Cyprus

We stayed in the Rododafni apartments on the coast at Chlorakas just north of the Tombs of the Kings and the Paphos lighthouse. How do you like the view from the bedroom? Writing in 2007, I can tell you that the area is now much more built up, but the Rododafni complex maintains its charm. Only a footpath separates the gardens from a rocky foreshore.

History and Prehistory
For me, Cyprus has a continuity which stretches back further in time than the neolithic dwellings of Khirokoitia and the ancient fertility goddess worship which evolved into the cult of Aphrodite centred on Kouklia, near Paphos. Khirokoitia is nearer Larnaca. Remains of a small Neolithic settlement can be seen at Lempa, on the northern outskirts of Paphos.


	Len and Rosie posing as god and goddess at the Roman amphitheatre at Kourion, west of Lemesos (Limassol)
Aphrodite's true nature	A spring line on the northern coast of the Akamas peninsula gives rise to pools such as this which have been named Aphrodite's Baths. Legend has it that the goddess was continually able to renew herself by bathing. Mortal women like me hope they can get the same benefits by paddling in the pools!

Travel round the southwestern headland towards Paphos, where deep ocean oozes have been heaved to the surface as white chalk, stunted shrubs litter the hillsides and cicadas resonate in the summer. I feel as if this area is erotically charged. Aphrodite is supposed to have emerged from the waves at Petra tou Roumiou here, when the seed of her father Uranus was scattered on the ocean.

Hillside in chalky limestone, southwest Cyprus

Cyprus (Kypros) lies at the eastern end of the Mediterranean. The name of the island derives from the discovery of copper by the third millenium BC, which encouraged settlement. Cyprus has been repeatedly invaded and settled, assimilating the influence of Greeks, Romans, Byzantine Christianity, Islam, Saracens, Crusaders, Franks and the British. It became independent of Britain in 1960, but a Turkish-backed invasion in 1974 has divided the island into the Turkish occupied northern stretch, where Kyrenia is the main town, from the Greek Cypriot southern half, capital Nicosia (now known as Lefkosia).

Visit the Green Line in northern Lefkosia and peer through a spyhole. The streets on the other side are abandoned and deserted, as they were in July 1974, when our friend who had travelled to see the geology had to prostrate himself on the floor of his hotel room as bullets whizzed over his head.

Kypros-Net: Eureka! for detailed categories of information. Cyprus' main Internet organization.

Geography and Flora

George and Rosie at the entrance to one of the narrow gorges on the Akamas peninsula, where water flows all year round, rare on this dry island. George is there - in the shadows!

Botanic treasures can be found in the as yet undeveloped Akamas peninsula in western Cyprus and the Troodos mountain range in the centre of the island. Many species are endemic to Cyprus. When you go there, look in the supermarkets for "Wild flowers of Cyprus" by George Sfikas which is a very comprehensive guide. It's also available in French and German.

	Cyprus has a unique and varied flora. Species such as wild iris, anemones, asphodel, orchids, cyclamen and poppies are profligate in Spring.

	Fruit trees are in full blossom in Spring. By July, the markets are full of luscious apricots and cherries. Vines are everywhere.

As the weather turned hot and dry on the coast and lowlands, snow, at least 30 cm deep, still lay on the uppermost peaks of the Troodos, but was melting fast. There was still skiing.

The Troodos has fabulous scenery and is a walker's paradise. Many Greek Orthodox churches and monasteries deriving from the Byzantine era remain there. See a guide to the Troodos and its Byzantine legacy here, and yet more links.

All for now, but I hope to add more. If you'd like to search for books about Cyprus, why not use the search link below to visit Amazon.com?