We’ve been in our new home, Limassol, for under a week. The weather has been gorgeous so we’ve been out and about much of every day. So that’s first: we thought we’d like being in a nice warm place for the winter and we were absolutely right! It’s been warm and sunny, with just a bit of rain. We’re taking full advantage, walking on the beach, eating outside, and the like. We’ve not been in the water yet, but many hearty Cypriots go in every day for a morning swim. We are summoning up our courage to join them…
We have spent some time in Greece but neither of us has been to Cyprus before. We have, between us, semi-functional Greek and we whip it out at every opportunity. Several people have told us that Limassol is very touristy, full of football hooligans and British sun-seekers. Nothing daunted (we love both those groups!) we decided to come anyway. And we’re glad we did. There is indeed a significant British presence here, but we don’t mind that at all; it means many people speak English. And we look super-tan by comparison. Also, there are a variety of British foodstuffs available in our local grocery store. One thing that did surprise us was the Russian presence, both in persons and on signs: many things are labelled in three languages. The town feels very European; lots of pop music, lots of languages being spoken, much pan-European cuisine.
We are also surprised by the enormous amount of building going on. Much of it is funded by partnerships with Chinese, Russians, UAE, and Israel. Interesting bedfellows, no? Those four, like us, obviously know a good thing when they see it. A lot of the seafront is small buildings, but increasing numbers of high-rises are going up to the east of the old city. So that is likely to change soon. We are obviously not in a position to criticise foreigners wanting a piece of Limassol, but we still think it’s too bad.
We are about a twenty minute walk (along the lovely beachside promenade) from the old city in Limassol. It is small but has the requisite stuff: castle, orthodox church, mosque, picturesque squares, souvenirs, and Cypriot guys in captain’s hats smoking and playing backgammon. Beyond that is the marina, rebuilt shortly before the pandemic and beautiful, with fancy restaurants, cafes, and shops. And beyond that is the working harbour. We’ve already scouted out a few beachside cafes and picked our favourite restaurants, but the lure of our very own balcony is such that we’re also spending a lot of time sitting at home looking at the water.
We are suffering somewhat from sticker shock – but after Istanbul, everything was going to seem expensive. The Republic of Cyprus uses the Euro, and we are back to a mostly credit way of operating. Cypriot and Greek wine are readily available, in grocery stores as well as corner shops, and very inexpensive. Also, so far, very drinkable and sometimes excellent. And the final shocker is that we can walk next to each other on the sidewalk. Also, there are sidewalks! We loved Istanbul but found it very, very crowded.
In sum, so far so good: we’re planning to explore elsewhere on the island, particularly archaeological sites and Nicosia, the last divided capital in the world. Stay tuned for more!
