Travelling across the Mediterranean by sea I felt a little like Odysseus after the battle of Troy. I was far away from home, in what felt like a completely different world, and I could certainly feel the distance. It was nearly a month since I set about backpacking through Europe, going where the people recommended, limited only by my dreams and my budget. I had visited a great part of south Eastern Europe and finally set about exploring one final location before I headed home: Cyprus.
With a nice brown tan already fully formed, I stepped off the boat in Larnaca. As I always do on my travels, I try to get my bearings and find somewhere to leave my luggage. Asking locals is something that I live by as they are the ones that provide me with the rawest form of information. I was directed to a popular dwelling used by tourists called the EasyHotel Larnaca. Starting from around $32 with truly brilliant service for the price and was completely surrounded by lush palm trees. Unpacking a few things, I logged onto the internet, which was quite a lot faster than I thought it would be and tapped into a wealth information at mydestination.com/Cyprus to plan the rest of my trip, and gladly went to bed.
The next morning, armed with a hand drawn map, I set off to explore the area. I found my way to Ledra Street to explore a little bit of the city center. To the untrained eye it seems like a regular road lined with popular shops, but it was the former site that acted to divide the city into a UN buffer zone. It was a symbol of the division within the city, and indeed the country, that has been established centuries ago.
From there I sought a different city with different experiences, ultimately making my way to Limassol. Being a huge history buff I knew that going to such an ancient place and not delving into its past would be heresy so I found my wait to the Kourion on the edge of the city. Ruins of a roman villa, amphitheater, even temples all could be found there. The entry fee is only $3 will allow you to walk about for hours in a truly picturesque environment.
When my stomach began to rumble I knew it was time to search for some food. Cyprus restaurants vary as much in price as in flavor, but few can compare with the Golden Arrow in Ayia Napa. The name first intrigued me due to its mythical origins and so I popped inside to find that everyone was having a blast. Most dishes priced between $8 and $24 and grabbing a pint with some fish there was truly amazing.
After having done so much and a little full from that amazing food, I turned to the beautiful Nissi Beach to just relax. White, sandy shores with palm trees in the background, it was a tropical paradise not to be missed. In fact, the entire trip was absolutely amazing. I would not trade the memories that I made on this trip for anything else.
Author Bio: Michal Kniec
Michal Kniec, after completing a History degree in Canada, decided that a little change of scenery would do him some good and moved across the world to Manchester. Now studying law, he loves to write, cook, and travel as much as possible on this pale blue dot.
Editor’s Note: This is a guest post. All pics and text are from the author.
