotors, windows, and lifeboats.

After about 40 minutes, we headed back to the surface for a break before our next dive. While sitting on board, I saw something off to the side - dolphins! I gathered the crew to come look, and we drove the boat to follow them, eventually ending up with some dolphins jumping alongside our boat. I was later told this was the first time in over a year that dolphins had been spotted here - what luck!

We returned to the dive site for dive 2. This time, Kyle and I explored the rest of the ship, spotting starfish clinging to the sides. As divers can head inside the ship, it almost looked like it was breathing, with trails of air bubbles exploding out of open windows.

We dove in through a window into the canteen and it was crazy to see the inside, with natural light and divers torched illuminating the walls, staircases, and windows. What I found crazier still was a trapped air bubble that you could stick your head into and breathe without the oxygen tank. So very bizarre considering that we were 20 metres under the sea.

We began our ascent and waited 3 minutes below the surface to avoid problems. Looking up at the bottom of our boat, I understood what had attracted Nemo to touch the boat - it really does look quite special from down below. Taking one last look at the wreck and the beauty of all of rising bubbles from divers below, we made our way back to the surface and then towards home.

If you're into scuba diving and find yourself in Cyprus, I cannot recommend this excursion enough! I'm keen to try out some more dive sites around the world, so if you have any suggestions of must-dives, please let me know by dropping a message in the comments below or on Twitter @CiarasCountry. Thanks so much for reading!

TRAVEL: Larnaca, Cyprus (Part 1) - beaches, sunsets, and insanely good food!

Please note that everything I did on this trip was done with utmost care and attention to corona regulations. If you're going to travel, travel safe!

I know that my experience of quarantine has been nowhere near as bad as that for some people, but one thing I missed after all those months inside my house was, as this blog may suggest, travelling. I in no way wished to put myself or others at risk from the virus, but knew that if it was possible to travel safe, I was going to give it a shot.

Armed with face masks, hand sanitiser, and heaps of alcohol wipes, I booked myself a trip to Cyprus. Knowing the country was only letting travellers in from 'safe' countries, and insisting on tests before arrival, as well as being a fairly isolated island in itself, I figured that this would be as good a place as any to test the waters of corona safe travel.

Upon touchdown in Larnaca, I hopped into a taxi to head to my Airbnb for the duration of my trip. Finding it was a challenge in itself, as the directions I was given was Flat 202, Pacific Building (building name changed for privacy purposes!). As it turned out, there were 7 different Pacific Buildings, each with their own Flat 202. After walking up and down the street multiple times, I called the Airbnb host to confirm. 'Yes, Pacific Building'. 'Which one?' 'Pacific Building, at the front'. (What?) After getting nowhere, the cleaner came down to stand outside the correct building, which turned out to be 2 blocks further than the given address, and about 18 buildings away from the first Pacific Building. I sanitised the apartment, and then time for bed.

On my first day in Larnaca, it seemed right to get a lay of the land. My first stop was the Tourist Office which I imagined wasn't getting too much passing traffic these days. The lady there was able to suggest some day trips for me to do, and point out the main beaches, which seemed to be the highlight of Larnaca.

I walked up to Finikoudes Beach, a long stretch of sand lined with socially distanced deck chairs, with heaps of mostly chain restaurants across the road - Starbucks, Pizza Hut, TGI Fridays. There were also heaps of kiosks where you could buy drinks and ice cream for next to nothing, which definitely came in handy when temperatures hit 34'C (feeling like 39!)

From Finikoudes I headed down the beach via the Church of St Lazarus, a pretty building filled with gold painted Saints inside. A long promenade brought me along the seafront and past about 20 ice cream shops in a row - it was only right to stop at one of them so I sampled a strawberry chocolate scoop from Da Vinci. Delicious.

I continued down to Mackenzie Beach where the lady at the tourist office had told me I could go for all my clubbing needs (in this crazy time? I think not) Again, the beach was full of deck chairs and bars and restaurants which I'm sure would usually be stuffed to the gills at this time of year.

I made my way back to the apartment to get away from the heat for a while before venturing out later in the afternoon towards the Salt Lake. Unlike the beaches, the lakeshore was completely deserted, and I found myself wondering were I to perish from the heat (quite possible), when anyone would find me... Thankfully I made it to the lookout point in one piece and get pleasant views across the lake and towards the hill topped with wind turbines.

Little did I know that I would be returning to the Salt Lake that evening after researching the best place to watch the sunset. Yes, whilst the beaches might be nice, they are facing completely the wrong direction for sunset! I wandered back to the lake and perched myself down to watch the spectacular sunset with not a soul in sight.  

In spite of already having done close to 40,000 steps for my busy day, I still had a bit of energy left, so walked back up via Mackenzie beach to see what life was like at night. Surprisingly, it was the ice cream shops that seemed to be busiest - obviously the best night time activity in Larnaca.

My friend arrived in the wee hours of the morning, which meant Day 2 would be much of a repeat of the first day so that he could get to grips with what to see too. But first, breakfast. At this point, I really should be sponsored by TripAdvisor since I rave about them so much, but they have yet to let me down yet. TA suggested Stoana Kato for breakfast. The menu was extensive, and I opted for Superfood Menu B - pancakes, a bowl of yoghurt with honey and granola, two poached eggs on toast, and what looked to be a whole avocado for under €9. That avocado alone would have cost me more than the whole meal in Australia!

Not only this, but it truly was delicious, and the staff were very helpful in helping us decide just what off of the massive menu we should order. My friend got an iced coffee with a scoop of their homemade cookies and cream ice cream, and let me tell you that that in itself was life changing.

The rest of the day was much the same as the day before, with the exception of actually getting in the sea today. Beautifully pleasant warm water and very shallow, so even the least confident of swimmers would have nothing to worry about.

As the day began drawing to a close, we decided to make our way to dinner at Maqam Al Sultun, at the foot of Finikoudes Beach. This Lebanese restaurant had yet another extensive menu, and I was happy to see they had the option of a Vegetarian Platter for one, meaning I got to try a variety of different dishes: falafel, baba ganoush, hummus, tabbouleh and more for under €15! Yum.

As you may have gathered, by this point I had seen practically all of the hotspots in Larnaca, but if there was anything else to see, you can be darn sure I was going to find it. My first stop was the Medieval Fort, which helped me pass half an hour or so wandering around the small complex, with the fortifications allowing an unusual view of the beaches from higher up.

I had hoped to visit the Salt and Pepper museum, because who wouldn't want to visit a museum dedicated to Salt and Pepper shakers, but sadly it was closed and looked likely to remain that way until further notice. The last thing I could think of doing was visiting the Panagia Faneromani Church which, like St Lazarus, had a pleasant architectural design, although it too was shut so I wasn't able to check out what it might be like inside.

Having thoroughly ticked off everything in the vicinity, the only thing left to do was eat. My destination was Refuel, a super quirky ice cream and juice bar along the promenade. The owner, Chris, served me two scoops of a traditional Cypriot flavour made with the syrup of what looked like a dried bean, and chocolate orange for the ridiculous price of €2. 3 scoops would've been just €2.50! I was tempted, but something told me I'd be eating more than enough this trip...

The afternoon's activity consisted of catching the bus to Kiti, which had been recommended as a nearby town worth visiting. We spent a little while trying to find the church which, whilst beautiful, was without a doubt the only thing to see in Kiti, and I think we ended up taking more time waiting for the bus on the way back than we did actually in Kiti.

At least wasting time waiting for the bus led us all the way up to dinner, and we headed to Alasia along the promenade for souvlaki and an unusual halloumi filled ravioli. Whilst the food was decent, the service was good but slow, and I was desperate to catch the sunset again, so I legged it to the Salt Lake right after our complimentary watermelon was served to watch the remains of the day from the olive grove. Couldn't have asked for a better end to the day...

Stay tuned for more of my Cypriot adventures coming soon, including travels to the country's biggest cities, ancient ruins, and a trip to the bottom of the ocean... To be the first to know, make sure to check me out on Twitter @CiarasCountry, and let me know where I should aim to travel to once the word gets back to some normality by dropping a message in the comments below. Thanks for reading!