A TRIP ROUTE
INTERESTING FACTS
The Orthodox male monastery of Kykkos, situated on the mountain of the same name, in the Troodos mountain range. The monastery, whose patron is the Mother of God, was founded by Alexius I Comnenus at the end of the 11th century. The leading leader of the national liberation struggle against British rule on the island, General George Griwas, established his headquarters near the monastery. The monks of the monastery gave him unflagging support for a long time, and one of them, Makarios III, became their spiritual leader. The archbishop, however, opposed the use of terrorist methods in the fight for independence. Here also the head of the Cypriot Orthodox Church and the future president of the Republic of Cyprus were buried. Today, Kykkos is not only a religious, but also a national place of pilgrimage for Greek Cypriots, as we saw during our visit to the monastery.IT IS WORTH SEEING
The city of Paphos, located on the west coast of Cyprus, was famous in antiquity for the magnificent temple of Aphrodite and the worship of her name. According to the legend, the Greek goddess of love was to emerge from the sea foam not far from this place. At a small, pebble beach, 20 km from the city, rocks called Petra tou Romiou or Roman Rocks rise from the sea. Today, the birthplace of the goddess has been given the name "Rock of Aphrodite" for commercial reasons. In a beauty contest between Hera, Athena and Aphrodite, the latter promised Paris Helena, the wife of Menelaus of Sparta, for the title of the most beautiful woman in the world, which directly contributed to unleashing the Trojan War. Aphrodite was worshiped especially by women who saw her as the patroness of marriage. Due to her relationship with the sea, she was worshiped by sailors, as well as in port cities. Looking at the impressive canvas of the Italian master Sandra Botticelli "The Birth of Venus" it is actually difficult to judge where the birth took place.September 2011
Holidays in Cyprus were our second visit to the island of Aphrodite. This time, however, it had a completely unique character. For the first time we went on a holiday with our son. As we previously lived in the eastern part of the island in the Agia Napa area, this year we decided to go to Paphos on the west coast.
We have been wondering for a long time whether a flight to Cyprus with a child of less than one year is a good idea.
It turned out that our fears were in vain. During take-off Julek drank milk, fell asleep tasty and woke up only during the landing.
Holidays with a baby are a great challenge for parents, as most of the time has to be devoted to the baby. Fortunately, Julek always
liked driving, so we could go together on a trip to the Troodos Mountains and around Paphos and visit places that
we did not reach during our previous stay in Cyprus.
Julek is resting
On the spot, Julek very quickly adapted to the new conditions and rested, preferring mainly to lie on a deckchair, carry on his arms and take long walks in a pram. He took lightly the beautiful weather, picturesque landscapes and hotel attractions, and his favorite activity was to eat a meal and cut down a mosquito. After considering all the pros and cons, your first vacation may be a success.
Paphos and surroundings
We visited the archaeological park in Paphos during our previous visit to the island. That is why this time we only visited the church of Panagia Chrissopolitissa, next to which stands the pillory to which, according to legend, St. Paul was tied during his flogging. When we were looking at the ruins of the roman amphitheater in Kourion, we did not realize that we were in the british dependent territory of Akrotiri. I came across this information by accident, browsing websites about Cyprus after my return.
Troodos Mountains
The most famous monastery in Cyprus, Kykko surprised us unpleasantly. We expected a meeting with poor monks leading a godly life filled with work and prayer, and we saw businessmen in the habits of managing the monastery's hotels, restaurants and earthly goods. Fortunately, a visit to the mountain village of Omodos took us back in time and made time stand still.