Memories and hints of a travelling IT professional.
Checking-in at the Mayfair hotel at Πάφος is like entering the party zone. It is one of these classic all-inclusive hotels that people book that want to hang out at the pool all day, need children’s entertainment and like all food and drinks already paid. Unfortunately, I only found at about this when reaching the hotel.
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The city of Πάφος is a vivid place and many people get here for their beach vacations. But the city also has a long history, and the most important site is the archaeological area of Nea Paphos next to the harbor. While Πάφος was already founded in the 4th century BCE this UNESCO world heritage site lets you explore Roman villas from the 2nd and 3rd century CE.
Continue reading “Amazing mosaics”
The Akámas peninsula is the northwestern end of Cyprus is covered by beautiful nature and protected as a national park. You can best discover it by hiking. In the last years, many people switched to renting quads and disturb the peace and quietness of this are. An alternative is to discover the northern shore by car and a lot of visitors decide to visit the Baths of Aphrodite there.
Continue reading “Secret pond”
It’s a natural wonder, a nice hike, and the chance to climb through a deep gorge: the Avakas gorge on the Akámas peninsula. The small river Avgás has cut deep into the mountain and the gorge is only four meters wide while the rocks above you are thirty meters high. It’s an absolute pleasure to walk through this area but you need good footwear, and you need to be ready to jump over water and to climb over rocks.
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Cyprus is the country of the ancient Greek goddess Aphrodite, the goddess of love, beauty, and sexuality. The inhabitants use this to market their country and you’ll find her name everywhere on the island. According to mythology, Cronus had cut off the genitals of his father Uranus (yes, a weird story) and thrown them into the water. And out of the foam of the waves came Aphrodite.
Continue reading “Aphrodite’s rock”
If you’re looking for a lovely place to end your day at Λεμεσός, often the Saripolou square is recommended. It is a public place surrounded by many good bars and restaurants. In addition, there is the AGORA, a large food market as they’re spreading currently throughout Europe, where you can get food and drinks from different stalls and sit down in the middle.
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You might be a bit disappointed when you search for the castle of Λεμεσός: it is in the harbor area and three hundred meters away from the shore. And it looks just like a rectangular building without further fortifications. But inside you can visit the medieval museum of the city and the building itself is very well preserved. It was built in 1590 CE under Ottoman rule.
Continue reading “Cœur de Lion”
What to expect from a zoological garden located inside a city like Λεμεσός? It is a smaller zoo, and it can be found close to the city center, directly at the sea. The zoo has been recently reconstructed and natural materials like wood, stone and rope have been used. That gives this place a wonderful atmosphere and the habitats seem to be suitable for the reduced number of species living there.
Continue reading “By the sea”
Λεμεσός is a very touristy place on Cyprus with a massive number of hotels. Especially the Russians seem to have decided that this is the place to be. The place is therefore overcrowded, and tourist guides recommend to not try to get to the city center by car – but to park out somewhere near the local zoological garden. And that is also the area where you can find the Curium palace hotel.
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If I would search for a place to create a city on Cyprus, I would probably decide for the area of Kourion, in the west of Λεμεσός: the views on the Mediterranean Sea are just breathtaking. Maybe that was also the reason why the city-state of Kourion was created here in the 13th century BCE. Today you can discover manyfold Roman traces here: beautiful mosaics, an ancient theatre und Roman baths that have been heated by fire.
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