Traveling in Greece and Cyprus

Our final exam was administered and graded, our course grades were submitted and my syllabus for the next semester (Professional Writing for the doctoral students) was almost finished. We were packed and ready to go for a three week holiday in Greece and Cyprus. But a major winter storm was coming to Jordan. The government announced that schools would close; the all-important Tawjihi (national exams) would be cancelled. Banks and government offices would be closed. It snowed in Amman. There must have been three inches of slush. Looking out our front window, the usually busy street was deserted. The newspaper was not published (or at least it was not delivered). And…our flight to Greece was cancelled. So Ed spent the day rebooking our hotel room in Athens and changing the date for the rental car, and I drank tea and grumbled.

But on Friday January 9th we got on the big bird and flew to Athens. Our first stop after we picked up the rental car was a huge electronics store where we bought a GPS. It costs less to buy one than the rental company wanted to charge to use one. It has the maps for both Greece and Cyprus.

Athens was great. Although it is a city of 3.8 million, it does not feel crowded. An excellent subway system and good bus service (and high taxes on cars and very expensive gas [over $6 per gallon]) helps to eliminate much of the traffic. Also, motorcycles are popular and drivers seem to think that the rules apply to them and driving at a moderate speed is normal. We thoroughly enjoyed being away from the traffic chaos of Amman. The hop on/hop off bus got us to the sights and we wandered the Plaka neighborhood with its small cafes and bars. The food was excellent and having a bottle of good wine with a meal felt like pure luxury.

Fish Market in Athens

[click on pictures to enlarge them]

Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

After a few days we headed off into the countryside, first to Delphi where we consulted the Oracle. Then into the middle of the country.  While most people that I know who have been to Greece, rave about the islands, we had decided that we would skip them this time as winter storms and reduced schedules might make it difficult to visit the islands.  As it turned out, we had beautiful weather, with only one partial day of rain.  However, inland Greece did not disappoint.  We spent a whole day visiting the monasteries of Meteora.  They were built on the top of rock pinnacles in the 14^th century.  Today six are still in use; two of those are occupied by nuns.  They are in beautiful repair and offer stunning views of the countryside.

Monastery in Meteora

Two of the Meteora Monasteries

Another Monastery

While the mountains in Greece were beautiful, it was the coastal towns and cities that were special.  We took the ferry to Corfu, mostly for the fun of being on a boat.  Fresh shrimp at a small restaurant right on the harbor in a fishing village – what could be better than this?  We arrived in Patras on the first night of a month long carnival.  It seemed as if everyone in this small city was wandering the pedestrian street or sitting in a café watching the world go by.  The cog railroad up a narrow gorge in the northern Peloponnese was fun too.

Greek Village

Greece

Then on to Cyprus for ten days.  Cyprus is still divided into the North (Turkish) part and the South (Greek) part.  Travel between the two sectors is not difficult; finding the location of the checkpoint can be difficult.  In Nicosia (also called Lefkosia, Lefkosa) there is a pedestrian only crossing.  We were only about one block away when I inquired about the location from a shopkeeper.  She pretended not to know what I was talking about.  It is clear that it will not be a united island any time soon.

Turkish and Turkish Cypriot Flags

A (very) little bit of history.  The problems in Cyprus go way back, and there are many sides to the story.  Post World War II the Greek majority on the island promoted the concept of enosis, or unification with Greece. This movement was also linked to an anti-colonial movement to rid the island of British rule.  In 1960 the Republic of Cyprus was born.  The British maintained two sovereign bases on the island (and continue to do so).  The two communities never really were united and by the mid-1960s the UN was involved in an attempt to keep the peace between the Turkish and Greek Cypriot factions.  In 1974 there was a coup and what is referred to (by some) as a Turkish invasion.  Today the two portions of the island are divided by the Attila Line (also known as the Green Line) and the demilitarized zone is patrolled by the UN.  Talking to people on either side, we had the feeling that the events of 1974 are still clearly influencing their thoughts.  Today, Cyprus (the South or Greek part) belongs to the European Union and uses the Euro as their currency while the Turkish portion uses the Turkish lira.  The Turkish portion is not recognized by any country other than Turkey.

The South has a heavy British and Russian tourist influence, although with the Russian economy, they are likely to see less Russians this year.  In Pafos there are many signs for full English breakfast and there are pubs galore with cider on tap.  It would seem that with the mild weather January would be an ideal time for the British to be in Cyprus, but we repeatedly heard that January is a slow month, tourism picks up around Easter.  While some areas are overbuilt with vacation homes and apartment hotels, inland is either mountainous or agricultural.  Driving through the Troodos Mountains on a Sunday afternoon, we were surprised to find crowds, even tour buses, because they had snow at the elevation.  It was clear that the snow was a novelty.  On the Turkish side of the island, we really enjoyed the ancient city of Famagusta (also called Gazimagusa; no wonder our GPS was struggling to find itself at times).  One of my favorite buildings there was a church, built around 1300, that was converted into a mosque – in the early 1500s.

Church that Became a Mosque

All in all, it was a wonderful trip.  Meteora won as the most interesting place that we visited, and the Hotel Grande Bretagne in Napfoli took the prize for nicest hotel and best breakfast.  The view looking over the harbor from our balcony on a sunny mild January day was, as they say in the Master Card ads, “priceless”.

So now we are back in Amman and another semester has begun. 

Lighthouse in Cyprus