Our time in Cyprus was limited. It was in fact extremely limited. Taking into account the wedding, we realistically only had the day of our arrival, the time before the wedding and the day after to do any meaningful exploration of the island. With that limited time, we had done our best to race around the area to see and enjoy as much as possible.
The area we were staying was to the Eastern end of the Greek part of the island. The Northern parts were under Turkish occupation and there was a strong divide between the two parts of the island. This area was far from the historical parts of the island which seemed to more towards the centre and the West. Tourism seems to have always been a big part of the island and this area, but we were told that many of the best resorts and developments had been a bit further to the North and so had been consumed by the border and separation of the island. Everywhere we went, we could see the intense level of investment to the coastal areas that was now boosting the infrastructure available for more tourists.
With the car, Veronica and I drove off to the nearby Agia Thekla and Nissi Beach. It was a short drive, only 15 minutes away. These areas seemed to be the focal point of the tourism in the region. Both locations were lovely, but Nissi Beach was far too crowded for our liking We went back to Agia Thekla, with its beautiful white church and relaxed beach. As we explored the church, a group of workers climbed onto the roof to start on some maintenance. I asked if I could ring the church bell and they happily obliged my request.
At Agia Thekla, we relaxed on the beach under the shade of the umbrellas. There didn't seem to be any hotels close by (none that were finished anyway) and so there wasn't the enormous crowd like at Nissi Beach. It was a nice and calm experience. I had now gotten used to the European approach of paying for the pleasure of sitting on a beach. This experience was one of the most reasonably priced (only €5 for the both of us) and without the usual crowds it was an even more uniquely enjoyable. Slightly behind the beach was a very small resort complex. It had a restaurant and the staff were largely occupied setting up for a wedding. We left our towels on the sunbeds and went for lunch. The staff were friendly and talkative. They asked where I was from and when I responded "Australia", they responded with surprise that "not many Australians come out here". That didn't seem right, I responded that there were so many Cypriot-Australians that there must have been many who would visit (I grew up with many of them when I was in Melbourne). The older man nodded a bit, but then said "yes, but they're still just Cypriots". Culture and family still go a long way in Cyprus it seems. We asked for the menu and we saw the usual fare of burger, steaks and fried fish. I didn't feel like any of it, but the other guests seemed to happily eat it all. The waiter seemed to sense my lack of enthusiasm, and asked me quietly "do you want fish?" Of course I wanted fish, we were on a beach next to the ocean. He took me back to the kitchen at the back and threw open the fridges pulling out several fresh fish. "We cook you what we eat?" he suggested. That worked for me. Not long after, they brought out grilled fish and a Greek salad for us, which was far more appropriate and satisfying.
Every beach we went to, we were greeted with the same picture perfect scene. We had been to a lot of very nice beaches in Europe over the last few years, but I did wonder whether these might be the best? At the very least, these were the most consistently high quality. It didn't seem to matter which one we went to, they were all the same (and by the same, I would once again add that they were all the same perfectly amazing beaches).
The waters were perfectly clear. I thought back to Cefalu. Maybe those were more clear? What these waters also seemed was this lovely "shimmer". The water moved every so slightly and caught the light of the sun, bouncing the light in intricate patterns like a true crystal. Out not too from the shore, there was also a raised sandbar. The waters weren't deep, so it was easy to wade out and to then find yourself standing on the dry sand in the middle of the sea, looking back towards the shore.
We visited several of these beaches during our limited time and on each occasion we were impressed. The cost of flying here wasn't cheap at all, in fact it was several times higher for the European guests than flying to other locations. The flip side of all of that was the low prices once you were here. Food wasn't expensive, the hotels were reasonably priced and even the beach chairs and umbrellas were a fraction of the cost of other places I had visited.
On our last night together in Cyprus, we went for dinner in Protaras with our Swiss friends. This part of the island was the worst place we visited on the entire trip. It was an example of the mass tourism beach towns that the Northern Europeans flock to during their summers. The streets were full of tacky stores and equally awful restaurants serving nothing but burgers and beer. These places grow with the purpose of serving those who want the warm weather and the beach, but with no desire to be away from the comforts and familiarities of their home. Yet I'm not quite sure where such a home is? These places don't resemble anywhere I've been further North and instead seem to just be a style all to themselves. You could find this type of street scene anywhere from Bali to Thailand to India and all the back to Europe.
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