Cyprus - JJJ

Cyprus February 21-February 24, 2023

While Chris was isolating due to Covid, I anxiously held my breath before every daily test, praying to Aphrodite, Zeus, and any other Greek god/goddess I could think of, that the kids and I would somehow all manage to test negative and be cleared to get off the vessel in Cyprus. The goddesses were on our side this time, and we were thankfully able to explore Cyprus. Fist bumping the ship medical team, I gathered our angsty teen, the 10-year-old boy-gazelle, and the Tasmanian devil to get our wiggles out on land. 

A few fun facts on our port before we get started on the Johnson-Leck adventure:

• About 1 million people live on the island of Cyprus. Most live in Nicosia, the capital. The other major towns are Limassol, Paphos, and Larnaca. In our four days, we spent time in 2 of these (Limassol and Paphos).

• Cyprus got its independence from the British in 1960 (after being occupied by a number of groups throughout history). At this time, the island was made up of 77% Greeks, 18% Turks, and 4% other. In 1974 a group of Greek Cypriot nationalists carried out a coup, attempting to reunite Cyprus with Greece. The Turkish army invaded the island in response to the coup, which led to the capture of 37% island in the north. Today, the Republic of Cyprus has sovereignty over the entire island by law, Turkey being the only country that recognizes Northern Cyprus as its own state. 

• As a result of the conflict described above, Nicosia is a divided capital, the last to remain in Europe. A United Nations “Buffer Zone” divides the capital in half and the Turkish Cypriot north (37% of the island) from the Greek Cypriot south (63% of the island). Cypriot people on either side of the divide can pass fairly easily today from the north to the south or vice versa (they show an ID in the buffer zone). Semester at Sea would not permit any voyager to travel to the Turkish north part of the island so all of our exploration occurred in the south. 

• At some point in history the island was infested with snakes. To solve the problem, cats were put on the island. Today cats are everywhere. You can find people leaving food for them in public places, at restaurants, etc. We saw cats eating out of a dumpster the way you might see racoons eating out of a dumpster in the U.S..  The cats are kind of endearing, and are almost a symbol for the place (you can find cat bags, t-shirts, etc. here). For the record: In Cyprus we saw 3451 cats, 17 free wandering goats, 2 French bulldogs (including a baby---eeeeeekkkkk!), and 0 pugs (whomp, whomp). 

The lingering image for me of Cyprus is that it is gorgeous. It is hard not to continually comment on how beautiful the island is. The weather and geography in Limassol are reminiscent of my favorite cities in the world –San Diego and Cape Town. Palm trees, citrus trees, clear blue ocean water, and brilliant blue skies create the backdrop for this Mediterranean island. We immediately liked it. Urban planners in Limmasol have done a great job making accessible the natural beauty of the place. It has a lovely waterfront, complete with well-designed and interesting paved pathways, cafes and restaurants, exercise equipment, and playgrounds. We spent most of our first day walking along the beautiful shore. Guthrie gleefully spent most of the first day having a “full body experience” in the water and the sand (and for the record, he made the “best sand ball that’s ever been made in the last hundred years”). 

After several miles of walking, we turned our attention to lunch. Wally had a very clear goal for this, and Cyrus delivered. For the last several days, Wally had used his journal as an archive for the list of the food he’s craving (It’s hard to be a vegetarian, let alone a picky vegetarian on the ship). He’s also spent several hours at the ship library computer googling “pizza delivery to ship in ocean.” His belief is that pizza places could really expand their market if they implemented a drone delivery system to ships at sea. As we stepped foot of the ship in Cyprus he reiterated that if I could get him to a Dominoes, he’d consume an entire large pizza on his own. Prove it, buddy:

He didn’t meet his goal, but he did put away 8 pieces in about 15 minutes. The four of us ate two larges together…..maybe Wally wasn’t the only one getting a tad bit tired of the World Odyssey Salad Bar 😊. 

We returned to the ship in the afternoon so the kids could rest in preparation for Carnival and I could put on my student affairs hat for a few hours and respond to a student who was appealing the outcome of a conduct hearing (sorry, friend, you will, in fact, be dismissed from the program for behaving so poorly). 

Carnival is the biggest festival in Cyprus, and we were very fortunate to be in port during the few days it happens every year (the 12 days before Lent).  On our first night in port there was a carnival parade, costumes, and a 90s dance party – right up our alley (aside from the fact that it occurred after my 8pm bedtime!). 

Cyprus has a well developed and affordable public transportation system and on Day 2 (covid negative again – wooo hooo!) we opted to take a public bus to nearby Pathos. Somehow, I managed to book an overnight in what is quite possibly the oddest (and AWESOMEST) hotel I’ve ever stayed in – a Roman themed boutique hotel. There were strange murals and mirrors everywhere, cats wandering in the hotel public spaces from the outside, and a kick-ass buffet breakfast complete with every food imaginable including local olives, and oranges (the damage we did on oranges in Cyprus was reminiscent of our work on pineapple in Kenya). 

We enjoyed exploring Pathos, which like Limmasol, has an awesome marina, a great waterfront, and World Hertiage Sites of ruins and ancient mosaics intermingled throughout the whole town. We enjoyed the sunset over lighthouse beach and I even squeezed in my first “on land” run along the beach. I’d trade that route for ship treadmilling any day. 

We were hoping that day 3 would be the day that Chris would be released from covid isolation and could join us for adventure in Cyprus, but it was not to be.  The kids and I tested negative for the 6th and final time (via home test and emailing photos of our results to the ship), fully clearing us from mask wearing and testing by the on-ship medical team. Learning the news, we did some quick regrouping and made a plan to head out to the Western part of the island to do a hike I had been researching – Aphrodite’s Bath’s. I was blown away by the views on this 7km loop. Fueled by Snickers bars and Pringles, the kids proved their Colorado identities by hiking like absolute champs the entire way, Guthrie, of course, rocking his Crocs. We made our way back to the ship through some creative use of public transportation and taxis with enough time to smuggle in some non-ship-food for Chris. Only a few more hours before we would be reunited as a family. 

Finally joined by Chris, we spent our fourth, and final day, in Cyprus in Limassol. We meandered along the beach and got updates on Chris’s recommendations for Netflix shows, stopped at our favorite beachside café for coffee and pastries. Wally skipped rocks into the crystal clear ocean, and Guthrie fetched the rocks out of the sea like a dog. Midday, we turned our attention to food, enjoying an amazing Cypriot lunch and the infamous “bubble waffle treat” from Hansel and Gretal’s before returning to the World Odyssey. 

Reflecting on this port, I have some regrets about my inability to curate more meaningful cross-cultural experiences for our family on the island.  A lot of factors contributed to this – the ambiguity that came with daily covid testing, being a little fatigued at this point in the voyage, and knowing that there’s a limit to how many ruins/churches/mosques/historical sites/”educational experiences” the kids will tolerate. No doubt, we had a very good time in Cyprus – enjoyed stunning beaches, amazing food, and perfect weather. But, there is a lot more to see here –most of which we didn’t even attempt during our short visit. 

At the end of every port, I ask the kids an impossible question: “If you had to capture this port in a single word, what would it be?” Wally had his response for Cyprus ready to go immediately, and although it doesn’t describe the country of Cyprus, I think it accurately captures the role of Cyprus on our voyage: Reset. We’re now all covid-free and reunited as a family, we used hotel wifi to update our devices with new podcasts, games, and movies, and the spirit of the island rejuvenated us as we move into the second half of the voyage. 

Thanks, Cyprus, for the reset! It was exactly what we needed. Onward!