Thats that then.

 Well. 12 days have been and gone in the blink of an eye. We have really enjoyed Cyprus and considering we are still very early in the season the weather has been fabulous. This is the longest we have been in the same place for a very long time. I thought Dear old Crispy would get fractious and be eager to waltz Her Matilda and move on. I was wrong she has loved it. Having the villa has been amazing just to chill and crash out with no one around. It's been a lazy twelve days but just what the doctor ordered and we are both re-energised. Saying that we have managed a few trails and with the car seen most of what Cyprus has to offer. PLUS Crispy got to mooch around some rubble which is always a bonus...

It's a big island as islands go with only one "motorway" so getting around is no quick deal. It's very British in feel with a strong Greek undertone. I wouldn't say its the prettiest Greek island we have visited and the beaches can't compare to the likes of  Kefalonia or Skiathos but the mountains of the interior are sensational. We would definitely return to complete more of the mountain trails and nature walks. Probrably later in the year around September would be best.

Tomorrow we return the Car and fly back to Crispy Central. In six weeks time we plan to go, as I have mentioned, island hopping around some of the smaller Greek Islands for a few weeks. We are not sure which ones yet.  It should be an adventure as the direction will be dictated by the ferry timetables. Wherever we end up it will be fun. 

Paphos Castle and harbour

The tombs of the kings, A third century BC necropolis. The dead centre of Cyprus. Crispy loves a nice graveyard

Bare and Crispy signing off, Argaka, Cyprus

Crossing the Green Line

 The past few days have been a mixture of relaxing and sigtseeing. Dear Old Crispy has been so excited that she has  eventually got to spend several hours walking around some "rubble". It's the highlight of her trips although she will no doubt deny that.

Close to the modern town of Paphos lies the Unesco world heritage sights of Nea Pafos. A sprawling collection of ruins dating from the 4th Century BC. It was later added to by my favourite guys the Romans and houses an amazing collection of well preserved Roman (and Greek) mosaics. We had a few hours walking around the site in the glaring sun. 

My Greek history is at best sketchy but if the Romans are involved then count me in. Crispy loved it so much that it was about 3 hours before she gave up the ghost and found a bench to sit on whilst I continued around the site. That must be a record as at best I get an hour to regail her with tales of the past before her eyes glaze over and she seeks out a tree to hide under.

"Rubble"

Crispys favourite part. The Roman Pro Council's house. Mine too.

Yesterday the weather was a little cloudy. There's been a storm over the Sahara and it's thrown a lot of dust into the sky that has made it a little unsettled.

We decided to drive Nicosia and have lunch in the Turkish North. It was a long three hour drive over the mountains but the scenery was amazing. 

I didn't want to drive over the border into Turkish controlled Cyprus which is possible but involves buying additional Turkish Car insurance. We wanted to walk through the pedestrian border control in Nicosia just for the experience. 

Nicosia is a big city but does not hold much interest for us. There is some rubble there but nothing that flicked Crispys switch. I wish I had taken a photo of the tourist information signs. They are in every city and are usually brown. They guide the willing tourist to particular sights of interest. The most prominent in Nicosia directed the crowds to "The sewerage authority of Nicosia" it was tempting but we decided against it. Instead we made our way down. Ledas street to the border crossing. 

No photos are allowed at the crossing so this is the best I got.

The crossing is easy and simple. Passport check on the Greek side. A short walk through a wooden walkway and passport check on the Turkish side. It was quick and everybody was very friendly on both sides.

There is a noticeable difference in atmosphere on the Turkish side. More vibrant, colourful and friendly. That's not to say the Greek side wasn't friendly it just felt " lighter" . We were really surprised how different it felt. To me it was more like the back street soukes of Marrakech than a turkish seaside town like Dalaman. The price of things like food and drink was noticeably cheaper too. We decided on a late lunch and had shish and Donna kebabs. It would be rude not to. The food was authentic and very reasonable.  The sights here are really interesting. A huge medieval church is being renovated and converted to a mosque. It is being done very conservatively and will be something to behold  once completed in a few months time. The other thing of note is the Khan. An Ottoman caravansirai that is now a collection of craft shops and eateries. We loved it and are so glad we made the effort to go and see it. 

These caravan stations were the premier inns of the Ottoman empire. Upstairs is bedroom accomodation and downstairs garages for the pack animals usually camel or donkey. The building in the centre is a mosque for the travellers with a water fountain.

This morning i was on the patio writing this when Crispy came out of the downstairs shower room whispering " there's a baby snake in there". "A snake, are you sure ?" I asked.  

There are snakes here as we are rural and there is even a warning about them in the villa welcome pack. May is the most prolific times for snakes to be seen in Cyprus as it is the mating season. There are eight snakes in Cyprus of which 3 are venomous. The blunt nosed  viper being the most dangerous. 

As such I took Crispys warning very seriously. I crept into the bathroom to try and see the deadly creature and try to catch it. "Where is it?" I said. " Up there" she whispered  whilst pointing dramatically to the top of the tiles. She brought a chair so I could see better. I climbed up and peered into the small gap below the top edge of the tiles. Sure enough a small long thin creature emerged. 

It was a caterpillar! I gave her one of my looks. 

Bare and Crispy signing off Argaka, Cyprus

Lazy bones.

 I can't remember a trip away in the last 20 years that has been as sedate as this. But to be honest it is just what we needed and I am unashamed in saying we are loving it. Normally it's 2 days maximum in any one place before waltzing to matildas to pastures new.  Here we are settled into a fantastic, quiet, remote villa with everything we need. It's like being at home with all the comforts but in the sunshine.  

The past couple of days have been mostly quiet. We did take a drive to Limassol to have a look around. To be honest there is not a lot there to interest us. A large, modern city and port surrounding a quaint " older town centre. Nothing older than circa 1500 and then only a tiny fort built on the site of a 12th century castle.  Interestingly Richard the Lionheart married Berengaria of Navarre here in 1191 after his invasion and conquest of Cyprus in the same year. Richard is an interesting chap. Portrayed as a big toughy warrior type of guy. History records him as being a good military leader and a fearless warrior. A lesser know fact is that Richard was very fond of ladies clothes. He would regularly slip into "something a little more comfortable" whilst on campaign. There was even talk that he had a "special" friendship with his German male Cousin. Which is fine. Whatever flicks your switch is fine by me. Not so sure Berengaria would have been so pleased with this arrangement though.

Richards liking for a nice dress was ultimately the cause of his demise.  On his way home to England through Austria he laid beige to a small castle. To free some friends who had been taken prisoner there. After a long day's work laying siege he popped on a little lacy number and had a stroll around the camp. A young guy with a frying pan was on the top of the castle casually knocking the English arrows fired up at him by the archers away with his cooking utensil. The arrows had lost their force by the time they reached him. 

He spotted a big burly bearded guy in a frock and knew it to be King Richard. He must have stood out from the crowd for some reason. With a single shot from his crossbow he hit Richard in the shoulder. The wound wasn't life threatening but the subsequent infection was. He Died a few days later. I'm not sure if he was still in his frock.

That's my version of the story anyway and if it didn't happen exactly like that then it should have.

Yesterday was a pool day. Very lazy. After lunch we did a 6km walk in the pafos forest to the Argaka Dam. I say forest as it was until 2016 when forest fires destroyed mass tracts of it. It was interesting, a nice walk and got Crispys old bones moving.  I thought it would be hard to pry her from the sunbed but the promise of a bottle of pop and packet of crisps persuaded her. It never fails.

Dinner and few pints in the pub saw us back in the villa. 

Bare and Crispy signing off, a little tipsy, Argaka, Cyprus.

BTW. I beat her at seven card brag. It nearly caused an incident and she's not a happy puppy.