Winter Escape to Larnaca

I’d been languishing on my window sill for far too long, watching the Austrian winter closing in, when I heard some great news. The Oldies were heading off to Cyprus. Fantastic! Sea and sunshine, what more could a seagull ask for!

Larnaca was our first port of call and I was delighted with the Wingless Wonders’ choice of apartment. Close to the old city centre, with fabulous sea views and just a stone’s throw from the beach, it couldn’t have been better.

So, imagine my bewilderment when the Oldies announced that the first thing they planned to do was … go for a walk around a lake! Why that, when we’ve the sea right on our doorstep, for goodness sake? When we got there, I thought I was seeing things. Larnaca Lake was as white as snow. Indeed, it looked exactly like snow. Heaps of it! It turned out that this was, in fact, salt, as the lake was almost completely dry. What a sight!

When you look closely, there are layers of colour in the salt, everything from pink to grey. It’s actually quite beautiful. In a dry sort of way.

The Wingless Wonders had hoped to catch sight of some of the thousands of Greater Flamingos that settle on the lake during their migration every winter. It seems that we were a little early and the weather was far too warm. With the lake in this condition, there wasn’t a flamingo in sight. Not that I was heartbroken. I have to admit that I find those pink giants on stilts rather terrifying. But, shh, don’t tell anyone!

The Oldies poked around the Hala Sultan Tekke, a holy site and an important place of pilgrimage. Visitors staying there certainly seem to be well looked after. My beak was dripping as delicious aromas wafted across the complex from the kitchens. Hah, I know one ingredient they never need to buy: salt.

I was delighted when the Dynamic Duo decided to walk back to the city via beautiful, sandy McKenzie Beach. I think the Oldies loved it almost as much as I did, and they seemed quite happy with the choice of great eateries along the promenade. They certainly checked out enough of them!

What I didn’t realise at first was how close we were to the airport. It was a little unnerving to see large aircraft flying so low over the beach as they came in to land. You could almost see the whites of the eyes of the passengers!

During our stay, the Wingless Wonders visited Larnaca Castle at the end of the Finikoudes Beach. In the museum, I was amused by the display of 15th century pottery, decorated with what looked like medieval emojis!

The ancient fort served as an interesting backdrop for the modern art exhibits in the Larnaca Biennale…

… but most of all, I loved the views from the battlements.

I was delighted that Finikoudes beach soon became the Oldies’ regular haunt. With this and all those other beaches forming an integral part of the city, it’s no surprise that Larnaca is my kind of town. But oddly enough, I haven’t spotted a single gull yet. Or any other seabird for that matter. Now that’s weird…

« ‹ of 2 › »