Pottering around Paphos
Paphos and surroundings
Thankfully, once the Oldies got those mosaics out of their system, they turned their attention to exploring our surroundings. Once again, they’d hit the jackpot with the rental apartment in Paphos. A really cool pad with a large balcony overlooking a communal pool. Nice! Best of all, it was only a short walk down to Paphos proper – and the sea!
This town certainly has a touch of class and I, for one, never tired of our regular strolls along the promenade. I also spent many a relaxing evening watching the sun setting behind Paphos Castle while my owners were stuffing their faces in one of the many promenade restaurants. Luckily, there are endless seaside walks further along the coast. The Wingless Wonders certainly needed to stretch those legs and work off all that wonderful food. I was delighted that they were also eager to explore the coastline further and they certainly found quite a few gems.
I was particularly happy with this find near Polis: Argaka Beach. This is the ideal beach for me – sandy, miles long and practically people-free. What a heavenly spot! Strangely enough, it was also free of seabirds. What is it with this island?
Would you believe, it was only when the Oldies stopped off for a delicious fishy lunch in a restaurant at nearby Latchi harbour that I spotted my very first gull – almost two weeks into the trip. Finally, I was not alone!
I was so surprised to see the gull that I thought the local tourist office had laid him on especially for the tourists’ benefit. I eventually figured out that the clarity of the water around Cyprus is due to the fact that there is little aquatic plant-life, therefore few fish, and therefore even fewer seabirds. Gosh, I’d better keep on the right side of the Oldies if I want to keep up my fish intake here. Preferably with a large portion of chips on the side, made of delicious Cypriot spuds!
Not only the beaches, but the entire coastline along here is stunning. The cliffs are wonderful and the views breathtaking.
And the rock formations are outstanding. Standing out there in the sea.
The most outstanding and famous one of all is Aphrodite’s Rock, or Petra tou Romiou. Legend has it that if you swim around this sea stack you will be blessed not only with beauty, but youth into the bargain. Hah! I’d have loved to see if that would work on the Oldies! There was no chance of getting either of them into the water, however. The currents and waves that day were lethal. Anyone attempting the swim then might well have been beautiful, but they’d probably have died young!
