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The Cyprus Mystique
The very name Cyprus, it has been said, shimmers with
an ages-old mystique. Today, history and hedonism
are comfortably intertwined on the island. Ravishing
five-star resorts within walking distance of well-preserved
Greek and Roman ruins offer every amenity the modern
traveller has come to expect and more, from knock-out
pools, gardens and beachfronts to state of the art
thalassotherapy health spas. One of the most impressive
archaeological sites, the ancient city kingdom of
Kourion, overlooks a magnificent stretch of beaches
with a sparkling blue sea beyond. Along the island's
sun-kissed coastline., from Agia Napa in the east
to Pafos in the west, world-class beach resorts alternate
with settings untouched since antiquity.
Venture
away from the sybaritic shore - if you can bring yourself
to - and succumb to the slow, seductive rhythms of
the interior. There are old wine-producing villages
with atmospheric winding streets and terraced vineyards.
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You can often stay the night
for a song in cozy renovated traditional houses, part of
the Cyprus agrotourism programme. Explore Greek Orthodox
churches nestled in the hills whose walls conceal vibrantly
painted Byzantine frescoes. Many are found among the pine-covered
peaks of the Troodos, where a sublime silence can dissolve
all sense of time, not to mention stress.
Love Goddesses
and Sacred Mountains
Along
the route that leads from the port city of Lemesos (Limassol)
to Pafos, the roadway opens up to reveal a magnificent
stretch of coastline where chalky white cliffs stand
watch over a dazzling aquamarine sea. Here sun worshippers
make detours for a picnic and a swim at Petra tou Romiou,
a boulder that marks the spot where Aphrodite emerged
from the sea foam in ancient times. In the Akamas region,
hikers exploring the area's rich flora can cool off
at the grotto where the love goddess bathed after her
amorous interludes. Throughout Cyprus, the typically
Mediterranean landscape is still blessed with the timeless
beauty of antiquity. There are crusader fortresses framed
by tall cypress trees, Greco-Roman theatres carved out
of cliffs and Byzantine monasteries perched improbably
on mountaintops. Sophisticated cities successfully balance
the ancient and modern. The capital, Lefkosia (Nicosia),
is surrounded by Venetian walls with heart-shaped bastions;
Larnaka, site of the major international airport, is
also home to St. Lazarus Church and the crypt of the
eponymous saint resurrected by Christ. Near the animated
harbor at Pafos are the Roman floor mosaics of the Houses
of Aion, Achilles and Dionysus, their depictions of
mythological scenes amazingly well preserved.
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All Eyes on Cyprus
The Cyprus mystique is as much
a product of its legendary beauty as it is of millennia
of competing empires, all unable to resist the islands
strategic allure of the island. The perfect location, of
course, never goes out of style. Nestled into the eastern
Mediterranean Sea and a veritable crossroads of three continents,
Cyprus is the third largest island in the Mediterranean
and an ideal starting point for the discovery of other exotic
locales such as the Greek Islands, Egypt and the Middle
East - in fact, mini-cruises set off for these places from
Cyprus almost every day. But close as Cyprus may be to the
world's center stage, it is a distinctive place that can
feel blissfully apart from it all.
Abundant copper in antiquity put small Cyprus on the map.
In fact Cyprus (Kypros in Greek) gave copper its latin name:
cuprum. In the late Bronze Age, Mycenaen Greeks settled
on Cyprus and established trade links with Egypt and the
Aegean islands. This is also the period when ceramic art
first flourished. As centuries drifted by, the island came
variously under Persian, Assyrian, Egyptian, and Roman rule.
It was during the latter era that Marc Antony, enraptured
by the island's sweet wines, gave Cyprus as a gift to his
lover, the matchless Cleopatra. After a long period of Byzantine
domination, European awareness of Cyprus surged with the
Crusades. In 1191 a fierce sea storm led Richard the Lionheart
to put his ship into port at Lemesos. He claimed the island
as his own.
From 1489 to 1571 the flag of Venice flew in Cyprus, until
which time the Ottoman Turks moved in. That era ended in
1878 when Cyprus became part of the British Empire. Despite
a turbulent past, or perhaps because of it, the Cypriots
themselves are a resilient people. They have always remained
a distinct culture - different even from their closest cousins,
the Greeks - and retained their unique character. The Republic
of Cyprus achieved independence in 1960 and is now in line
to join the European Union.
From independent travellers to honeymooners, archaeology
aficionados to friends of nature, every visitor to Cyprus
finds the island offers layer upon layer of discovery. Food
lovers delight in farm-fresh halloumi cheese and delectable
meze, the local specialty appetizers that mix Western ingredients
with Eastern zest. Travellers on business appreciate the
fine conference facilities and warm, professional service
at more than 64 hotels and resorts, and like incentive groups
value the proximity of the beach. And that golden Old World
sunshine - there are generally 300-plus sunny days per year
- is something few can resist. Add it all up and you have
an ideally-situated island that truly has no equal. A place
that measures up to its mystique: Cyprus.
Cyprus: The Cruise Centre of
the Eastern Mediterranean
Before the armies of Alexander
the Great made their famous thrusts east toward lands
unconquered, their ships called into port at Cyprus
to be readied and refitted. The same strategic location,
at the crossroads of three continents, Europe, Asia
and Africa, that made Cyprus a crucial starting point
for Alexanders expanding empire makes the island
a desirable centre today for a calmer kind of maritime
activity: cruising. Whether for a cruise that originates
there, as a port of call or a fly and cruise option,
today Cyprus is among the premier cruising destinations
in the Mediterranean.
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As the easternmost island in
the Mediterranean, Cyprus is a natural point of departure
for exploring this amazingly diverse region. Throughout
the year locally based cruise lines help locals and
tourist alike get a first hand perspective of the
splendors of ancient Egypt, major attractions in Israel
and Lebanon and, of course, the Greek Islands. Every
year there are around 800 such mini-cruises
leaving from the port of Limassol (Lemesos), one of
the leading cruise ports in the Mediterranean, carrying
around 250,000 passengers.
Port of History and Civilisation
Many international cruise ships
utilize Cyprus as a major port of call on their international
European and Mediterranean itineraries. Every year
more than 30 of the finest international cruise ships
make more than 80 calls at the ports of Limassol and
Larnaka carrying in excess of 100,000 passengers to
visit the major attractions of Cyprus.
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