Across the Divide
A day trip to the divided city of Nicosia
Aarrgh, what got into the Oldies? They were up at the crack of dawn. Well, the crack of 7 o’clock. But still.
The reason soon became apparent as they boarded a bus bound for Nicosia. I was more than a little nervous when I noticed that the bus appeared to be held together with sticky tape and a prayer. But it got us there in one piece. Thank … that lady on the holy picture. And the very competent lady bus driver, of course.
As soon as we arrived at the central bus station, my owners made a beeline for the border. Apparently, Nicosia is the world’s last divided city, so of course, the Oldies couldn’t wait to check it out.
Nicosia is a walled city into the bargain. The entire old city centre lies inside star-shaped Venetian walls dating from the 16th century. But it is the ugly, modern walls running straight through the centre of the city that divide the Greek side from the Turkish side.
Crossing into the Turkish part was quite an experience. There is passport control on each side, just like at any international border. But only pedestrians and cyclists are allowed through the checkpoint. Weird!
My first impression of the Turkish side was that it was quite run down. In fact, it looked to me as if some buildings were still in the damaged state they’d been in since the hostilities 50 years ago. But a number of mosques, baths and other public buildings have been or are in the process of being renovated.
As we wandered around the side streets, time and again we found ourselves hitting a wall. Often with barbed wire on top.
The Oldies certainly seemed to enjoy poking around the local market hall and the maze of narrow shopping streets. These were full of Turkish delights. And Turkish Delight. I never saw so much confectionery in one spot. Sweet!
The Dynamic Duo, however, plumped for savoury delights – in the shape of delicious handmade pastries that they ordered in the courtyard restaurant in the beautifully restored Büyük Han, the Great Inn. It certainly was great! As was the food.
Back on the Greek side, the Oldies pottered around the old city centre. Here, they chanced upon a hidden gem – a museum and observation tower on the 11th floor of the local H&M store. Hah, for once their powers of observation stood them in good stead. What a great panorama of the entire city! I could have stayed up there for hours.
The dividing walls, part of the ‘Green Line’, were clearly visible from this height. I even spotted a giant Turkish flag on the side of a mountain on the northern side. Just in case you were in any doubt as to which side of the border you were looking at.
Later, the Oldies walked along the Venetian city walls. Now these were walls I could live with! And indeed, much of the city life appears to take place on, in and around these walls. I was impressed by how imaginatively the space inside the ancient battlements is used. In one large section, a funfair was being set up, in another, there was a football pitch. Another section was spanned by an ultra modern bridge with a well laid out park beneath it. What a great way of combining old walls with modern amenities!
Maybe, someday, the walls dividing the city will be put to use for some other purpose. Or better still, demolished altogether.
