After crossing the border, the first thing we did, was stop at a Lidl supermarket. We were again shocked by the prices. Germans we met there, confirmed, that the prices are 20% above the prices of a German Lidl. Very strange. The second activity was to get a SIM card. Cyprus might be included in our Austrian tariff, but we know how quickly you are locked into a different network and suddenly pay a lot of money. Better save than sorrow, we thought.
After that was done, we made our way to Cape Greco, a headland in the southeast of Cyprus. Tourist from the nearby towns like to rent buggies and tour the peninsula, we did the same with our camper.
We went to a diving site with tunnels and caves, which was also good for snorkelling. There was easy access via a ladder and Cordy even saw some fish. For the night, we went to a little blue chapel on the other side, where we had Internet reception. After sunset, all the tourists left, the party boats with disco music went home and we had a quiet night.
The next morning was spent at a self-service laundry, where we got all our washing done. While we waited, we went to the hotel next door for breakfast. When everything was clean and dry, we drove past Larnaka, where we only stopped at the aqueduct. It is called Bekir Pasha Aqueduct, built in 1747 and in use until 1939.
We did a little detour to inland villages, but in the afternoon, everything was like dead and the heat was too much to take a stroll, so we continued back to the coast, where we found a nice place at the Governor’s beach.
The next day, we circumnavigated Limassol, and tried to make our way to the most southern point of Cyprus. As we had feared, this area was a RAF airbase, and we couldn’t get to this point. Instead, we decided to visit a castle we had spotted on the way.
Kolossi Castle is a former Crusader stronghold. It held great strategic importance in the Middle Ages, and contained large facilities for the production of sugar from the local sugarcane, one of Cyprus’s main exports in the period. The original castle was possibly built in 1210 by the Frankish military. But the present castle was built in 1454 by the Hospitallers under the Commander of Kolossi, Louis de Magnac, whose coat-of-arms can be seen carved into the castle’s walls.
The castle today consists of a single three-storey keep with an attached rectangular bailey and the remains of the sugar mill next to it, with an aqueduct leading there.
Our next stop was a wine museum, where we learned about the local wine, especially the Commandaria, a dark sweet wine. At the wedding banquet after King Richard the Lionheart’s marriage to Berengaria of Navarre in nearby Limassol, he allegedly declared it to be the “wine of kings and the king of wines.” It has been produced in the region for millennia, and is thought to be the oldest continually-produced and named wine in the world, known for centuries as “Commandaria” after the Templars’ Grand Commanderie at Kolossi Castle.
For the afternoon, we found a dog beach, which was beautiful and empty. The white rocks and the pristine water were a delight. (34.65767° N, 32.64858° E)
In the late afternoon, we drove into the old town of Pafros, where we wandered the pedestrian area, but were disappointed. There was no old town charm, many shops were closed and the restaurants empty. We later drove down to new Pafros at the sea and noticed, that there was much more going on. We stayed at the beach of Pafros for the night, which was not a good idea, as it was not only hot, but also loud until late at night and early in the morning again. Not every place is perfect, that’s camper’s live.