As exams are approaching you might think that, during my entire spring
holiday I stayed at home like a nice girl and studied. But no. My parents
offered me the most wonderful vacation in the world! We visited Cyprus and
spent a great week away from home.
Cyprus is an island
located south from Turkey in
the middle of beautiful Mediterranean Sea. Although
it should belong entirely to Greece,
the northern part of the island is under Turkish occupation since 1974. The Turkish
Republic of Northern
Cyprus is only recognized by Turkey. The political situation is
complicated even today with the Turkish army maintaining pressure at the
border.
Despite the frightening "concentration camp" fences we saw now and
then along the road, we had no trouble and we spent most of our time on the Greek
part of the island. We rent a car so we can move around easily. That's how most
tourists do and I also think it's the most practical and cheap idea. Ours was a
nice red Ford. hahah. Rented cars there have red numbers so locals always know
who they deal with. :-)
First impressions were astonishing. The weather was fine, sunny and warm,
while in Bucharest
we had to survive a windy, rainy one. brrrr During the first day we had lots of
time to explore the neighborhood. We stayed at Frixos Hotel in Dekeleia, 10 km
away from Larnaka. (which I'm going to talk about later)
Everywhere, beautiful white houses and bungalows, summer villas I wish I
owned just next to the beach. The air was fresh and sweet smelling. Trees and
bushes were all flowery. Lemon trees, orange trees, palm trees and so many
other plants I don't know the names of. Walking around town was a delight. One
could feel the sun gently touch his skin, smell only divine flavors and see
only beauty.
I liked very much our hotel. It had a remote backyard and a big swimming
pool. The room we stayed in was spacious, clean and had a bonus great view of
the gorgeous blue sea. I also loved the fresh fruits, squash and delicious
cakes they gave us for breakfast. There was always someone there if you had any
question and the staff was one of the most friendly I've ever met.
Larnaka is one of the biggest cities, 10 km away from our hotel in Dekeleia.
It's famous around the world for its palm trees main boulevard. Actually, the
first picture I've ever seem of Cyprus
on Pinterest was of this street. It is truly wonderful, next to the sea shore
and the touristic harbor. We strolled around narrow cobbled streets in the old
town paying attention to the cars. People there drive so fast! They surely
aren't patient drivers. But as I usually enjoy lively streets, I had no problem
with that.
Oh and I loved the huge fountain. :-D
Part two coming soon... ;-)
