Double Delight

Cyprus is a beautiful country mostly know for it beaches. I visited the capital which is called Nicosia. It’s a divided city. The south is Greek, and the north is Turkish. This city is often overlooked by tourists, who normally do a one day side trip from their beach resorts.

 

There are lots of interesting sites to visit here. I visited a monastery called Mitochi Kykkos, which is a beautiful building. It is a very peaceful place, and has a beautiful garden that must be visited. I was there in the late afternoon, when the sun was going down. The garden was closed for visitors at that time, unfortunately.

 

When I was there it was very quiet, so I managed to take some nice pictures of the building inside, which looked very impressive, tidy and clean. If you have the opportunity to go to Nicosia you must visit this peaceful place.

 

If you walk down to the town centre,  you will end up on Ledra street, the Turkish border. It is quite an interesting experience. You need to make sure you have your passport with you. There are coffee shops, restaurants, stores, and it’s good for an afternoon stroll. It’s quite different there, and has a different feeling from the Greek side. It felt like being in mini Istanbul.

 

 

When walking around the Turkish side I came across the Büyük Han, an example of beautifully preserved  Ottoman caravanserai architecture. It’s home to some cafes, and craft workshops. On the first floor you can find more interesting shopping.

 

 

Along side Büyük Han you will see lots of interesting little roads with pretty houses, and unusual architecture, and from a distance, everywhere you walk, you will see the Selimiye Mosque.

 

 

The Selimiye Mosque is a beautiful mixture of a building. It’s kind of a cross between a Gothic church and a mosque. It has quite a fascinating history, which I believe dates back to  the 13th century. I thought this place was quite pretty, and it reminded me of Istanbul.

 

 

The bazaar is quite an interesting place where you go to buy your vegetables, basics, and those beautiful ornaments that Turkish people are very good at making.

 

All the vegetable are really fresh and vibrantly coloured.

 

If you have ever visited Istanbul before you will see a lot of similarity to here in this part of Nicosia.

Most of the people visiting Cyprus would come to Nicosia for a day trip from their beach resorts. I actually did it the other way round, I went to the beach for a day trip instead.

 

 

Ayia Napa is a beautiful stretch of beach that gets really busy with a young crowd, but has lot of different parts, with areas catering for families and others. I went to a party which was quite good.

 

This party was like a festival of music with lots of different DJs.

I had a fabulous time in Cyprus. A country full of positive energy and very welcoming people. I visited interesting sites, and enjoyed the sunny beaches.

If you liked this post, have a look at a post I did about Istanbul, feel free:

https://ultimatetravel.blog/2017/06/08/mais-sobre-istanbul-more-about-istanbul/