In search of bitter lemons

10000yearold history friendly localsu00a0 a mystic Monastery and loads of fun a holiday to Cyprus turns out to be delightful Discussions about where to go for our annual summer vacation began as usual with an argument with my wife We have different perspectives on what a holiday should be I want to laze around on a beach watch the world go by with a glass of wine or beer in my hand eat at the various restaurants and connect with the local people basically do very little Gauri my wife on the other hand wants her time to be filled with activities she is a literary and history buff and so every monument and place of interest has to be investigated and every minute of every day has to be spent meaningfully She would often say you can sleep at home Why did you need to come halfway across the world for that I wanted to counter her argument but then decided to be smart instead and allowed her to set the itinerary for the tripThe writers daughter TarieckaCyprusPart of the reason we should I rather say she chose Cyprus was because we landed in Larnaca on our way to Athens on our previous trip and were taken in by the beauty of the island Also Gauri had read Bitter Lemons of Cyprus by Lawrence Durrell brother of the more acclaimed author Gerald Durrell and wanted to experience the island through his narrative The fact that the book was first published in 1957 and that that era of Cypriot history had changed since then deterred her not it only mattered thatu00a0 she had read it and liked it Also it is important that I mention that my wife first wanted to go to Corfu Greece but due to various logistical obstacles we decided upon Cyprus for the sake of my sanityWe landed in Larnaca and drove to Agia Napa When translated it literally means Holy Forest which it was at the beginning of the first millennium but its now Cypruss premier beach vacation spot known for its crystal clear water sandy beaches and allnight long parties The cab ride from Larnaca to Agia Napa is about 50 kms and takes 35 minutes on the motorway I had booked our stay at Hotel Corfu in Agia Napa so that I could tell my wife that I did take her to her dream destination she didnt think my actions were even remotely amusing Agia Napa is an idyllic spot There are beautiful sandy beaches Grecian Bay Limanaki and Nissi all catering to every need of sun worshippers and revelers There are a multitude of bars and restaurants and nightclubs that go on till the wee hours of the morning and water sports activities and excursion companies Everything that you could possibly need We all spent the next two days lazing on the beach and swimming in the crisp clear waters of the Mediterranean followed by indulgent meals at the fantastic restaurants Famagusta the place that inspired Shakespeare to write OthelloBut then my wife started with her island exploration plans and Hotel Corfu owner Stelioss wife Jenny became her perfect foil Jenny originally comes from Bulgaria and was a successful artist and poet in her country that was before Stelios fell in love with her and convinced her to marry him and settle with him in Cyprus Jenny and Gauri hit it off immediately and were probably initially brought together by the friendship formed by their daughters Joanna and Tariecka Such was the connection formed by the women mothers and daughters respectively that we were even invited to Joannas birthday party which gave us a wonderful insiders view to life in CyprusCyprus is a beautiful island with a 10000yearold history It has had innumerable invasions over this period each leaving its legacy behind However the most recent invasion of the Turks in 1974 has left the most discernible scars and divided the country into two militarised zones by the green lineu00a0 In the North lies Turkish occupied Cyprus and in the South is the independent and EU recognised Republic of Cyprus mostly inhabited by Greek Cypriots It is not my intention or position to comment on the politics of the division but simply mention it as a matter of fact We decided to see the Turkishoccupied Northern Cyprus through a planned excursion probably the safest and most sensible way to do it rather than attempt a crossing of the border by yourself We crossed the border at Dyrenia and then went on to Famagusta which was the place that inspired Shakespeare to write Othello and Kyrennia both were previously exalted vacation spots prior to the invasion but are now seemingly strugglingtodevelop areas My wife had planned this trip especially as it took us to Bella Pais a beautiful abbey 20 minutes from Kyrennia and the area that was once home to Lawrence Durrell Her mission was to see the house and sit under the tree of idleness which was mentioned in his book Bitter Lemons of Cyprus My wife failed to mention to me that the house now belonged to a private individual and that we would not be allowed to go inside but that did nothing to deter her enthusiasm I of course had to trek to up the very steep cobbled stone path with Tariecka on my back The Kykkos MonasteryWe ran there as we had very little time on the planned excursion and ran back with time to only take photographs of the exterior of the house which was enough of a thrill for my wife The entire area though was absolutely pristine the abbey was perched on a hill offering a panoramic view of the Mediterranean SeaAfter visiting Bella Pais we spent the afternoon in Kyrennia which is a beautiful harbour town with a museum and old fort that add to its charm and character We had lunch on the waterfront watching small fish dart amongst the corals Apart from the excursion to the North we also rented a car and drove to the Troodos Mountains and went on to see Omodos traditional wine making village as well as Troodos Square where we had lunch and then saw Kykkos Monastery before returning to Agia Napa via Nicosia Capital of Cyprus and like any large cityOur last excursion was to Paphos via Aphrodites birthplace and Curium old archaeological discovery of Greek baths with mosaics Paphos itself has some of the oldest and most well preserved mosaics eg Dionysus Home as well as a few more interesting sites Paphos like Kyrennia also sits on the harbour and has a welldeveloped promenade with plenty of bars and restaurants It was a long excursion to Paphos from Agia Napa but it was worth it as it enabled us to see almost the entire island from our home baseThe last day in Agia Napa was spent lazing on the beach and eating at our favourite restaurants Sage Bitters Marques de Napa All these establishments served excellent food and wine as well as had impeccable service We visited these restaurants frequently and even managed to befriend the multicultural staff Peter Slovakian who worked at Marquez de Napa and Antonios Greek Cypriot and Anka Bulgarian from Bitters need special mention for making our time there truly memorable An outside view of the FamagustaWe said goodbye to Stelios and Jenny who stayed with us till our cab picked us up and thanked them for their incredible warmth and hospitalityThere are numerous reasons why one should visit Cyprus but the most important factor for us was the warmth of the people Also for all those that are planning a holiday with kids Cyprus is probably one of the most childfriendly places I have ever visited Everyone there is geared towards making children and their parents feel comfortable and welcome It was no surprise then that my wife and daughter had tears in their eyes when it eventually was time to leave