PAPHOS.

CYPRUS – ISLAND OF APHRODITE

„…Travel educates the educated ones…”

UNKNOWN.

We went to the southwestern coast of Cyprus, belonging to the Greek part, five years ago. According to mythology, Aphrodite was born on this island. This Greek goddess of beauty, love and fertility, emerged according to legends, from sea foam. In her honour, for centuries the sanctuaries, statues and places of worship were developed in this area. Above all women prayed to her, for marital intentions, but also she was the goddess of sailors.

This island, located in the Mediterranean Sea, has always been between two worlds. From the very beginning, Cyprus has been a strategic place for the world’s most influential cultures. It has years of great splendour, successes, power, but also disasters, wars and damages.

How does Paphos look like today?

When we visited Athens a few months ago, it was obvious that Cyprus and Greece had a lot in common. Not only rich history, similar architectural motifs, impressive monuments and endearing nature. Unfortunately, they also share economic situation. Perhaps in the past five years something has changed in the urban landscape of Paphos, perhaps abandoned stores, unfinished buildings, or rather dilapidated houses, today they have risen from crisis stagnation. I hope so, because Cyprus is really beautiful!

Traveling to Cyprus is not complicated. From most European countries you can get to the main centers of the island: Paphos, Limassol, Larnaca, by low cost airlines. The airport in Paphos is only about 10 miles from the city, which allows quick and convenient access to most districts on this side of the island. Public transport is very well developed here, and is not complicated. The entire network of available buses and their service can be found on the Paphos Transport Organization website. Ticket prices are very affordable. Depending on the direction and method of travel, we have to pay for such a ticket from 1.5 euros upwards.

The most famous historical treasures of Cyprus in the area of Paphos include: the Byzantine Medieval Castle, belonging to the UNESCO World Heritage – Royal Tombs, or the Archaeological Park, open every day, all year round, in which we can admire the House of Dionysus, House of Orpheus, beautiful mosaics and amazing ancient foundations.

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And all this with beautiful nature in the background … A charming lighthouse, in the vicinity of the ancient odeon, wonderful beaches, the Blue Lagoon, beautiful small villages, on the way to the Troodos mountains, forests, wonderful meadows. It blows … oh it blows there all the time ! 😉 But the views make up for all the weather inconveniences 😀 The perfect guide to this region of Cyprus is the page: My Cyprus Insider.

Statistically 46 rainy days a year !!! 😀 This undeniably encourages aspect to visit Aphrodite’s island. Even if you are not an amateur of hiking, ancient history or mountaineering trapper, you will still find something for yourself in this beautiful corner of the Mediterranean world. Aphrodite Water Park, quad trips along the shoreline, or tasting local specialities, even the most demanding tourists will find something for themselves 😉 .

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Referring to Cypriot cuisine, it is naturally very similar to traditional Greek kitchen, which I wrote about quite recently. It is light, aromatic, colourful, nicely prepared and served. Large restaurants, small taverns, intimate local cafes, this all adds to the charm of this place. When shopping, I definitely recommend buying delicious olives, excellent spices, and really high-quality wines 😉

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Cyprus, despite struggling with more or less mundane problems of modern times, definitely deserves the name of the homeland of the goddess of beauty. Aphrodite still watches over his land, it can be felt in the caller, Cypriot air, the kindness of the inhabitants and the beauty of nature. We met many people there, who moved from continental Europe to those regions for many reasons. The most beautiful I heard from a lady from Scotland was one word : the sun 🙂