CHRISTMAS IN CYPRUS Part 4

Tuesday December 27th one day before our return home we thought we would do some local exploring so in the morning we drove to a secluded little beach we had previously found so that Wendy could have a swim.
However being the thoughtful person she is she tried to get as near the sea as possible so that I had a good view and although I said the sand might be soft to drive on before we knew it our front wheels were well and truly stuck. She tried for a while to reverse out of the hole but to no avail so when a man and his son drove by and saw our plight they tried to push the car out but soon realised it would need a lot more that pushing to get it released.
As they were local the young man went and brought a large digger come tractor and heavy duty strap which was very difficult to attach to our hire car due to it not having a tow-bar. He had to call his Dad back and after a good hour they had our car freed and we decided to cancel the idea of a swim and head back to Paphos.

We went back to our apartment had a snack and Wendy had a good wash as she was covered in sand then went for a walk down to the little port of Paphos and took more pictures. We found a lovely walk-way that overlooked that side of Paphos and wound down a bit after our traumatic escapade in the sand.

We had our last dinner at the apartment and packed our cases ready for our flight back to Gatwick next day at 4.30pm.

We awoke quite early next morning and decided to have another walk down at the Port, it was very peaceful at that time in the morning and there were a lot of people fast walking for their morning training sessions. When we got home Wendy cooked us a nice brunch as we had to be out of the apartment by 12md. We had the option of staying for two more hours but at a cost of 30 euros!.

We got to Paphos Airport at 1.00pm and handed over the car (all washed with not a trace of sand)!!

After checking in for our flight we had a coffee in a conservatory annex which had been built adjacent to the terminal so that people could smoke. The airport itself was very up to date and very different from some I have had to wait hours in.

Our flight left without delay at 4.20pm and due to Cyprus being two hours ahead of us we arrived at Gatwick about 7.00.p.m as it is a five hour journey.

There were a lot of people on board who needed assistance so it took a little while to get our baggage. I got home about 9.00pm tired but agreed with Wendy that it had been a lovely break and she agreed that Cyprus is a very interesting Island.

CHRISTMAS IN CYPRUS Part 3

 



Sunday December 25^th Christmas Day in Cyprus! It was a bright sunny day so we thought we would take a drive up into the Troodos Mountains as I had been there before and found the scenery and views from the top spectacular. The road was very winding and the higher we got the visibility became quite poor, however we were determined to get to the top until we were stopped by a policeman who said the road ahead was very icy with snow and we could only go on if our car had chains!It was with disappointment that we had to take a road to return down but looking back we could see the snow in the distance and on the trees so we did indeed have a white Christmas if only for a few minutes. We followed the mountain road back to the coast and it wasn’t long before we were back in bright sunshine again.

 

We found some more secluded bays to investigate and also an ancient burial ground where coffins had been made in the rock. There was an old monastery on the top of a near-by hill but it was not accessible in the winter season.

 

By the time we got back to the hotel it was almost dark so Wendy set to and cooked our Christmas Dinner home-made beef-burghers and chips. I must say I thoroughly enjoyed the day so different to lunch and television at home.

Monday Boxing Day saw good weather again so we headed for the port of Limasol and drove along the sea front promenade which was very flat. We didn’t stay too long here as we thought as we were not too many miles away we would go to Nicosia as we had heard that one could access a part of Turkey from there.

 

Well the Border was well and truly hidden and not many of the locals could tell us how to find it however we did find a taxi-driver who was able to give us directions. Eventually we came to the border which was a little foreboding as there were big notices up that photography was forbidden and a sentry aloft with binoculars giving all the cars and passengers an once-over. We then had to get a pass to cross over which took 30 minutes and cost 10 Euros each.

 

It was a bit easier to get back into Cyprus we just had to show our passes again at the border. 

 

I must say I am pleased we did it because I had no idea about the border even though I have been to Cyprus several times, it was quite an education. We were quite late getting back to Paphos as we had driven quite a few miles that day.

Once over we only had about half an hour as by this time night was approaching. As motorists in Cyprus drive on the same side as us and in Turkey they drive the right hand side In my ignorance I expected we would have to suddenly change to that side of the road until Wendy explained that in fact we were still on the Island of Cyprus and driving on the right doesn’t commence until you have crossed the sea to Turkey.

CHRISTMAS IN CYPUS - Part 2

Thursday we awoke refreshed had tea and toast and then went out in our hire car to get the lie of the land. We drove to a LIDLE store and got some provisions but found grocery items much more expensive than in the UK. A few basic items beef mince, potatoes, rice, ice cream etc came to £40 sterling – the small pack of mince was almost £7. We took our shopping back to the apartment and then found the small port of Paphos which is mainly used for fishing boats and pleasure trips, very good for photography as there is a lot to capture.

Wendy cooked a nice tasty dinner for us each evening which had to be prepared and cooked with only the very basic utensils and equipment.  There was a small hob and micro-wave,  one saucepan and a frying pan and a couple of kitchen tools for preparing. When we went shopping Wendy bought a wooden spoon and two mugs which she took home with her.

The evenings were dark and quite chilly although there was a wall heater come fan in situ so we spent our evenings watching television and chatting.

Every day we drove to a place of interest, Friday visited Larnica and Wendy pushed me all around the coastal paths of the town so that we could take more photos etc. Public toilets in Cyprus as in most European Countries were almost nonexistent but we found that most Mac Donald fast food places had a wheelchair friendly toilet so we went in for a coffee and used their facilities.

There were parking meters everywhere but we found small free parking areas just off the beach access points which were handy for short stops. There were several picturesque little bays on the way back to Paphos which were well worth a visit.

Saturday Christmas Eve we did some more local exploring making sure we bought some more food items as we knew all the shops would be closed on the 25^th. Paphos was well decorated with Christmas Trees and lights in all the streets and access roads as the residents celebrate the festive season like us.

CHRISTMAS IN CYPRUS

Having been disappointed in 2011 when all the flights were cancelled from Gatwick due to snow and ice and my holiday plans had to be shelved I was very hesitant about arranging a Christmas break this year in case the same thing happened.
 
In fact I did not confirm my booking with Air Miles until the very last minute which was easy because it was held over from 2010.
 

My friend Wendy and I managed to get an apartment in a 3 star hotel in Paphos Cyprus and flew there from Gatwick on December 21^st for a week’s holiday. We picked up a pre-ordered hire car from Avis at Paphos Airport. We were not amused that we had to pay on collection for petrol 55 Euros and a waiver insurance charge in case we had an accident of 75 Euros plus another 20 Euros for environmental government tax.

We understood that we made sure the tank was full on return but we had to pay in advance which I have never had to do previously. These hidden charges were not explained on the booking form therefore came as a bit of a shock.
 
We found our hotel within an hour of leaving the Airport with only a Google Map for guidance. Our apartment was reasonably clean and consisted of a sitting with bed settee/dining/kitchen area, with two bedrooms, bathroom and toilet. On arrival it was very dark inside as all the shutters were closed.

We unpacked made a cup of tea then went for a walk to find our bearings. We decided to have a meal out for our first evening as we had no provisions. We found a restaurant offering a three course meal with wine for 10 Euros each so decided to partake. On the way back we purchased a few basic items for the morning when we would look for a hyper market to do some main shopping as Wendy was happy to cook.