Time permitted only two destinations, Lefkosia (southern Nicosia) and Larnaka.

These days, it's a cinch to cross the Green Line between the Turkish Republic of North Cyprus (the area that southern sources often refer to as "occupied Cyprus") to the Republic of Cyprus ("free Cyprus"). You show your passport to the northerners, then you show it to the southerners, and bingo, you're in Lefkosia. It's somewhat surreal.

(But to get into the south, you have to have initially entered by the south. At the moment you can't do a through trip, ie, you can't enter the north from outside and cross to the south to leave the country.)

Favourite things in Lefkosia:

1.
The Church of the Archangel Michael Trypiotis, the first Greek Orthodox church I've visited. The interior is quite dark, which makes the iconostasis, gleaming with gold and silver and colour, stand out even more impressively. The round, solid dome is perforated with four plain but coloured windows. Worshippers process around the icons, kissing the glass panes that protect the bottom sections.



2.
Museums. Firstly, the Hadjigeorgakis Kornesios Mansion, which is the house of a former dragoman (literally an interpreter and guide, but also a high-ranking administrator, responsible for collecting taxes from the Christian community on behalf of the Ottomans). His is a sad story. He got rich, got enemies, and got decapitated. But the house is delightful. Elegant and solid. Secondly, the Leventis Municipal Museum of Nicosia. Excellent exhibitions take the visitor through the history of Lefkosia from its very early days.

















3.
Walking the streets, an activity which -- as in Lefkosa -- is full of interest. The buildings on the main drag have seen a little more sprucing up than their northern cousins, and there is of course a much greater presence of international chains (whether you regard that as an advantage is another thing). But the architecture is similar, and over towards the Paphos Gate, evidence of the city's division is still abundant.











4.
Food. Piatsa Gourounaki's meat platter (souvlaki, kebabs, chicken in bacon, roasted vegetables, pitta bread, chips, tsatsiki, and honey mustard mayo) was extremely tasty. This was preceded by crispy toasts and olive oil, and succeeded by a kind of custard served with cherry compote (this Cypriot dessert is called mahalepi). With fizzy water, the whole thing came to 20 euros (about MYR 100). For what we had, I don't reckon this was too bad. And it was our first ever genuine Greek meal... Also noteworthy, however, was ice-cream from Heraclis, which has been serving its product since 1939. Different in texture from both Turkish and British ice-cream. And a humble but thoroughly wonderful food experience was our pavement breakfast. This consisted of "Cypriot coffee" (uncannily similar to Turkish coffee -- just as the "Cypriot Delight" we encountered later no doubt tastes a lot like Turkish Delight...), and a piping hot crescent-shaped pastry filled with tapenade. I think these things are called eliotes. Whatever its moniker, mine was straight up delicious.

5.
Wine. To be precise, a bottle of 2013 Barba Yiannis, made from maratheftiko grapes. Cost more than half as much as lunch... Plus we had to buy "Cyprus"-painted souvenir glasses (1 euro each) to drink it out of... We drank it in the late afternoon on the spacious terrace that came with our room at the Sky. A somewhat farcical experience. The sun, missing all day, blazed forth in hot, annoying glory. At precisely the same time, rain, which all day had been sprinkling or threatening to, again spattered from the heavens. Minutes later, the sun would retreat, and it would feel quite chilly. Then the whole cycle would repeat itself. Still, the wine was lovely, getting better and better with every glass.





It's really easy to get from Lefkosia to Larnaka. A bus that starts in the centre of the first takes you to the centre of the second in just about an hour. It costs EUR 4 one way per person, and the route gives you nice views of the eastern end of the Troodos mountains (next time..., next time...).

Favourite things in Larnaka:

1.
The sea front. The famous bit is Finikoudes Beach, with its palm trees, beach loungers, and cosmopolitan cafes. But walking all the way to the fishing port and beyond is a really bright and breezy thing to do. You can then walk back via some of Larnaca's traditional houses.











2.
St Lazarus Church. My second Greek Orthodox in a week. There's something very soulful about these dark but gleaming places.











3.
The salt lake. This is a photographer's dream, as it changes radically depending on the water level at any given place, and the weather prevailing at any given moment. The colours range from tawny yellow to soft blue to brilliant white. We walked about three quarters of the way round it, alongside wheat and barley fields, with the mountains looming behind, and through tracts of rustling bullrushes, which create a haven for birds (not that we saw many). Planes rise and descend at the nearby airport, but their noise is lost in the sounds of the weather and the countryside.









4.
Monuments around the salt lake. First and foremost, there's the Hala Sultan Tekke Mosque, marking the site where the Prophet Muhammad's aunt died after falling from a mule. This is a gorgeous place. We got there before any other tourists, and enjoyed the quiet peacefulness, broken only by the fluttering of pigeons inside, and the sighing of the wind in the trees outside. Further round the lake, there's a very impressive aqueduct, built in 1745.















5.
Food and drink. Keo and Leon are very acceptable Southern Cyprus beers. They go well with the crusty bread and firm round cheese you've bought from your nearest mini-market for an evening at home catching up with your Internet chores (the best connections we've had all holiday were supplied by the Eleonora Hotel Apartments, which offer very spacious and comfortable accommodation)... At a modest pavement-invading snack place we sampled lahmajoun (two round, cracker-reminiscent bread bases, sandwiched with a tomato and meat paste, liberally sprinkled with lemon, and rolled up -- delicious). We also had a great lunch at the Alasia Cafe on the seafront: home-made moussaka, halloumi ravioli, a bottle of Cypriot red, fresh oranges, and Cypriot coffee.

There was so much we didn't have time to do. Next time...