|
Savouring Cyprus by
Dr. Derrick Hurlin
picture of
Polis courtesy http://cyprusholidayrentals.net/
pg. 4 - Polis and the
Southwestern drive
Lemesos was to be just a stopover on
the way to Polis. However, just west of Lemesos, we visited two historic
sites that made us wish we' stayed another day. The Lemesos Fort is
a 14th century fort built on an earlier Byzantine site, and is an excellent
example of its kind. Nearby is the Kourion site - a restored theatre
of the 2nd century BC and excavations of a settlement of the 5th century
AD. These are so well presented, that we could have stayed another day
to view them at leisure.
Pafos, on the south-west corner of the island, is not to be missed.
The entire town is on the UNESCO list of cultural world treasures. We
by-passed Pafos to be in time for an appointment in Polis, but it's
less than 40km between the towns, so we were back in a few days to explore.
In Pafos we visited the most remarkable archaeological site on the island.
Known as the Kato Pafos Archaeological Park. There are several, separate
sites all in the same "park", with well-preserved remains
from prehistoric times up to the Middle Ages. For Jenn and me, it was
almost worth the whole trip to Cyprus just to see the extensive Roman
floor mosaics, in excellent condition after being buried for 1600 years.
There is much to see in Pafos, and we could have done with at least
two days there. Tradition has it that Aphrodite rose from the sea near
Paphos, and lived on the island.
There are two roads up to Polis. There is the wide, direct, B7 motorway,
but we chose the longer, more leisurely coast road. What beautiful,
ever-changing vistas of the sparsely inhabited, rocky coastline and
the blue, blue sea!
Polis is an unpretentious town, tucked into Chrysochou in the north-west
of the island. But it's full of surprises! One evening, going for a
walk, we came upon the town square. This was just crowded with busy
restaurants, and again, we experienced the festive Cyprus. So we joined
in too, and enjoyed the wonderful Cypriot menu at the La Piazzetta restaurant.
After dinner, Andrea, our friendly and energetic waitress, brought us
a Baclava dessert, and a cup of coffee - "from the house".
Polis is a good starting point for exploring western Cyprus. The area
is mostly agricultural, but we found many places of interest. Along
the coast to the west of Polis, we found the Baths of Aphrodite in a
wooded little park. The baths are a pool inside a grotto. Here, it is
said, Adonis saw Aphrodite bathing au naturel, and they fell in love.
We drove along that part of the north
coast, driving through the many little seaside villages. It is here,
as far as Kato on the Turkish border, that we saw some of the most spectacular
coast and ocean views.
To get from Polis into the Troodos mountains, we drove south almost
to Pafos, then east onto the A6 motorway. We took the Kantou turnoff,
and headed up into the spectacular Troodos range to our destination
in village of Pano Platres. We were almost in sight of the highest point,
Mount Olympus (1951 metres). So the next day, we followed the winding
road, through the village of Troodos Resort, to within walking distance
of the peak. Layer upon layer of mountains unfolded below us, fading
into the blue haze of distance. It is this area that is crowded with
ski enthusiasts in the winter. In the summer, it is a backpackers paradise,
with many trails laid out by the CTO. Spectacular Cyprus!
Apart from the breathtaking beauty of the mountains, there are also
several ancient sites to be visited in the Troodos. We were sorry to
have to leave.
next page - pg. 5 -
Nicosia & a brief jaunt to Northern Cyprus
<---------
back to Cyprus articles mainpage
for
inquiries and comments (non-commercial only please):
go.mideast @ yahoo.com
Copyright
©2003-2008 gomideast.com unless otherwise credited
about us
- website terms of use
|
