Monday 4 May 2009

Cyprus still - 24th April to 3rd May 09


Sleeping in our upstairs bedroom is like being in a nest. It's a single room perched on a flat roof; a door or a window on each of the four walls. Sitting in bed this morning we listened to thunder rolling round the mountain side. The sea was lost in mist, and sun rays were shining thru' clouds like a biblical picture. Water pours off the flat roof when it rains, and we collected it in buckets to water the lemon tree and vine.
There was a desperate water shortage in Cyprus last year. Millions of gallons of the stuff had to be bought from Greece, transported in ships. No Cypriot houses have drainpipes, or any way of storing domestic waste water; and it is now illegal to use hoses for washing cars or watering plants. Add to that the modern trappings of life -washing and washing up machines, swimming pools etc-and it's not hard to work out the odds for water starvation. Of course we're still in the dark ages, with interesting original house features ..such as the rusting oil drum that serves as a chimney...and no water guzzlers, all muscle!

We spent the last few days in the company of Aydin Mehmet-Ali, and some of her very hospitable friends. Aydin is an old friend of Andeas' from the Hackney Cypriot Association. She repatriated to Cyprus five years ago. She likes to live in both the North and South of the island, and resolutely refuses to recognise the division into Turkish and Greek administrations. She has a cotton bag which carries the slogan 'WHERE THERE'S A WILL THERE'S A WAY' and this pretty much describes Aydin -she makes good things happen.

Aydin's flat in Famagusta, on the North side, is on the beach, and as close as you can be to the 'DEAD ZONE'. This is the area fenced off by the Turkish army after the 1974 invasion and left to rot. It is an extraordinary sight. From her beach, which is a gorgeous natural lagoon, but deserted, you look down 3km of 'dead zone' coastline. At first glance it looks like any seaside city -full of big hotels and other high-rise buildings. But there's been nobody there for 35 years, and soon you notice,in the nearest buildings, that there's no glass in the windows, and the lift shafts have collapsed. We stayed for 3 days, exploring old Famagusta and travelling some. The election in the North two weeks ago brought in a right wing government, and a settlement between North and South now looks as far away as ever. The 'dead zone will continue its decay.

Famagusta was for centuries the main port of Cyprus, and very wealthy. The old town is surrounded by huge fortified walls, originally built in the 12th century by the French (Lusignans). When the Venetians took over, they had Leonardo da Vinci over to advise on design for further fortification. The city is famous for its myriad of sand stone churches dating from the Byzantine times, but unfortunately all are at various stages of ruin. We spent the day cycling all round the city with Aydin as our guide. Othello castle gave us an inside to the Shakespeare play in a very dramatic way. Its chambers, high high ceiling halls
and secretive fortified tunnels became a vivid reminder of the intrigues and treachery of the story.

Some 100km east of Famagusta is the monastery of Apostolos Andreas, our visit on the 3rd day. The monastery has some significance to Andreas' life. He last visited the place when he was sick with whooping cough at the age of 6, carrying a candle as tall as him, with the hope that the Apostle would cure his illness. In the end what cured him was the daily milk of a donkey in Limassol! The Karpasia region is the long slither of land from Famagusta to the Cape; the monastery is at the very tip -really dramatic and remote. The terrain, the light, the red sandy beaches are as gorgeous and impressive as they are bright and empty. Swimming naked in a beach as long as the eye can see, with its surrounded hills inhabited by just birds and wild donkeys, is something to relish for ever!

Back in Lysos, we take refuge this evening, from the rain and dust storms that have plagued the day, at the house of Michael (Andreas' brother), Jane (his wife) and their 5 little white dogs. We haven't worked out how to transfer photos on their computer, so these will have to wait until next time. We will leave Cyprus on 8th May, on a boat bound for Rhodes. Because Aydin is coming with us, we have changed our original iterary; spending less time on the Greek islands, and more time travelling up through the Aegean coastal region of Turkey. Aydin, Jane and Michael (and many thousands of retiring Brits) have made their home here in Cyprus, but we could not. We would so miss our friends and family. This blog is a way of saying 'ello, and hoping that you're all blooming.

xxxxS and A



5 comments:

Mikis said...

Hi Mum & Dad....

It seems you are always on an adventure and finding out the mystical past of the mediteranian. Here we are looking forward to our trip to Paris and are doing all the preperations needed.

The last few days have been beautiful sunny days and we have been spending most of our time gardening or BBQing. Monique spent a small countries GNP on hardy flowers but they do look lovley!

Of course we are missing you but it's nice to know that you are on the other end of a Blog or a phone.

Hello to all the Family in Cyprus and to Ayden.

Love...

Mikis, Monz, Melissa & Myron

David Pollock said...

Just to let you know that someone else is reading your blog - and envying you no end! Looking forward to the photos when you manage it.

- David

Alexisdv8 said...

Hi S and A

Lovely to hear all about your travels..wondering where you are right now! No doubt having a great adventure.

Ella is growing so much. We've finally managed to take some video footage of her and will take some more this weekend. She is learning fast how to shuffle around like a swamp guinea pig and mimic us with clapping, waving and shaking her head - all with her usual beaming smile.

Weve been busy getting the house soretd today with bike rack, new wardrobe, TV wallmount and curtains for Ellas room. She is getting into a good sleeping routine now so may be ready to move next door soon

Work is busy as usual with lots of new interesting projects coming up.

The cats are fine and the garden flourishing with the sun and rain switching from day to day.

Anyway - more news soon

Alexis, Sheya & Baby Ella xxx

Alexisdv8 said...

Hi S and A

Lovely to hear all about your travels..wondering where you are right now! No doubt having a great adventure.

Ella is growing so much. We've finally managed to take some video footage of her and will take some more this weekend. She is learning fast how to shuffle around like a swamp guinea pig and mimic us with clapping, waving and shaking her head - all with her usual beaming smile.

Weve been busy getting the house soretd today with bike rack, new wardrobe, TV wallmount and curtains for Ellas room. She is getting into a good sleeping routine now so may be ready to move next door soon

Work is busy as usual with lots of new interesting projects coming up.

The cats are fine and the garden flourishing with the sun and rain switching from day to day.

Anyway - more news soon

Alexis, Sheya & Baby Ella xxx

wight said...

Lovely to hear all your news, we had such vivid images of the Cyprus house when reading that bit. Frightening to hear of the water shortage, hope things improve this year. Lovely to have that phone conversation with you the other day Sabrina. We are all fine, and Jo is continuing to make progress, but slowly. She now has her computer working (Jim found 52 viruses on it when he was trying to reinstate it!) But good news that she is prepared to email again. Here is her address, she would be so thrilled to hear from you! jo.wight52@talktalk.net

Keep well and happy travelling to you both.

Love Rachel and Jim xx