Traveling to #cyprus & #larnaca

#CYPRUS ! First stop: #LARNAKA

Woke up one morning, took a good look at my large windows which seemed to have missed their purpose & produced NO light what so ever... and thought: "why on Earth am I looking at the dark skies of Berlin when I could be spoilt by a tropical (or subtropical/ Mediterranean) sun?" I couldn't come up with a convincing reason for that situation... so I grabbed a map in search for a country I hadn't visited before - I reckoned a 5 day escapade would do, so I thought I'd stick around the continent - inevitably, the place fitting my profile could have been only one: CYPRUS.

Next thing I knew: I had to leave the LARNAKA airport and make my way to my hotel in the city - right on the coast, to be more exact.

Got to the hotel on that delightfully warm evening - surprise, surprise: 2 compatriots chatting at the reception... interesting coincidence, however not such an uncommon a fact on the island - as I was going to notice in the days to come (especially in Nikosia, where everybody seemed to have had some Romanian friend and have learned a few Romanian words). 
But as I had bigger things on my mind, I just hit the road to the centre, in desperate need of taking in the evening breeze. Larnaka in its evening attire didn't disappoint me.

First morning in Larnaka: English breakfast, Russian tourists, Eastern European personnel - but the absolute protagonist was the Southern sun. The city awaited and I was eager to continue my "investigation".

The entire time I spent in Cyprus I just loved seeing & meeting so many sociable people (apart from most of the Russian tourists, of course). My mornings started with breakfast & the gallant Serbian waiter bringing me coffee with aristocratic manners, accompanied by his Polish boss, who was always greeting me with smiles and bidding me to take my time, even though I was the last guest in the breakfast room and was always on the run, not wanting to miss a moment of the refreshing day.

Anyway, back to my first morning in Larnaka: 20 minutes & 2 cups of coffee later I throw myself to the street, as a funny Turkish expression says.  
There is nothing like walking by the superb sea brightened by the vital sun... Small buildings, taverns and fish restaurants awaiting customers, shop owners sitting in front of their doors and bidding passers-by "good day"... time seems to have stopped around here... I visit the Djami Kebir mosque situated next to the medieval castle on the beach...

this is why I came here for... As I breathe in I congratulate myself for deciding to come to Cyprus and detach myself from the sticky cold skies of Berlin!

Next inevitable stop in downtown is the St. Lazarus church - a 9th century testimony of past rules, empires and conflicts... 

The interior welcomes me, Romanian world traveller, and doesn't strike me as different, it's more like a deja-vu or childhood reminiscence - the mystic golden, red and dark low walls echoing the Orthodox chanting even more on a St. Nicholas day seem to come from another age...

The church square, the shops, cafes full of people or artisan workshops - they complete the view and give me an indescribable serenity...

I go through the labyrinth called old town and get to the new centre, just as intricate, only more populated by cars and pedestrians.
I even discover a park on the Salt Lake & finally give in to the temptation to return to the sea - the fort & the mosque look even more impressive in the evening. I follow the coastline & get to the marina, unwillingly spotting the Ottoman buildings I have a passion for.
It's amazing how sociable people here are - a look suffices to be greeted with an English "hi, how are you?" - not to mention casual conversations started by me unquenchable curiosity and thirst for culture. In my search for Bougatsa I stumble upon a typical bakery and at dinner time, I go for a fish restaurant with a view to the sea and the full moon. English works everywhere on the island (almost 80 years of British domination left scars), but I'm delighted to be able to speak Turkish with the friendly Turkish-Cypriot cook. I need all the positive energy I can get: the next days would take me to the divided capital, Limassol & Pafos...