Cyprus is a small island in the Western Mediterranean, about 40 miles (65 km) south of the Turkish coast and 315 miles (500 km) from Syria. Cyprus, occupied in the north by Turkey, a nation of just over a million people, a member of the European Union, gained independence in 1960 from Britain as a former colony, is predominantly Greek in its culture, language and history.
Our family has a small house in a village near Paphos, where we are able to host our friends, family in Israel and abroad to frequent vacations. Covid struck in 2020 and derailed our plans. Nonetheless we have made frequent visits to the island, hosted family and friends, made friends with locals, expatriates from all over the world, discovered the charm, beauty, wine and cuisine of the island, and learned just a little bit of Cypriot Greek. It’s been a wonderful journey of discovery, friendship and a dose of heartbreak as well.
This is the first of a series of blog posts to share our adventures in Cyprus. I hope you find it interesting, informative and make you too want to visit the island. If you do, drop in for a cup of coffee or a glass of Cypriot wine.
There are two international airports on Cyprus, Larnaca at the west end of the island is the main airport serving international airlines from all over the world. Paphos at the east end of the island, serves mainly charter and budget airlines bringing travelers, mainly from Europe, seeking a week or two of sunshine drenched vacations. It’s about a one hour and twenty minutes drive between the two, connected by a four lane highway that traverses the island from east to west.
It’s no easy matter getting to Cyprus from our home in North Carolina on the United States eastern coast. There are no direct flights from the USA to Cyprus. The trip involves at least two and sometimes three flights with connections in the USA and Europe. It generally takes us 24 hours or more to travel door to door from our home in North Carolina to our house in Kallepia, Cyprus. We prefer flying to and from Cyprus via the small Paphos airport, about a 25 minute drive from the house. It’s not always possible to find the flights and connections, so as a result we sometimes fly via Larnaca and have to take a two hour taxi ride from the airport to our house costing about 150 euros.
Road signs in Cyprus are commonly found in Greek and English. Leaving the airport and many cities and towns, one commonly sees a sign reminding you that in Cyprus, contrary to the rest of Europe, one drives on the left. One of many constant reminders of the British colonial heritage.
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Left_driving_sign_on_Cyprus.JPG Dickelbers, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
Kallepia is a small village of about 200 inhabitants, at a height of about 500 meters (1,650 feet) above sea level. To reach Kallepia from the airport one drives West to Paphos through the foothills. Reaching Paphos, we navigate around the roundabout, the gateway to Paphos from the highway. It’s bounded by the Electricity Authority of Cyprus building on the one side and the huge AlphaMega supermarket building on the other. The roundabout contains a huge concrete sculpture, a folded ellipsoid, with a slit running through part of it. I’m really not sure if there is any meaning or symbolism to it, but it is a sight to see at the entrance to Paphos.
Courtesy Alpha Iannou Construction Ltd
From the roundabout one navigates through Paphos to the Mesogi Road and then leaves Paphos traveling north on the B7 road up into the hills to the north of Paphos. Turning right at the top of the hill, at the entrance to the village of Tsada, one drives through Tsada and the countryside. We are always immediately struck by the beauty of the area, from the views of vineyards, orchards and olive trees, to the sea far below and to the far off view of the Trodos mountains.
After the long climb up the hill, not the safest of roads as impatient drivers frequently cross white lines seeking to get ahead, a ten minute drive through the country road, past the sign which reads Kika’s Garden, Homemade Food and Produce, brings you to the right turn at the Kallepia town office and museum. The office, open four mornings a week, contains a small museum of the village history. Outside there is a traditional stone flour mill and, somewhat out of place, a red british style telephone booth.
Turning right off the main road, at the office takes you down a winding road into the village ending at a T junction where on the right is the village taverna housed in an old tradition Cypriot stone house, on the left is the imposing village Greek Orthodox stone church. Our house is on the outskirts of the village just down the road from the church. Adjacent to fields, vineyards and orchards, a walk in the countryside or the village, starts at our front door.
I’m a retired IBM IT architect and my wife is a semi retired audiologist. Kallepia is our refuge, a village oasis of serenity where we find ourselves enjoying the best that Cyprus has to offer infused with an exotic touch of the wonderful Cypriot Greek culture unique to Cyprus.
Hopefully you will join us in this journey.
Very good Ian, look forward to the continuation of your blog, best wishes B&B in OZ