OUR TRAVELS

Photos of sightseeing enthusiasts

A TRIP ROUTE

Cypr - trasa wycieczki


IT IS WORTH KNOWING

The famous mosaic depicting Theseus fighting the Minotaur was discovered by Polish archaeologists. During the excavations conducted under the supervision of prof. Kazimierz Michałowski, in the south-western sector of Nea Paphos, came across silver coins with the image of Alexander the Great and marble sculptures of Asclepius, Artemis and Satire. On the other hand, in the 1972 campaign, in the ruins of an unknown building, the aforementioned mosaic with Theseus and the second one depicting Achilles' bath were unearthed. The mosaic with the battle scene is considered to be the most beautiful decoration of this type found in Mediterranean civilizations. Both the precision of the composition in tonda and the finesse in modeling the figures with colors by means of the appropriate selection of stones of various colors are second to none. The discovery of such high-class mosaics finally confirmed the character of the entire building as a palace of the Roman proconsul, who had his residence in Paphos, from where he managed the entire island.

Mozaika przedstawiająca Tezeusza walczącego z Minotaurem


INTERESTING FACTS

The Kingdom of Cyprus was founded by the Crusaders during the Third Crusade. which took place in the years 1189-1192. One of the leaders of the crusade, the English king Richard I the Lionheart conquered Cyprus belonging to the Byzantine Empire on his way to the Holy Land. The island was made a kingdom, and the crown and the island were bought from the Templars in 1192 by the French nobleman Gwidon of Lusignan. Thus he became king of the island, ruled from then on by the Lusignan dynasty. Gwidon as Wit de Lusignan is one of the heroes of Zofia Kossak-Szczucka's novel "The leper king". The Kingdom of Cyprus survived until 1489, when the Venetian Republic took control of the island, forcing the last ruler, Catherine Cornaro, to abdicate. Cyprus, as a colony of the Venetian Republic, remained in Christian hands until it was conquered by the Ottoman Empire in 1571.

Gwidon z Lusignan, król Jerozolimy i Cypru


INTERESTING STORIES

In 1364, a congress of kings and princes was organized in Kraków by Casimir the Great, during which the conflict between the Habsburgs and the Anjou were to be resolved. One of its participants was Peter I, king of Cyprus and the titular king of Jerusalem. This exotic ruler is most famous for his military expedition to Mamluk Egypt in 1365, during which he conquered and plundered Alexandria. It was the last major military success of the Crusaders in the Middle East. The expedition itself, despite its success, had a negative impact on commercial contacts between Christian and Muslim countries. In the face of the threat to his homeland with Turkish power, Peter I strove to organize a crusade against the infidels. European rulers, preoccupied with their own problems, were not, however, interested in it. To wipe away tears, the king of Cyprus had to win in the knights' tournament organized during the convention. According to the account of Jan Długosz, Mikołaj Wierzynek, a merchant and councilor from Kraków, was to feast on monarchs.

Józef Simmler - Uczta u Wierzynka


Cyprus

May 2009

Kościół w Jeroskipu

Like other tourists, we were brought to Cyprus by the wonderful nature, fantastic beaches, crystal sea, monuments and culinary specialties. In retrospect, I can say that we were not disappointed and the only regret is that we decided not to visit the northern part.

We decided to use the offer of a travel agency, which placed us in Ayia Napa in a hotel located on the seashore. Unfortunately, this tourist resort is located at the eastern end of the Greek part of Cyprus and is far away from everywhere. As usual, we rented a car for a few days, which allowed us to reach the far corners of the island. The trip to distant Paphos was remembered most often, as we traveled along the entire coast, enjoying the picturesque landscapes.


Ajia Napa


poranna kawka w drodze na plażę lepiej tutaj nie chodzić na bosaka parasole czas poznać okolicę zbieracz małż odpływ najtrudniejszy pierwszy krok przystań flagi grecka i cypryjska ogromne gliniane naczynia pitharia malowniczy klif Ten Anglik chyba trochę przesadził pozostałości monastyru Ajia Napa dzwonnica ozdobna kamieniarka nad głównym wejściem malownicze krużganki kilkusetletni figowiec sykomora

During our stay in Cyprus, we stayed in the Ayia Napa resort in the eastern part of the island. The town developed from a small fishing village in the 1980s when the island was split. There are not many attractions here, and the only monument is the medieval Ayia Napa Monastery . On the other hand, very young inhabitants of Western Europe took a liking to the lively town, which in the long run turned out to be quite burdensome.


Nicosia


przejście graniczne przy ulicy Ledras Kierunek Turecka Republika Cypru Północnego wielki zajazd dla karawan krużganki Buyuk Han fontanna pitharia zrujnowane domy w tureckiej części miasta ulica handlowa sklep z antykami minaret studnia ablucyjna Meczet Selimiye gotycka fasada ganek główne wejście do katedry portal wnętrze katedry zamienionej na meczet wnętrze katedry zamienionej na meczet Nauczający imam Wypisy z koranu strefa zdemilitaryzowana Green Line stanowisko strzeleckie barykada zamykająca ulicę pamiątkowa fotka kościół św. Krzyża scenka uliczna balkony beztroska zabawa Pałac arcybiskupi Makariosa III Pomnik otaczanego kultem Makariosa III Pomnik Wolności

Nicosia remains the only divided capital in the world, consisting of Turkish and Greek parts, separated by a demilitarized zone called the Green Line. Fortunately, crossing the border is only a formality and very good, because this is where the most interesting monuments such as the Selimiye Mosque, Buyuk Han or Bedestan are located. Despite these attractions, the visit to the Turkish part, which is poor and very neglected, made a depressing impression on us.


Mountain villages


dziedziniec monastyru Agiou Mina pamiątkowa fotka Panorama Palaichori kamienne domostwa kościół Transfiguration of the Saviour mozolna wspinaczka temu się nie udało wszechobecne ule Drewniany ganek Wszechobecne róże uliczka w Kakopetrii Kościół Przemienienia Pańskiego z XVI w. Wnętrze kościoła, ikonostas Carskie wrota i zwieńczenie ikonostasu ikona namiestna wota dziękczynne stare domostwa tutaj już nikt nie mieszka Średniowieczna uliczka w oczekiwaniu na turystów pamiątkowa fotka drogowskaz hotel Old Mill chwila relaksu dachówki dawny młyn wodny w całej okazałości wszechobecne balkony malowniczy zaułek

During our trip to the Troodos Mountains, the weather was not good. To make matters worse, the church of Agia Sotira in Palechori, entered on the Unesco List, was closed and we did not see the magnificent wall paintings from the 16th century. Our poor mood was improved a bit by a visit to the picturesque village of Kakopetria, situated on a rock between two streams . And the aromatic coffee served in a former water mill was a true masterpiece.


Traces of the past


rekonstrukcja domostw w neolitycznej osady Chirokitia stanowisko archeologiczne Choirokoitia pamiątkowa fotka bizantyjski kościół Agia Paraskevi dzwonnica klasztor św. Neofita dziedziniec zewnętrzny główny kościół kompleksu klasztornego promenada w Pafos Port w Pafos ruiny średniowiecznej fortecy Saranta Kolones pozostałości rzymskich willi Ceramiczne rury kanalizacyjne Tezeusz zabijający Minotaura pierwsza kąpiel Achillesa kolumnada potęga przyrody latarnia morska odeon wybrzeże w pobliżu Pafos Governors Beach wędkarz

Cyprus offers many attractive places to visit, one of which is the Unesco-listed Neolithic settlement of Chirokitia. The stone houses did not seem very impressive to us, but when we realized that they were over 8,000 years old, we changed our minds. On the other hand, the Kato Paphos Archaeological Park surprised us with the diversity of the presented monuments, from prehistoric times, up to the Middle Ages.








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