CYPRUS – PAPHOS

NOVEMBER 7, 2024

One of the days on the Nicosia military tour was an excursion day. We had chosen to go to Paphos on the southwest coast of Cyprus.

Paphos has a lot of sites relating to the goddess Aphrodite (the goddess of Love). The myth is that Aphrodite emerged naked from the sea from this spot.

We stopped at the ruins of Kourion, an ancient Greek city dating back to the 12th century BC. We saw a lot of beautiful mosaics.

and an amphitheatre. Our guide was a trained opera singer and treated us to Amazing Grace and Ave Maria. It resonated throughout the theatre, giving everyone a good idea as to the acoustics.

We made a stop at Panagia Chrysopolitissa Church, the site of St. Paul’s Pillar. It is said that a Roman Governor ordered the saint to be tied to one of the columns and flogged for preaching Christianity.

Paphos is a modern city with a harbour and ancient ruins. We went to the Paphos Archeological Park, where we saw more mosaics. Most were housed in one building. There was a LOT more than what I’ve shown here. I’m not sure if it was a home or public building. It was inconceivable that all this was in ONE building!

There was a story that went with every mosaic. Our singing guide told the story of every one. They all had to do with mythological gods and goddesses.

Another building housed one huge and elaborate mosaic.

After a lunch along the harbour, we headed back to Nicosia. We made a stop at Monagroulli and the Monastery of St. George Alamanou. Built in the 12th century, this Byzantine monastery serves as a Greek Orthodox convent for nuns. The monastery is dedicated to Saint George, who is one of the most venerated and most popular saints in Cyprus.

Along the drive I got to see the layers of sandstone that rose out of the ocean to create this island.

The landscape seemed to be mostly desolate, with some areas of farming. It is hard to see how anything could grow here. The soil seemed like rocky clay; yet Cyprus is self-sufficient. Maybe we just did not see the agricultural part.

There was construction everywhere! Some buildings going up looked like apartment blocks, others were more elaborate

some were architectural marvels.

Nearly every building had a rooftop water reservoir and solar panels.

Every overpass had colorful graffiti.

It was interesting to see another part of the island and more of the landscape. We returned to Nicosia later than expected, but it was all good.