Text: Elena Olkhovskaya
Not everyone is so lucky. In the midst of working days, allow yourself a few days to escape to the divine island of Cyprus. And not to Limassol, which was studied up and down by Russian tourists, who discovered this visa-free miracle island with the possibility of opening offshore companies at the dawn of the 1990s, after the fall of the Iron Curtain, but to where, according to legend, from sea foam the goddess of love Aphrodite was born ....
From Dubai to Larnaca
You can get to Cyprus today without much tricks. There is only one "but." Now tourists traveling to this island need a "Schengen" visa. Moreover, it’s kind of intricate, you can fly with it only to Cyprus, you won’t be allowed to go to other countries of the Schengen zone with this visa. Well, okay, I didn’t really want to. I fly from Dubai to Cyprus by Emirates flight, though the Larnaca International Airport is listed as a transit point in its route list, where the plane lands us and a few more people, and leaves for Malta. That is why, even when landing in Dubai, such incomprehensible to me seemed alternating inscriptions on the scoreboard indicating completely different cities under the same flight number - either Cypriot Larnaca or Malta. So, we attribute this to the early morning hours, when the sleepy brain is still not at all tuned to the perception of information. We settle down comfortably, fasten seatbelts, fly, eat, doze, read, listen to the cabin crew messages, bring the seatbacks back to an upright position, go to the landing ... Voila! There she is, Larnaca. Larnaca International Airport is small and somewhat patriarchal. This is probably compared to the giant Dubai air port. The airport building is quiet, like in a country store, the walls are decorated with billboards with inscriptions in Russian. But in Paphos we go to the Mercedes! This is a local taxi. The road from Larnaca to Paphos is fast, the traffic is left-hand, as in England, the taxi driver is completely crazy, not adhering to any speed limits. Or in vain am I on him? Suddenly he just broke a speedometer? From this, however, it is not easier. Especially if you pay attention to the characteristic spots on the windshield left over from the "downed" insects. So, with a breeze, we arrive at the most fashionable resort complex of the island InterContinental Aphrodite Hills Resort ....
Sleep, eat, drink .... or the delights of a spa holiday
You need to be able to be lazy. You must admit that not everyone can spend days on the beach or in a sun lounger near the pool, do nothing and indulge in empty dreams and idle thoughts. Today, for many, this is simply unacceptable luxury. Meanwhile, the Cypriots do not see anything reprehensible in the pleasures, so no one dares to blame you for eating or drinking, or spending time in the Spa, on the beach, in the golf club or on horseback riding. And you can just be lazy at a resort like Aphrodite Hills in full. Moreover, with taste!
In fairness, it should be noted that there are a lot of five-star hotels and resorts along the coast of the island, but it was me who entered the Aphrodite Hills under the control of the world-famous InterContinental chain, which I was extremely happy about. Located on a high plateau, split by a picturesque gorge, the Aphrodite Hills resort complex possesses perhaps the best Mediterranean views in Cyprus, although it is located at a sufficient distance from the beach. Aphrodite Hills Resort is a whopping 234 hectares of breathtaking landscapes. In the center of the resort complex is the Village Square (Village Square) with small shops and company boutiques, cozy restaurants, taverns and bars. On the square, it is customary to stroll in the fresh air before dinner. The hotel has created the most comfortable conditions for relaxation - rooms of different classes, a wide selection of restaurants and bars, banquet rooms for business and leisure. Here you can play tennis or golf on the professional 18-hole course, ride a horse, take a bike ride or take hiking trails along the gorge. For children in the complex created a specialized children's club with playgrounds and a center for teenagers. A huge open-air pool, as well as an indoor pool with water temperature control, allow you to enjoy swimming all year round. The Reatreat Spa Center is a paradise designed in the style of the classic baths of Ancient Greece and Rome. Treatments at The Retreat are provided in the "baths" - a gallery of special rooms and pools with increasing temperature. There are fragrant gardens and fountains here, and in the open pavilions in the fresh air you can not only get a massage, but also enjoy wonderful views of the Mediterranean Sea. They say that The Retreat Spa is the best spa center in all of Cyprus. I believe that this is true, because on weekends it is not possible to register for an hour massage. Wealthy locals with whole families come to The Retreat Spa for the weekend.
Yes, I allow myself a little digression. This resort is especially popular among the newlyweds. And not by chance. Right in the territory of Aphrodite Hills stands the active Orthodox Church of St. Catherine (Cypriots profess Orthodoxy), where many weddings are traditionally celebrated in the fall. Many newlyweds plan their wedding ceremony and honeymoon in advance, as there are many people who want to get married in such a romantic setting. On ordinary days, any believer can enter the church and venerate the icons, on special occasions - Orthodox holidays and Sundays, for baptism and wedding ceremonies, a priest comes here from the neighboring village of Pissouri to conduct a service. I can’t say that the whole population of Cyprus is not working, no. Just the rhythm of life of the Cypriots is very measured, despite the fact that they work in good faith and a lot. Earnings, however, local residents have small, and prices are the same as in other countries of the euro area. This, however, does not prevent Cypriots from enjoying life. In Cyprus there are three national sports - food, drink and entertainment.
What else to do when you live on an island kissed by the gods and filled with tourists of all stripes? Throughout the day, you will be offered here to drink a glass or two of wonderful local wine or beer, and enjoy a traditional meze. By the way, out of ignorance, if you have already been ordered "meze" in a restaurant or a local tavern, do not order anything else from the menu! In Cyprus, “meze" is of three types - meat, fish and assorted. We in Dubai, accustomed to Lebanese hot and cold snacks with the similar name "mezze", consisting of small plates with "hummus", "mutabala", various salads, and we do not suspect that the "meze" in Cypriot is from 18 to 30 full-fledged dishes of meat or fish, or, respectively, of both, with vegetables, side dishes, sauces, tortillas and greens. In a word, the first dinner in Cyprus reminded me of scenes from the movie "My Big Greek Wedding." It seems that everyone here knows each other (in most cases, the way it is), dance, sing, have fun and deserve to praise the chef. It is impossible to eat everything set on the table, and even the strongest booze is not able to drink that amount of the already mentioned local wine. It is strange why most hospitable and hospitable Cypriots are so thin? Maybe the air of the Mediterranean has some kind of magical effect on the body? Or is it all about the goddess Aphrodite, who patronizes the islanders? No wonder she was born here ...
To the glory of the goddess of love and beauty
They say that even in ancient times, people came to the birthplace of the goddess of love and beauty Aphrodite. Men to find eternal love and masculine power, and women to get rid of infertility. Cypriots today absolutely sincerely believe that if you swim three times around the cliff of Aphrodite, which protrudes from the waves of the Mediterranean Sea, at night in the full moon, you will gain divine beauty and remarkable health. According to our guide, many women who come to the island try to use this advice of local residents. True, in May, when I hit the strip of the divine Mediterranean coast, out of the water, to put it mildly - very cool, a male tourist crawled out and wiped himself, and, judging by the expressions, Russian. Well. As it turned out, nothing human is alien to men. Everyone wants the beauty and health bestowed by the goddess. Especially if you are slightly bald, a cricone, and not young. I sincerely hope that this tourist got everything he wanted.
So that no one mixes up anything, right on the road, in the direction of the famous rock, a pointer is installed on which is “Aphrodite Birthplace” (which means “Aphrodite’s birthplace”). In general, driving past him is simply unrealistic. On a pebble beach, strewn with multi-colored pebbles, round, like pancakes, pink, gray, white, blue (I'll talk about them a bit later), a tree grows, to which all barren women come to bow, who want to find long-awaited offspring. Each woman ties a bright ribbon to the branch of the "Aphrodite tree" and asks the goddess for help. A couple of days later, the same tree caught my eye in Paphos, not far from the most ancient Catholic church (almost the only one, since all the other churches in the city are Orthodox), where a string of believers were heading for the Easter holiday service ... I don’t know, Do trees influence the demographic situation in Cyprus, as they should, but there seem to be a little more young people on the island than older people ....
Not pathos Paphos
Have you ever thought about the meaning of the word "pathos". In fact, there are several, and all interpretations can be found in the dictionary. But the people of Cyprus know for sure that Paphos is the name of the son of the famous sculptor Pygmalion, who fell in love with the statue of Galatea that he created. At the request of the sculptor, the same goddess Aphrodite revived the statue, and Galatea brought Pygmalion a son, whom the lovers called Paphos. In honor of this child, the port city of Paphos, which was the capital of Cyprus during Roman rule, got its name. There is nothing pathos in Paphos. An ordinary port city, with the Kato Paphos promenade, cheerful people, narrow streets and a huge number of restaurants, cafes and taverns, where it is noisy and bustling day and night.
But it was in Paphos that mosaics were found in the villa of Dionysos dating back to the 3rd century. AD Of course, Dionysus, the hero of ancient Greek myths, has nothing to do with the villa, just the so-called remnants of a large house that once belonged to the rich Romans. The floors of this and other houses were adorned with delightful mosaics. Moreover, all mosaics in Cyprus are made of local stone, and not of multi-colored smalt or glass, as in Florence. That is why they came to us almost in their original form, not changing at all. The same stones and pebbles (remember, I promised to tell you a little more about them) are strewn with all the paths around the archaeological site, and if you look closely, you can see a great many of them - yellowish, pinkish, bluish shades, even though now take and fold the mosaic. And in local restaurants, by the way, on round flat stones rolled in by the sea, the numbers of the tables are written so that the waiters do not get confused ....
Yes, not far from Villa Dionysus is Villa Theseus, on one of the mosaics which depicts Theseus’ clash with the Minotaur, and on the other - the first bath of Achilles (this was when he was held by the heel, which later became the most vulnerable place of the heroic mythical hero). By the way, all the mosaics in the villa of Dionysus also depict one or another ancient Greek myth, each of which begins with a love story and, as a rule, ends tragically - either by the death of one of the lovers, or, as in the movie, the phrase: “In short, everyone died " A colorful booklet with all the mosaics and related stories can be purchased here, at the exit to the embankment and port.
The fortress of Paphos, located in the port, was built by the Turks in 1592 on the ruins of a medieval castle. The large castle hall serves this hour as an exhibition gallery. From the roof of the fortress you should admire the view of the port and the surrounding area. To the north of the villa of Dionysus is the restored Roman theater of the ll century. In summer, performances and concerts are held here. In addition, noteworthy are: The Grotto of St. Solomonia, Royal Tombs. Column of St. Paul and the famous lighthouse of the city of Paphos.
Cypriot coffee
Photos are taken, things are stacked, souvenirs are bought. ... It remains to drink a cup of coffee in the end. God forbid you ask for a cup of "Turkish coffee" in Cyprus. You will not only not be understood, but also put on the list of enemies or dunno. Due to territorial disputes, several cities in the northern part of this beautiful and ever-blooming island have been under Turkish rule since 1974. Therefore, coffee in Cyprus can only be brewed in Cypriot style. In the same cezves, according to the same principle and recipe, from the same grains, thick and strong. Like the wind blowing on the Cyprus coast from the sea, from which Aphrodite once came out to the people - the goddess of love and beauty.
