The Cyprus Blog at TripToCyprus.com

The annual spring flower festival happens in the yermasogia area near the parking lot. The parking lot is converted into a flower show and there is a parade (a smaller version of the limassol carnival) on the the beach road, with flowers being the theme

The tradition is for the kids on the float to throw the flowers to the onlookers. The people on the side of the streets are very eager to catch the thrown flowers. Probably, they are owners of flower shops and they just want to stock up on the flowers :-). Even Anith managed to catch some flowers. More photos from the parade…

written by Rajaram S

When i came to Cyprus in 2001, the first year was spent on visting all the regular touristy places like the Baths of Aphrodite, Rock of Aphrodite, Polis etc. After that, i started googling about Cyprus and started getting info on off-beat places like Avakas Gorge, Kelefos bridge etc. After a few years, i realised that Cyprus had something to offer in every nook and corner and hence i started visting every place marked with a brown board: A brown board is used in Cyprus to signify something of touristic interest. This “Giant Oak tree” was on one such board.

On the way to troodos from Limassol, around a 100 metres beyond the laneia police station (the only police station on the route), you will find a brown board saying “Giant Oak Tree - 400 m” pointing into a small lane towards the right. You can take your car inside this line and will be surprised to find big apartments built a little further down this lane. After few metres, the board points towards the left. It is better to park the car here and walk the final stretch as taking the car down this part would be a little difficult.

We went during Spring and the whole area was filled with all kinds of colurful flowers. We spent around 15 minutes at this place taking photographs from various angles. Anith even tried, though unsuccessfully, to climb the tree.

written by Rajaram S

An earthquake of magnitude 4.5 on the Richter scale shook Cyprus on August 25th (Tuesday). The epicentre was pretty close to Limassol, occurring near Amathus. But, nothing much happened because of this, just that people were shaken up a bit!
In fact, Cyprus is very close to a highly seismic zone. There is a major fault running through (or very near to) Cyprus. You can actually see the fault. If you go to lady’s mile beach (on the road from My Mall), you turn right at the T-junction to go to Akrotiri lake whereas to the left, the road stops. If you wade into the beach from just to the right of the t-junction, you should see a drop of a feet or so on the sea floor within a few metres from the shore. This is a faultline. This goes in a diagonal direction towards the sea , so goes further in as you go on lady’s mile beach towards Akrotiri. I accidentally noticed this. Once i was snorkelling close to the shore (close - very close as i dont know the ABCs of swimming) and i drifted off a bit. Suddenly, i saw the sea floor much deeper than i would have liked it to be. I panicked and waded towards the shore. Then i noticed the sharp drop on the floor.
Cyprus has had its share of mild earthquakes before. In the late 90s, there was a medium intensity earthquake, the effects of which can be seen on some of the old residential apartments on the beach road. I hope that there are no after-shocks of this earthquake, except the artificial ones to be created by the Israelis!!

written by Rajaram S

Finally, Limassol has its own mall! No, it is not called the mall of limassol or the limassol mall. It is called the Tiffany shopping mall. Originally planned to be opened on 8th August 2008 (08/08/08), the Tiffany limassol mall finally opened on 30th May 2009. It is located in Zakaki area just a few hundred metres off the new port. You can approach this mall from the mercedes benz/Bank of cyprus signal proceeding towards Paphos.

Photos of the mall during its various stages construction.



Now, what is going to happen to all the hang-out places in Limassol like Starbucks, costas etc? Are people going to flood the mall preferring it over these places?

Update: Got the below info in an email
Cyprus on Ice, Skating rink at My Mall, Limassol.
Cyprus on Ice will offer various forms of “ice entertainment” such as ice shows and events and ice hockey demonstrations in addition to ice skating familiarity sessions by instructors on site. Skates and ice hockey accessories and apparel will also available to be ordered at the rink, as is the booking of “Parties on Ice.”
Cyprus on Ice: Hours, Open Daily from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Location: Level -1, “My Mall Limassol” 285 Franklin Roosevelt, Zakaki, Limassol
Phone: 00357 25713305, mobile: 00357 97691601.

written by Rajaram S

There are many abandoned villages in Cyprus, some of which were abandoned during 1974 conflict and many abandoned due to natural reasons like landslides or earthquakes. You can find many such villages in the Pafos mountains. Mathikoloni is relatively closer to Limassol and is considered by many to one of the more beautiful ones to explore.

We had been to Mathikoloni many years ago. So, we decided to check out the place again 2 weeks back along with Harish and Anith. Actually the plan was to just stopover at Mathikoloni and drive through a mountain road to Akrounta near Yermasoyia dam.

To go to Mathikoloni, you have to take the Agios Athanasios exit on Jumbo/Linopetra roundabout. You cross the Agios Athanasios and climb towards Mathikoloni which is around 11kms away. Once you reach the village, take a right from the main road and go into the village. Keep going on this road and you will cross the new settlement and at the end of the road, you will see dirty signboard marked as “Akrounta - 5 km”. This road is pretty narrow and it is difficult to take a U-turn at any point. The road starts as being paved and it is paved for most of the distance. You drive down into the valley and there you have lot of photo opportunities with lot of greenery and mountains on both sides of the road.

Even Akshara (who has become a veteran of road trips now!) seemed to enjoy this drive down the narrow lanes. My mom, on the other hand, held on to the seat very tightly in the hope that the slope would lead to another road

After a while, the paved road gives way to earthern road which at points looks pretty bad. But, rest assured that this road is definitely navigable and you (whether you drive or not) will enjoy this short road trip. The road finally leads to Akrounta (Don’t turn towards Spitali) which is just a few kms north of Yermasoyia.

written by Rajaram S

Yermasoyia Dam (or Germasoyia or Yermasogia) is one of the few reasons one could use to justify living in this beautiful island of Cyprus (and particularly Limassol). It is around 10 mins (lesser now because of the flyovers) from anywhere in Limassol and yet, it is so different. The moment you take the yermasoyia exit (the first one from Larnaca/Nicosia side), you leave the hustle-bustle of the city behind and enter the narrows streets of Yermasoyia village. Small streets running up the sides of the hills, orange farms in the valley below - you wouldn’t realise that the city is just a minute behind you.

There is a road on top of the dam which you can drive across. This will take you behind the dam.

Many people just visit the dam, stop on the road on top of it, click a few photos and then drive back. But, the best part is hidden behind the hills on the other side. The road across the dam climbs over the hill and goes down towards the village of Phinikara (Finikara). In Spring and particularly after a drizzle, this place comes alive with greenery and lots of yellow flowers.

Yermasoyia also looks great in rain, if you manage to cover yourself and still enjoy the view. Under the cover of mist, the far-away mountains and the valley present a pristine sight

There are also small walking trails near the parking place on the other side of the hill(dam). You cross over a small valley and then there is a hillock with a small hut on the top. It is a short climb to the top. Also, there is a small 15 minute trail circumnavigating this hillock.

Yermasoyia dam has overflown in the past and it becomes a major attraction when it does so. The overflowing water form a nice set of waterfalls on the side of the village and for the adventurous, it presents some interesting rock-hopping.

i went there last week and the water level is pretty compared to the emptiness of last year. Also, with the hint of rain in the air, it is a great place to visit now!

written by Rajaram S

Kalavasos dam is on the outskirts of Kalavasos village, just a short drive from any of Limassol/Paphos/Nicosia. The most visible sign from the highway is the big tent called Kalavasos Tenta. This tent protects some archeological finds in that area. Last Sunday, we just had enough time before the Grand Carnical Parade to visit the kalavasos dam.

The drive to the dam from the highway was a small winding road overlooking a valley. The greenery was awesome. Looks like we are in for a beautiful spring this year. There was this house down in the valley with a farm and a stable with many horses. It looked so idyllic.
The dam as such was not a pretty sight with very less water. I remember that this dam had oveflown few years back. I don’t know whether we will ever have such a situation again.

Near the dam, an earthern road takes you to the remnants of an old mine.

On the way back, we stopped over at the village. We spent quite some time walking through the small village. We must have looked like a bunch of aliens walking around this calm and quiet village with cameras in our hands, taking photos of anything and everything! There was even an Archbishop Makarios III Avenue (more like a narrow street) in the village.

A little ahead of the village, you will see a small park opposite a tavern/kiosk. There is a stream behind this park, on top of which is the only rail bridge (the only one that i know of) in Cyprus. There you will find a small train (engine and carriages) which was used in the past to carry stuff out of the mines. When the stream has lot of water, the bridge with the train is a good photo-op!

written by Rajaram S

It is carnival time in Cyprus and that means revelry at its best on the streets of Limassol. Colourful costumes, out-of-the-world head-gears and bursting party poppers along with the beautiful cyprus spring makes it one the best times of the year to be in Cyprus. See photos of the various costumes on display from past years here. The king’s carnival, the official start of the carnival happened on thursday. This was the first king’s parade i missed . But, you can see photos from the king’s parade of 2007 here.

Schedule of the Limassol Carnival 2009 (The main highlights)

Sunday: Feb 22 :
11.30a.m. Children’s Carnival Parade
Starting Point: Ayias Zonis Str. (ESSO Service Station).
Finishing: End of Anexartisias

Tuesday: Feb 24
8.30p.m. “Tuesday’s Carnival Fiesta”, Medieval Castle Square
The Lemesos Municipality invites all young and adults to come in disguised costumes and participate in different carnival merrymaking with music and dancing.

Sunday: March 1
1.30p.m. Grand Carnival Parade
Archbishop Makarios III Avenue
Starting Point: Ayios Nikolaos Round About
Ending: Ayias Sofia’s Traffic Lights
Floats shall begin to gather from 8.30a.m. along the Makarios III Avenue, from Enaerios traffic lights to Ayios Nikolaos Round About. The parade will proceed along Makarios III Avenue up to Ayias Sofias Traffic Lights.

8.30p.m. Farewell Carnival Fiesta - Medieval Castle Square
The Carnival will end with a grand outdoor Carnival Ball with disguised costumes and music.
Carnival Costume Competition – Awards for the best three.
Fireworks start at 9.00p.m.

Enjoy!

written by Rajaram S

The most prominent mountain-top visible once one enters Cyprus through Larnaca, stavravouni monastery  (sometimes spelt as Stavrovouni Monastery on road signs) is the oldest monastery in Cyprus (Kykkos monastery is the most famous though).

It is perched on top of a 700 m hill almost equidistant from larnaca, limassol and nicosia. There is only one tarmac road to the top of Stvravouni and it is from the section of the Limassol-Nicosia highway.

• If you are driving from Limassol, go towards Nicosia, cross the Larnaca exit and within a few kms, you should see the exit for Stavravouni (13 kms from this point)
• If you are driving from Larnaca, go towards Limassol, take the exit to Nicosia and within a few kms, you should see the exit for Stavravouni.
• If you are driving from Nicosia, just drive towards Limassol, you should see the exit to Stavravouni

Almost 7 years back, my parents were here to visit me. I was just 6 months old in Cyprus and hadn’t travelled much. I decided to take them to Stavravouni. I have always seen this big mountain on the way from Larnaca and assumed that there would be an exit from the limassol-larnaca highway. it wasn’t to be and what should have been a 30 minute drive turned into a 2 hr drive. Yes, you can get lost in this small island

Few points to note:

• In summer, it can get quite hot on the top. Similarly, it gets very windy in winter
• The view is great from the top, so don’t forget your camera
• If you have a jeep and want to get adventurous, you can drive to the top from the larnaca side of the highway, provided you find the path!
• Only males (properly dressed ones) are allowed to ascend the steps into the actual monastery. Ladies have to just stand and admire the monastery from the parking lot, which would also be not possible on a misty day

Of course, the ladies (and the guys too) can visit the church at the other end of the parking lot.

I heard that there is a trekking trail to the top which avoids the roads. I am yet to go on this trail. Once i do that, i shall update info on that too.

written by Rajaram S

written by Rajaram S