My Cyprus... My Heart - Part One
Everyone who knows me knows half of family is from Cyprus. It's a place that's special to me and when I say special to me I mean really special, so special that every time we go there, as I can see the outline of the island from sitting in my seat on the plane tears form in my eyes, I cry and my husband says "look baby, that's your island".
So I've decided to do a series of blog posts on Cyprus, these won't all be on after another but interspersed with other blog posts over time. This post focuses on the architecture of the island and I think even people who have been to Cyprus might be surprised by some of the images here.
Cyprus is known as a tourist haven with more hotels and bars and restaurants in each city than you can shake a souvlaki at but in reality Cyprus is so so much more. This is an island that had it's own indigenous race of people from around 10,000 BC, it has structures and ruins that date back to before the erection of Stonehenge, it has traditions so deeply woven into it's culture that you can literally feel the history and the pride where ever you go.
It has countless churches all over the island that are beyond old but one of the most famous is in my favourite city on the island in Larnaca, St Lazarus church. Legend has it that Jesus visited this church. Larnaca also has one of the oldest mosques in the world right next to it's stunning salt flats.
Larnaca is a historical beach town but just an hours drive away is Nicosia where you can be in a bustling city, with a totally different type of art deco style of architecture and a completely different vibe. It's what I call the Barcelona of Cyprus. Go to Limassol or Paphos or any other part of the island and you'll find each of them are totally unique as well. And that's the thing about Cyprus, there's literally always a new place to go or visit or explore,
The thing about Cyprus is that it's rich, it's rich in every way, rich in culture, in history, in spirit, in pride and definitely in food. Every part of the island is unique and different but it's the island's people that make you feel at home, it's the people that makes each part of the island feel the same as last despite everywhere looking different, it's the people that will keep you coming back time and time again.1
