Away from the touristy coastal areas, beaches and English pubs lie the Troodos Mountains. Wild mountain passes, ghost villages and not a metre of tarmac: this is definitely not the Cyprus you know from airbrushed travel brochures.
Continue Reading →Author: Tom Peeters
Border hopping in Cyprus (part 3): Nicosia, the last divided city in Europe
Nicosia, the capital of Cyprus, is the last divided city in Europa – split between two communities, living side by side but with a border separating them.
Continue Reading →Border hopping in Cyprus (part 2): Varosha, exploring the ghost town that was once the favourite resort of Europe’s jet-set
Hidden behind a barricade in Northern Cyprus lies Varosha, once a glamorous resort town on the Mediterranean coast, now a haunting ghost town frozen in time. We unravel Varosha’s secrets, confront the conflicting emotions of curiosity and guilt, navigate the geopolitical complexities and contemplate the ethical implications of visiting a place where lives were abruptly disrupted.
Continue Reading →Border hopping in Cyprus (part 1): welcome to Erdogan’s dollhouse
Divided by a border called the Green Line, Cyprus is an island of two halves. The Cypriot Greeks and the Turks act like long-estranged spouses, still unsure if they should go on with their messy divorce or get back together asap. “The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus is Erdogan’s dollhouse.”
Continue Reading →How Cyprus became the island of cats
We had just landed in Paphos and were waiting for a bus that would take us from the airport to the city when a white and orange cat, a Garfield incarnate, climbed onto my lap. The cat gave me a few gentle headbutts and snuggled up to me stoically, completely tame and devoid of any fear of humans. Why should he be afraid: judging by his belly, this feline creature was not short of food or attention. In the following weeks, we would get to know the cats of Cyprus very well.
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