Cyprus - Sightseeing

When we didn't enjoy the pool at Villa Diamond #5 we drove around the island to discover more of Cyprus.

On our second evening we drove a few kilometers to Coral Bay both for dinner and the beach. In Chlorakas the coast is really rocky and going into the sea is quite difficult. Our travel guide said that the closest sandy beaches were in Coral Bay so there we went. Because we were so hungry we had to eat first. Coral Bay is probably really crowded and busy in the summer but when we were there it felt a bit like a ghost tourist town. There were a few older English tourists there but otherwise we had most of the restaurant and the streets to ourselves. While we were eating the sun was setting behind the palm trees. We tried to catch the last bit of the sun at the beach but by the time we got there, it had already disappeared, so we just had a look at the sand and the water before we headed home. It actually got cold quite fast once the sun was gone.

On the next day we drove back to the centre of Paphos. It's only about 5 kilometeres away from Chlorakas but the streets in Paphos are really narrow and confusing so it was an adventure to find a parking space and to find the Archaeological Park which was our destination. Right next to the harbour and the sea there is a big area which has been part of the UNESCO World Heritage list since 1980. There are many remains of huge buildings and you can see beautiful mosaics with motives from the Greek mythology. It is also just a beautiful place to walk around and look over the sea back towards Chlorakas. I was glad we went there in May, it must be really hot during the summer months.

We didn't see a lot of modern Paphos. After walking around the park we were rather tired and hungry so we had lunch right next to the sea in one of the many restaurants on Poseidonos Avenue.

On Tuesday we decided to go to Polis, on the western coast of the island. It looked really close, less than 40 kilometers, but there are a lot of hills in between Chlorakas and Chrysochou Bay. Our car wasn't really the fastest on the way up, but we made it without problems. It was interesting to see how fast the landscaped changed into different colours, many shades of brown and grey and much less green once we left the banana plantations behind us. In Polis we left the car, had a glass of hand pressed orange juice in the main square - a must for tourists ;-) and then we went to the museum. They had a lovely exhibition with mostly clay jugs, jewellery and other finds from nearby excavations. Of course, Yannick liked the cannon best. We also went to Latsi, a small town just next to Polis, mostly because we wanted to go to the beach.

On our last full day Antonia and I drove eastwards towards another archaelogical site close to Limassol. Getting there was amusing, we almost drowned on the highway because it poured so hard, I drove on the wrong side for a little while to the consternation of some drivers who were on the correct side (nothing happened, it wasn't on the highway but a bit later) and we got lost a few times bccause we didn't have a proper map, but in the end we found Kourion. Again the location was really beautiful but it was also very windy.

On our way back to Chlorakas we stopped at Pissouri Bay for lunch and that restaurant was just the best spot ever to enjoy a typical Greek mixed grill with halloumi. Nothing beats good food to the sound of crashing waves.

Apart from these little car trips I really loved running along the sea in both directions. I always took a few photos with my phone, both to catch my breath and to capture the beautiful surroundings. I wished I could run there much more easily...

Too soon it was time to fly home again. While we were waiting for take off at Paphos International Airport we could see the rainclouds getting closer again. Once we were in the air it got really scary, the plane was jumping up and down and I have to say I was very glad when we reached the end of the clouds and all was calmer again in the sunshine.