Saturday January 19th

The snow had fallen the week before in Norfolk and Suffolk and the day before, Essex got a few inches. Rather than using Stansted airport parking, I tried a Park On My Drive option this time for a very reasonable £16 a week. The drive owner, Dan kindly gave us a lift to the airport so we didn’t have to struggle to the bus on frozen pavements. Heathrow and Birmingham airports had problems, but Stansted departures remained normal. Check in time was minimal with budget Pegasus Airways and it was strange to leave at such a civilised time as 1pm. While we were waiting at the gate, we watched someone spray our plane wings down with a high pressure hose. We initially thought it was water to wash it, but it was a watery oil to stop moisture freezing on the winds.

We were lucky to get ‘Emergency Exit’ extra leg room both ways. One unique thing was the ‘safety instructions’. They had abandoned air hostesses doing it and ran a movie with small Turkish children playing all the parts (with subtitles). It was very funny. Even I watched it despite nearly 700 flights under my belt. Three and a half hours later, we arrived at Istanbul airport in the dark, two hours ahead of GMT time. Most of the passengers departed, but those flying onto Northern Cyprus sat on the plane while new passengers boarded.

A second flight lasting 90 minutes took us on to Ercan Airport east of the capital, Nicosia. Leaving airside, we hunted around the lobby for our car hire representative and found him outside the entrance doors. The holiday package did not include transfers to our Hotel in Kyrenia. These would have cost £60. For £80, we hired a car for the whole week. It was a no-brainer.

He led us to our Ford and left us to it. It was around 10pm on a Saturday night. There was a roundabout outside the airport with only one sign for Nicosia. We didn’t want the Capital. We wanted to head north. I took the other exit and after driving through two sleepy villages with few lights but lots of road bumps, we got our bearings on a map – we were heading east. Finding a road heading north, we reached the dual carriageway which crosses the middle of northern Cyprus. We doubled back west along this main road and saw a turn off for Kyrenia. This route took us over the twisty mountain pass. There was little traffic at this time of night. It was also great that Cyprus drives on the left like the UK.

In Kyrenia, we asked a couple of doormen at the posh ‘Colony’ hotel for directions to the ‘Ship Inn’. It was a few kilometres away but we only had two roads to follow. We rolled into the hotel around 11pm. They had wondered where we had got to and had meat/salad baguettes waiting. We ordered a beer and sat by the dying log fire. Everyone else was in bed. I had arrived in my 120th country.

Sunday January 20th

The en suite room was comfortable with BBC World News as the only watchable channel of the four available. The view from the balcony was a mountain backdrop. The hotel had an outside pool that no-one tried all week (apart from me) and also a small indoor pool and Jacuzzi, which we did use – though no one else did. Our daily breakfast consisted of cereals, fruit juice, scrambled, fried or boiled eggs, baked beans, the occasional frankfurter, toast, marmalade, cold cuts/cheese, olives and cake. Though basic, it was ok and filled us up for the day.

When I went out to the car I discovered that the passenger wing mirror casing had disappeared and that the bracket was cracked. We hadn’t hit anything and no one had hit us so it must have already been there when we picked the car up but we didn’t see it in the dark. I called the car hire company to let them know though I think we were fully insured anyway.

Beneath the jagged sierra of the Kyrenia (Girne) range, Kyrenia (pop 22,000) is the major tourist centre and was discovered by British civil servants who retired here to take advantage of the region’s mild climate. It has a lovely crescent shaped natural harbour which is dominated by the battlements of a massive Venetian sea-fort that withstood every assault for centuries until, in 1570 when its defenders surrendered to the Ottomans. Kyrenia is thoroughly commercialised and we didn’t explore it until the final afternoon. We just used it as a base and left it every morning to explore a section of the island.

“Palm trees, minarets, mosques and the ruins of crusader castles and great medieval abbeys all add to Northern Cyprus’s languid, Middle Eastern ambience. Quite separate from southern Cyprus, in atmosphere and landscape as well as politics, there are empty beaches to bask on (not in January!), splendid hiking in rugged mountains with views out to sea, and small harbours where old-fashioned fishing schooners moor at quays. Here, too, are potent reminders of the North’s troubled history. Abbeys and cathedrals that were forcibly converted into Muslim places of worship after the Ottoman conquest and the Orthodox churches abandoned after the 1974 invasion are all a mark of Turkish triumphalism.” (Eyewitness Top 10 Travel Guides).

For our first day out, we drove over the mountains and across the plain to the east coast to Farmagusta (pop 30,000). The Lonely Persons guide called this the ‘most captivating area’ of Cyprus. Wendy had visited Farmagusta from the Greek side a few years ago and had always remembered the ‘ghost resort town’ of Varosia (the Greek name).

Farmagusta itself was originally a walled city which had a roller coaster history – it went from a being a wealthy Venetian city then suffered from a cruel beating by the Ottomans. Emerging as the major tourist centre on Cyprus in the 1960s, it self destructed again in 1974.

The ‘ghost resort town’ was called Maras by the Turks. “The ghostly sight of the barricaded Maras district in southern Farmagusta is one of this city’s more haunting legacies and is a lingering reminder of the dark days of 1974” (LP). Panic stricken by Turkish advances into the North in July/August 1974, the Maras residents fled in fear, taking with them little more than the clothes they were wearing. Most believed that they would be returning in a few days. But the city became part of the ‘buffer zone’ on the border and has remained empty ever since. Barbed wire fences and metal drums block the streets and surround the entire complex. The Turkish army long ago removed anything of worth in the area. Photography is forbidden and there are endless red warning signs around the complex saying “Forbidden Zone’ with a silhouetted soldier carrying a rifle.

It was ironic to find the boundary and discover a beautiful beach next to it. Behind which was the harrowing sight of many deserted tower blocks with gaping dark windows. On a quiet Sunday morning, we pottered around the boundary slowly by car, popping up unmarked lanes to the fencing and peering through – looking at the deserted overgrown buildings, the shell of an entire town, vegetation growing where roads once lay. It was only 40 years ago, but it looked like a place where a terrible disease had wiped out the population and just left the concrete to rot. Wendy was fascinated with the whole episode and remains. We would return to Farmagusta later in the week to explore the old city.

North of Farmagusta lay Salamis right on the coast. It was not sign posted coming from the south and we initially missed the unmarked turnoff until we doubled back for a second look. Graceful columns, rising from a honeycomb of toppled walls, mark the site of the greatest of Cyprus’s ancient cities. Founded more than 3000 years ago, Salamis dominated the island until its near destruction by earthquakes in the 4th century AD. Archaeologists have found Hellenistic mosaics, the remains of Roman baths, a fine amphitheatre and the foundations of two Byzantine basilicas. When we arrived, we were told that it would shut in an hour but that would be enough time to take in the ruins. Wrong. The site was extensive. We entered a colonnaded courtyard that looked stunning under a jet black thunder cloud and walked onto the theatre (AD14) which held 15000 spectators. It has been restored to some degree. We walked on past more ruins, an old stone road and eventually found the remains of the Temple of Zeus at the far end. It looked as if a lot more excavations could be done. Much had been left to let vegetation grow over. Some of it felt like we were discovering it for the first time.

Our hour had been and gone and we still had to get back. It then occurred to me that we had parked within the fenced compound. If they had locked up, our car was also impounded until tomorrow. I ended up jogging back to the car where I found a security guard pointing at his watch. We were more than 30 mins later than the closing time. I got the car out. Fortunately he was waiting for another car owner.

On the way home from the coast we took a minor road as a short cut and ended up popping into a local store for some wine. We discovered sweet red wine from Turkey which became our tipple of the week.

Evening meals at the hotel were from 7-10pm. There were probably no more than 30 guests at any one time during the week. The evening meals comprised of a 3 choices of starter and main meals and then as much cream cake, cheesecake and trifle as you could eat.

Monday January 21st

One of the reasons for coming to Northern Cyprus was to try and do some scuba diving. I had contacted a scuba centre in October who had told me just to turn up. But when I did, they were closed. As was another four centres that we visited this morning. I assume no-one comes to dive in Northern Cyprus in January. Apart from me. I had brought all my gear with me as well. I’d had the same problem in Sardinia one March. This freed up two of my days in Cyprus but we found enough to fill them.

So after our fruitless search, we decided to head to furthest northern tip of Cyprus called the Karpas Peninsula. Leaving Kyrenia, we followed the scenic northern coast road to Kaplica with the backdrop of the Kyrenia mountain range under a layer of clouds to our right and the Mediterranean Sea to our left. The last traces of unspoilt, green empty fields have started to disappear with this new road ploughing through the olive fields. The road was very quiet, but not as quiet as the newly built tourist villages which were like ghost towns painted white. A developer’s gamble on increased tourism – for now, they remain empty. They must either only be used in the summer months or time share complexes which never took off.

From Kaplica, we climbed a twisting mountain road that eventually turned into a single track lane to Kantara Castle. Commanding the eastern end of the Kyrenia range, Kantara’s walls ascend from a formidable barbican gate to a ring of inner battlements and towers. When Richard the Lion Heart conquered the island this was the last refuge of the Byzantine princes of Cyprus. Up at cloud level, we had marvellous views over the southern plain.

Returning back to sea level and our coastal road, we entered the Karpas Peninsula. The long finger that stretches above Farmagusta and points to the mainland is a rocky spit that is the quietest and least developed part of the island with sandy beaches on its north and south coast and a scattering of historic Christian churches. Once we had passed through the last two ‘major’ towns of Yenierenkoy and Dipkarpaz, the road was virtually deserted and we passed by miles of rolling fields (and deserted farmhouse shells) covered in the amber light of the fading sun. The peninsula is apparently the only area in Cyprus where Greeks and Turks continued to live alongside each other.

We came across a ‘Donkey Protection Area’ where donkeys roam wild. As soon as we stopped by a couple, they wandered up and stuck their heads through the car windows looking for a treat. The sealed road eventually finished at the monastery of Apostolos Andreas (1740) which is being restored with UN and EU funding. This place attracts a twice yearly pilgrimage by Greek Cypriots who visit to see the holy well within the monastery which is famed for its mystic healing properties. There were more donkeys and a lot of cats roaming around this scruffy looking collection of buildings. The place was virtually deserted and the main buildings closed. We could see the final tip of the peninsula a few kilometres away with a large Turkish flag flying but to get there you would need an off road vehicle.

Turning around, we were aware that the sun was dropping quickly and that much of the return journey would be done in the dark. But the road was deserted and we knew where the potholed section was and I put my foot down reaching Dipkarpaz at dusk. It was a long haul back coming via the east coast and then across the plains on the dual carriageway and we didn’t get back to the hotel until after 8pm. The peninsula is a beautiful part of Cyprus and deserved more than the time we had given it.

Tuesday January 22nd

Using the dual carriage way from Kyrenia, we made for the capital of Nicosia today. The landscape stretching north, east and west of North Nicosia is called the Mesarya meaning ‘between the mountains’. It was green and full of wildflowers, though in the summer it is apparently parched dry.

The capital was divided into Greek and Turkish sectors in 1963 when Greek violence against the Turks forced them to retreat to safe ghettos. The ‘Green Line’ as it has become known was established when a British military commander divided up the city on a map with a green pen. The Turkish military invasion of 1974 formalised the division between the two halves of the city. North Nicosia (pop 39,000) is very different from its southern counterpart and is a more modest, quiet and ancient affair.

We parked on the edge of the Old city which is mostly populated by mainland Turks who have settled here since the 1974 partition. The Old city was originally surrounded by impressive defensive walls built by Venetian rulers in the 16th century to keep the Ottoman invaders out of the island’s capital. These walls failed to defend the city, but succeeded in defining its form – the unique border is Nicosia’s logo. Much of these walls are still standing today.

Walking to the Kyrenia Gate and then past the old British law courts, we met a friendly young Turk who was back from studying in Wolverhampton. He took us via a labyrinth of narrow streets past crumbling old houses to the most famous site the Buyuk Han and bade farewell.

Buyuk Han (Great Inn) is a 16th century (1572) caravanserai with an arcaded courtyard which was renovated a decade ago and now houses shops and cafes. It is a wonderful example of Ottoman architecture and a rare surviving example of a medieval caravanserai. In the middle ages, travellers and traders found accommodation at the hans (inns) as well as a place to stable their horses, trade their goods and network. The central courtyard had a mescit (Islamic chapel) balanced on 6 pillars. Its design is unique to this inn and only two others in Turkey. Just to the north was the Kumaticular Han (Gamblers’ Inn), a late 17thCe caravanserai which was being reconstructed.

Down the road was the Selimiye Camii (Mosque), a picturesque hybrid of medieval Christian and Islamic architecture and the city’s most prominent landmark. This 700 year old French styled Gothic cathedral of Agia Sofia (Holy Wisdom) turned mosque is Northern Nicosia’s greatest glory. Built by 1326 with a soaring Gothic front, the Ottomans stripped the building in 1570 of its Christian contents and added two minarets. We took our shoes off and entered the empty interior. The walls and columns had been whitewashed, there was a thick carpet on the floor and the layout had been reoriented to align it with Mecca. Four marble columns were from ancient Salamis. It was impressive and by the time we left, the first men were arriving for midday prayers.

Behind it was the small square, Selimiye Meydan with the Sultan Mahmut Library, which was an eight-sided building and a domed roof. It contained a collection of ancient manuscripts. The Belidiye Pazari is the town’s central market. Today, it was very quiet with no stall holders making much effort to attract our custom. Wendy got into conversation with a Turkish man who had moved back from London. We found the ‘Green Line’ nearby and walked along parts of it.

Finding the official pedestrian border crossing, we handed our passports to get stamped out of Northern Cyprus and we entered the Greek half of the city called Lefkosia. Both Wendy and I had been to this part before. The contrast was dramatic with western shops and pedestrianised areas. I could have been in any average English shopping centre. We found the Green Line on the southern edge, marked by old oil drums which had been painted blue and white. After buying some Turkish delight, we headed back to Northern Nicosia and were stamped back into Northern Cyprus. There seemed to be more character to this part.

Walking back to the car, we passed through the Arabahmet neighbourhood with its unique wooden houses where the first floor overlaps towards the opposite house on narrow alleyways. We followed the old medieval walls back to the car and then drove out of town and along the ‘Green Line’ to the left of the city until we turned around at another border crossing and headed back to the mountains.

On the way back we drove up to St Hilarion castle past a Turkish military base nearby. Built in the 11th century for the Lusignan kings and steeped in history, it had elaborate defences built around steep mountain crags and was an important link between the Buffavento and Kantara castles. Legends surround it including tales of a hidden treasure room, an enchanted garden and stories of Byzantine treachery and medieval intrigue. It was last occupied in the 16th century by the Venetians. It seemed blended into the cliff side. It was officially closed for the day but the main entrance was open so we walked in and had a good look for 10 minutes or so before the guardian reappeared. It is definitely the most dramatic castle in Northern Cyprus.

Wednesday January 23rd

Today we headed west first along the coast from Kyrenia and past olive groves to Lapta. New reservoirs were under construction. Water is going to be pumped from Turkey to Cyprus and then exported to the Middle East via undersea pipes. We turned south diverting through the hamlet of Akdeniz to the barren coast where the wind was blowing hard. Further south Morfou was the centre of the Cyprus lucrative citrus industry which was lost to the Turks in 1974. The area was still full of citrus groves with oranges hanging off the bushes. A roundabout also had a large orange statue.

We were content to just drive and explore with no specific sight to see. We stopped for a kebab lunch in Guzelyurt and then kept driving west over and around the hills until we came across the Green Line again. Here we turned around and retraced our route back. There were a couple of places with ruins, but we were just interested in enjoying the scenery today. Back at Guzelyurt, we took a road into the mountains and back along the coast. It had been a nice unhurried day just to see what the west looked like, but no major highlights.

Thursday January 24th

A steep twisty drive took us from Kyrenia up to the village of Bellapais. Perched above the sea, Bellapais would be worth the journey into the mountains just for the view. The abbey built by an exiled Augustian order in 13th century is apparently also the most spectacular piece of Gothic architecture in Cyprus combining vaulted stonework decorated with elaborate carving. What is left today is a mixture of completion and destruction with some parts of the monastery in excellent condition. We had the place to ourselves and enjoyed the almost complete 14th Century cloister and refectory. The views from the roof were excellent both out to sea and back to the mountains. Bellapais was a lovely little village and we would return tomorrow.

We decided to drive east back across the island to Farmagusta. En route we stopped at a Martyrs Cemetery and found a deserted Greek Orthodox church. Nearer the coast, St Barnabus Monastery (1756) was imposing with its sturdy dome. It’s main attraction for an Orthodox pilgrim was a much older relic: the tomb of St Barnabas, who bought Christianity to Cyprus. The monastery is now an archaeological museum but we didn’t bother to go inside.

We were back at Farmagusta to visit the Old City which was surrounded by the old original Venetian battlements and walls. Today the buildings ruined by the Ottomans in 1571 and never rebuilt make the city look bombed out or unfinished when viewed from the top of the walls but they have a crumbling beauty. Within Venetian ramparts, Farmagusta conceals a wealth of Gothic and Islamic architecture.

At its heart is the Lala Mustafa Pasa Mosque, originally the cathedral of St Nicholas, which dominates the skyline of the old town. This is the finest example of Lusignan Gothic architecture in Cyprus with its graceful Gothic porticoes. It was built between 1298 and 1326 modelled on the Cathedral of Rheims in France but has been Turkish since 1571 and. The twin towers were destroyed and a minaret was added onto of one of them. The interior had been whitewashed and realigned to Mecca and a thick carpet covered the floor.

Pottering around the other ruins, we found the old palace ruins with huge stone cannon balls, relics of the eight month siege of the city in 1570 as well as various shells of churches, the old bath house, the Hospital built by the Templar Knights. Over looking the harbour was the ‘Orthello Tower’, so called because Famagusta was supposedly the main setting for Shakespeare’s play. There were a few tour groups wandering around this afternoon. It was a nice laid back place where you could park in the ruins and just wander around and piece the old city together using a map and your mind.

Friday January 25th

By Friday, we had criss-crossed Northern Cyprus many times and knew our way around. One castle remained to be seen and we drove up the mountain road and then took a right at the summit and followed a narrow lane along the mountain side with long drop offs to our left which overlooked the plain of the Mesarya. Buffavento castle ‘Castle of the Lion’ was built almost 1000m above sea level to watch for raiders and alert the defenders of Kyrenia. Long abandoned, its windy battlements apparently offer breathtaking views of the coast but it was a 45 minute hike and the thick clouds were very low today so there would be no views.

Further on along the narrow twisting road, we came upon the vast Turkish flag that had been built into the hillside using painted rocks. It was immense and you could see it from Nicosia. It was also lit at night. We had seen it many times, but it was strange to be able to drive right to it. We also explored another deserted Greek Orthodox church on the hillside, which had probably been abandoned when the Turks took over in 1974.

Returning to Bellapais, I bought some souvenirs and we got talking to a Turkish man who was born in Cyprus, lived in London for 40 years and had come back. We stood and talked to him for ages. He told us about life before 1974 and how the island had two types of people ‘The Greeks and the Turks – the same type of people, island people, but with two languages’. Since 1974, thousands of mainland Turks had moved across to Cyprus. He felt they did not understand Cyprus or the original Turks. ‘We have the same language’ he said ‘but we are two different people’. The man was renovating his village house and gave us a tour of his dwellings and garden and explained his plans. He told us how the Turkish economy was booming and northern Cyprus was being developed, while the Greek side was bankrupt. The Greeks had found gas but the only way they could export it to the mainland was using the Turkish pipes already in place. While we chatted, his large dog nipped Wendy’s arm and broke her skin. An old man who ran a café, gave her some ointment.

Late in the afternoon, we finally explored Kyrenia, specifically he harbour area. This has already been covered. That evening after our final dinner and fortified with all the wine we had to finish off, we went skinny dipping at the inside pool. It was a good job no one else turned up for a dip.

Saturday January 26th

The 8am flight meant a 4am start (just to be safe) – final packing etc and out of the hotel door at 5am. We had found the staff very friendly and helpful. Kyrenia’s roads were empty and we were soon on the mountain pass and down the other side to the plains and onto the dual carriageway to the Airport. It only took 45 minutes. I parked up the rental car and we checked in. We had the same flights in reverse except that this time, we waited at a wet Istanbul airport for the passenger change. As we flew over England around midday, the fields were still covered in snow. It was like we had never been away.

Northern Cyprus is a lovely place for a cheap short break. The locals are friendly, there are enough things to see (and we did it in the winter when the beaches were not used) and you can drive around easily.