More on Paphos, Cyprus
I've decided that if I wait any longer, I'll forget what all the pictures that we took in Paphos were about. So here we go...
First of all, Paphos (or Pafos, depending on how you want to spell it) is in the southwestern part of Cyprus, which is an island is the southeastern end of the Mediterranean Sea. It has a long history, having been inhabited since the neolithic period (also known as the "new" stone age, from 8,300-4,000 BC?). It's no wonder that the entire city has been labeled a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Also, Paphos is known as the home of Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty. (For a basic introduction to Greek mythology, go here: http://www.geocities.com/athens/acropolis/5065/grchar1.htm ).
Though they use English as well as Greek, I wish I had taken a little cheat sheet on the Greek alphabet with me so I could have tried to read the signs. I learned two phrases and used them both once, I think, maybe even just to myself; what a shame. Using my own phonetic spelling since I don't know how to write them in Greek, they are: a-fair-a-stow (thank you) and see- ga see-ga (slowly, slowly). An American that we met at a sidewalk barbeque who was more than happy to see another American on the island (there aren't many) taught me 'siga siga'. It's used in the same way 'man man' (slow, slow) is used in Chinese... man man chi (eat), man man zou (go), man man he (drink), etc. I wish English had a similar word that had the same feel to it... maybe it would slow us down a bit. I guess we've got, as my dad would say, "Take 'er easy!"... but it really just isn't used enough. Here's a link in case you're interested in learning a little Greek yourself: http://www.cyprusisland.com/01_Information/basicgreek.htm
Here are some more photos of our trip:
An abandoned traditional Cypriot Home
The Cypriot tradition is for the family to build a house on their lot for their (oldest?) daughter for when she gets married. Until she does, they often lease the place out in order to pay for it. Smart.
I loved the audi that was still sitting in the "drive".
This is a traditional kleftico oven that they use to slow cook their meat. Kleftico is also the name of their famous slow-cooked lamb dish.
Me in front of the main room of the house, which is just down the road from Geoff and Sylvia's. Rich and I took the camera there one morning before we headed and and ended up taking about 200 photos of it. It was somewhat magical, as I think deserted homes tend to be...
A few random pictures of Paphos
I loved this house and also daydreamed about the life of the traditional family that probably lived there until Geoff told me that an English woman owned it.
This is the bat cave not far from Geoff and Sylvia's (far enough away, though). The more photos we took, the louder they got. I ended up running, leaving Rich by himself. Can bats hurt you?
As I said before, Paphos is a haven for cats. They're everywhere!!
This is one of my favorite photos. Not sure why. I just like it. Do you?
A picture of a pear cactus that apparently tastes good (like kiwi) - once you figure out how to eat it without getting all the thorns under your skin. They're called 'opuntia' in Greek. In Mexico, which is where they are from, they're called 'tunas'. Apparently, they were brought to Europe by the first Spanish colonists from Mexico in the 17th century and are common in the Southwestern part of the US. (Thanks, Amy for helping me figure out its name!)
Me with a banana tree that, like the thousands of other banana trees in Paphos, is covered in blue plastic to keep the 'nanas safe.
Now on to some of the tourist sites...
The Harbor
View of the harbor.
The Paphos Medieval Fort (part of the Paphos Castle?), originally built to protect the harbor. It was rebuilt by the Lusignans in the 13th century, then dismantled by the Venetians in 1570, who found themselves unable to defend it against the Ottomans, who in their turn restored and strengthened it after they captured the island.
Geoff saying hello to the resident pelican that hangs out with people sitting at one of the many coffee shops by the harbor.
The Catacombs (also considered Ayia Solomoni Church?)
Built in the 12th century, this was originally a Christian catacomb.
This is what Rich calls our band photo. Can you picture this as a CD cover?
This is a sacred tree sitting at the top of the catacombs that people have tied things to in the hopes that it would cure them of a disease. Interestingly enough, Tibetans and Native Americans have similar traditions.
I like how the tree looks like a monster in this photo.
Neat design.
Panayia Chrysopolitissa Church and Byzantine Basilica
Us at St. Paul's Pillar with the church, which was built in the 13th century, behind us. According to tradition, Saint Paul was flogged here at some time before the Roman Governor Sergius Paulus was converted to Christianity.
Poor Rich... always getting picked on.
One of the many columns in the area next to the church that is being excavated.
One of the many mosaics that they've been finding in this area.
Church on the hill
I can't remember or find the name of the church that I remembered as Church on the concrete, so I think it's referred to as Church on the Hill or Church on the rock or something like that.
Theoskepasti Church
A painting on the ceiling of this modern church whose name means 'Veiled by God'. According to tradition, God sent down a fog to protect the original church during the Arab raids.
Petra Tou Romiou (Aphrodite's Rock/Aphrodite's Birthplace)
This is where Aphrodite was said to have rose from the waves...
Lempa Village
Reconstruction of a neolithic settlement that was unearthed here.
Another building... the red color and the beams that hold up the roof remind me of some of the temples in Beijing.
A reconstruction of a neolithic man... or is that Rich?
The Ruins
A mosaic of Kato, one of many the mosaics that can be found in the House of Dionysos, House of Theseus and the House of Aion. These mosaic floors are from the 3rd century AD and are considered to be among the finest in the Eastern Mediterranean. They mostly depict scenes from Greek mythology.
Another mosaic. Amazing that these treasures were only unearthed about 50 years ago!
I'm not sure what this was doing on the site, but it caught my eye, so there you go.
Rich next to one of the statues near the mosaics.
Amphitheater near the mosaics.
Saranta Kolones
First of all, Paphos (or Pafos, depending on how you want to spell it) is in the southwestern part of Cyprus, which is an island is the southeastern end of the Mediterranean Sea. It has a long history, having been inhabited since the neolithic period (also known as the "new" stone age, from 8,300-4,000 BC?). It's no wonder that the entire city has been labeled a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Also, Paphos is known as the home of Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty. (For a basic introduction to Greek mythology, go here: http://www.geocities.com/athens/acropolis/5065/grchar1.htm ).
Though they use English as well as Greek, I wish I had taken a little cheat sheet on the Greek alphabet with me so I could have tried to read the signs. I learned two phrases and used them both once, I think, maybe even just to myself; what a shame. Using my own phonetic spelling since I don't know how to write them in Greek, they are: a-fair-a-stow (thank you) and see- ga see-ga (slowly, slowly). An American that we met at a sidewalk barbeque who was more than happy to see another American on the island (there aren't many) taught me 'siga siga'. It's used in the same way 'man man' (slow, slow) is used in Chinese... man man chi (eat), man man zou (go), man man he (drink), etc. I wish English had a similar word that had the same feel to it... maybe it would slow us down a bit. I guess we've got, as my dad would say, "Take 'er easy!"... but it really just isn't used enough. Here's a link in case you're interested in learning a little Greek yourself: http://www.cyprusisland.com/01_Information/basicgreek.htm
Here are some more photos of our trip:
An abandoned traditional Cypriot Home
The Cypriot tradition is for the family to build a house on their lot for their (oldest?) daughter for when she gets married. Until she does, they often lease the place out in order to pay for it. Smart.
I loved the audi that was still sitting in the "drive".
This is a traditional kleftico oven that they use to slow cook their meat. Kleftico is also the name of their famous slow-cooked lamb dish.
Me in front of the main room of the house, which is just down the road from Geoff and Sylvia's. Rich and I took the camera there one morning before we headed and and ended up taking about 200 photos of it. It was somewhat magical, as I think deserted homes tend to be...
A few random pictures of Paphos
I loved this house and also daydreamed about the life of the traditional family that probably lived there until Geoff told me that an English woman owned it.
This is the bat cave not far from Geoff and Sylvia's (far enough away, though). The more photos we took, the louder they got. I ended up running, leaving Rich by himself. Can bats hurt you?
As I said before, Paphos is a haven for cats. They're everywhere!!
This is one of my favorite photos. Not sure why. I just like it. Do you?
A picture of a pear cactus that apparently tastes good (like kiwi) - once you figure out how to eat it without getting all the thorns under your skin. They're called 'opuntia' in Greek. In Mexico, which is where they are from, they're called 'tunas'. Apparently, they were brought to Europe by the first Spanish colonists from Mexico in the 17th century and are common in the Southwestern part of the US. (Thanks, Amy for helping me figure out its name!)
Me with a banana tree that, like the thousands of other banana trees in Paphos, is covered in blue plastic to keep the 'nanas safe.
Now on to some of the tourist sites...
The Harbor
View of the harbor.
The Paphos Medieval Fort (part of the Paphos Castle?), originally built to protect the harbor. It was rebuilt by the Lusignans in the 13th century, then dismantled by the Venetians in 1570, who found themselves unable to defend it against the Ottomans, who in their turn restored and strengthened it after they captured the island.
Geoff saying hello to the resident pelican that hangs out with people sitting at one of the many coffee shops by the harbor.
The Catacombs (also considered Ayia Solomoni Church?)
Built in the 12th century, this was originally a Christian catacomb.
This is what Rich calls our band photo. Can you picture this as a CD cover?
This is a sacred tree sitting at the top of the catacombs that people have tied things to in the hopes that it would cure them of a disease. Interestingly enough, Tibetans and Native Americans have similar traditions.
I like how the tree looks like a monster in this photo.
Neat design.
Panayia Chrysopolitissa Church and Byzantine Basilica
Us at St. Paul's Pillar with the church, which was built in the 13th century, behind us. According to tradition, Saint Paul was flogged here at some time before the Roman Governor Sergius Paulus was converted to Christianity.
Poor Rich... always getting picked on.
One of the many columns in the area next to the church that is being excavated.
One of the many mosaics that they've been finding in this area.
Church on the hill
I can't remember or find the name of the church that I remembered as Church on the concrete, so I think it's referred to as Church on the Hill or Church on the rock or something like that.
Theoskepasti Church
A painting on the ceiling of this modern church whose name means 'Veiled by God'. According to tradition, God sent down a fog to protect the original church during the Arab raids.
Petra Tou Romiou (Aphrodite's Rock/Aphrodite's Birthplace)
This is where Aphrodite was said to have rose from the waves...
Lempa Village
Reconstruction of a neolithic settlement that was unearthed here.
Another building... the red color and the beams that hold up the roof remind me of some of the temples in Beijing.
A reconstruction of a neolithic man... or is that Rich?
The Ruins
A mosaic of Kato, one of many the mosaics that can be found in the House of Dionysos, House of Theseus and the House of Aion. These mosaic floors are from the 3rd century AD and are considered to be among the finest in the Eastern Mediterranean. They mostly depict scenes from Greek mythology.
Another mosaic. Amazing that these treasures were only unearthed about 50 years ago!
I'm not sure what this was doing on the site, but it caught my eye, so there you go.
Rich next to one of the statues near the mosaics.
Amphitheater near the mosaics.
Saranta Kolones
This was a part of a castle that was built in the first years of the rule of the Lusignans (beginning of 12th century) maybe on the site of a previous Byzantine Castle, which was destroyed in the earthquake of 1222.
posted by C Hill at 5:43 PM
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