The last divided capital
Tired of classic trips to the golden beach resorts and the top ten destinations? Cyprus is what you need, being a lot more than just a lazy beach time place, it’s an island, in between Greece and Turkey, where you can experience this two societies, you will feel weird while dipping into two very different cultures so effortlessly…Cyprus has it all, beautiful past, Roman ruins, countless museums remind them about they long way to the freedom. Tombs of the Kings, a great archeological site to visit, Bronze age and Phoenician tombs will amaze you, Roman mosaics in between , monasteries and Venetian walls, it seems a chaos, but that’s a part of Cyprus, a beautiful mix of cultures, making one.
Once you put your feet in here, you will immediately feel the different sides of the country, the Greek and Turkish societies, the capital Nicosia is in the middle, it’s the beating heart of Cyprus, for Greeks still named Lefkosa. The city is also known as the last divided capital, it’s very alive, attractive and enticing city, if you want to see the modern side of the country, Nicosia will show you! It’s incredible how diverse is Turkish (North)Nicosia, with madhup streets, showing off the ancient times, on the other hand the other part is a beautiful reflect of Cyprus past.
Colonial houses, a labyrinth narrow streets and beautifully hidden churches, tourists and crazy dogs running around, the heat saves the island from the masses of visitors, it’s time for locals to relax, even if they don’t mind, being very warm and welcoming citizens. The food is another thing to add to your “Why I love Cyprus” list. Very heavily influenced by Turkish, Middle Eastern, Greek and Cypriot food traditions.
Food for this nation is an essential element, for any social occasion. Consider that brandy, beer or coffee will take place with every conversation, on the weekends families gather together at huge table, strained to breaking point, where a large number of different dishes are served. You will want to taste everything, in restaurants very common is to order Meze, which literally means a bit of everything, including the Cypriot specialties such as halloumi cheese, smoked ham, veg, white bread…same as Greeks, they how to celebrate, and once they do, they go Big!
