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GETTING UP WITH CHICKENS AT COCKCROW HAS ENTERED MY BLOOD.
THE HOTEL BREAKFAST AT PYRAMOS IS OF A VERY HIGH STANDARD, ESPECIALLY CONSIDERING THE PRICE.
FULL UP WE ARE SETTING OFF TO THE CAR, FOR THE PRESENT-DAY MAIN PURPOSE – ROYAL TOMBS. FIRST, HOWEVER, WE ARE STEPPING A SMALL, VERY INTERESTING CHURCH, AGIA PARASKEVI. IT IS STANDING ON THE ROAD TO TOMBS. WATCHING IS TAKING 30 min. BUT REALLY IT IS WORTHWHILE.
WE DRIVE FURTHER AND AFTER A FEW KILOMETRES WE ARE AT OUR DESTINATION.
THE TOMBS OCCUPY A HUGE AREA. NOT EVERYTHING HERE IS EQUALLY INTERESTING. THERE ARE BETTER AND WEAKER POINTS OF THIS EXHIBITION. IN PARTICULAR, NO. 7 GRAVES DO NOT SEEM TOO INTERESTING TO ME. IT TAKES EASY 120 MINUTES TO SEE EVERYTHING. ADMISSION € 2.5 / pp.
WARNING !!! BOTH HERE AND IN OTHER STATE MUSEUMS, ALL PENSIONERS HAVE A 50% DISCOUNT. UNFORTUNATELY, THE CYPRIOTS DO NOT INFORM ABOUT IT.
LEAVING THE NECROPOLIS, WE DECIDED TO DRIVE FURTHER ALONG THE COAST TOWARDS THE CORAL BAY, TO SEE THE MUSEUM OF MYCENAEAN COLONIZATION OF THE CYPRUS. WE PASSED LIDL ALONG THE WAY. THE PRICES THERE WERE BETTER THAN IN THE PREVIOUSLY VISITED BY US SUPERMARKET.
THE MAA MUSEUM IS HIGHLY OVERRATED AND IN MY OPINION IT IS NOT WORTH TAKING A LOOK AT.
GOING FARTHER, WE REACHED THE BEAUTIFULLY SITUATED CLIFF BEACH AT THE BOTTOM OF THE ROCK. THE AREA IS CALLED SEA CAVES. IT IS WORTH COMING HERE EVEN FOR THE WHOLE DAY.
GOING NORTH, AFTER 4 km – IN THE VILLAGE OF PEJA (PEGEIA) – YOU WILL FIND ANOTHER ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE. THERE ARE THE REMAINS OF AN EARLY CHRISTIAN SETTLEMENT FROM THE SIXTH CENTURY HERE. THREE BASILICAS, A BISHOP’S RESIDENCE, A WATER SYSTEM, AND FUNERARY NICHES OF ROMAN SETTLERS UNDER AN ESCARPMENT, ON WHICH THE GREEK CATHOLIC CHURCH AGIOS YEORGIOS – NOT VERY INTERESTING – BUT SUCKING CROWDS OF PILGRIMS, STANDS.
ADMISSION TO THE SITE – THE MUSEUM, COST (€ 2.5 PP., € 1.5 pp. – FOR 65 YEARS OLD AND MORE). TOMBS – FREE ADMISSION.
ON THIS WE HAVE FINISHED TODAY’S EDUCATIONAL PART AND AFTER A SHORT CONFERENCE WE DECIDED TO GO TO POLIS – A SMALL PORT ON THE WEST-NORTH SIDE OF THE ISLAND. YOU WILL GET THERE ALONG WINDING ROADS, BEATING LOW MOUNTAINS.
MARION (POLIS) HAS A VERY RICH HISTORY. IT WAS ALREADY KNOWN DURING THE LATE NEOLITHIC PERIOD. IT HAS BECOME ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT ANCIENT CYPRIOT KINGDOM CITIES, BEING AN IMPORTANT LINK – IN THE COMMERCIAL RELATIONS – BETWEEN THE ISLANDS OF THE AEGEAN SEA, EASTERN ATTICA AND CORINTH. IN EGYPT, IN THE TEMPLE OF RAMSES III IS DATED TO THE TWELFTH CENTURY BC. MENTION OF THE CITY. MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THIS COMES AFTER THE CONQUEST OF CYPRESS BY PERSIANS IN 449 BC. UNFORTUNATELY, THE SUCCESSORS OF ALEXANDER THE GREAT LED THE CITY TO RUIN, AND IT WAS ALMOST FORGOTTEN UNTIL THE LATE MIDDLE AGES.
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POLIS – STREETS IN THE CENTER
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THE TOWN IS ACTUALLY SMALL. A FEW EMPTY TAVERNS AND BARS AT THIS TIME OF THE YEAR MAKE A VERY SLEEPY IMPRESSION. WE ARE AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SEASON. SOON THERE WILL BE LOTS OF TOURISTS HERE. WE GO THROUGH THE PROMENADE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE TOWN PASSING THE CHURCH OF AGIOS NIKOLAOS. WE ARE SITTING DOWN IN CHIX CHOX RESTAURANT – A LARGE, CORNER DINER STANDING IN THE SQUARE DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF IT. TO SHARPEN THE APPETITE BEFORE TODAY’S FAREWELL DINNER, WE TAKE SHRIMP WITH FRIES AND LOCAL LETTUCE. WINE AND COFFEE. EVERYTHING EXCEPT COFFEE IS VERY GOOD.
IT TAKES AN HOUR TO RETURN TO PAPHOS, 40 km AWAY.
IN THE EVENING, WE GO OUT TO EAT THE “LAST SUPPER” IN THE RECOMMENDED BY LONELY PLANET RESTAURANT “ARGO”, WHICH IS NEXT TO OUR HOTEL. WE ORDERED SARDINES, CALAMARI, OCTOPUS AND MOUSSAKA. AND HOME-MADE WINE TO BOOT. AT THE END, ICE CREAM AND BAKLAVA. THAT’S ALL FOR € 77.80. THE FOOD WAS VERY GOOD INDEED. WE RECOMMEND THIS PLACE ?✭ ★
THE DAY ENDED WITH A FEW-MINUTE WALK THROUGH THE STREETS OF KATO PAPHOS …
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