Cyprus

The pleasures of Cyprus derive above all from its apparent simplicity the straightforward physical charm of the island and the natural warmth of the people. In a sea of troubles at the eastern end of the Mediter¬ranean, Cyprus surmounts its own problems to offer a re¬markably reassuring haven of calm.

The coastline has enough rugged cliffs and surf beaten coves to appeal to the romantic individualist and sufficient well organized modem seaside beach resorts to keep the family happy, too. In the plains of the interior, villages nestle among olive groves and citrus or¬chards. Goats and sheep scam¬per among ruins of ancient Greek temples and Roman markets. Vineyards climb the sunny hillsides and, higher up, cypress trees frame a somno¬lent abbey or the skeleton of an abandoned fortress. Yes, this is a Mediterranean island.

Car hire at Larnaca and Paphos Airport

The best way to see Cyprus is by driving around the island by hire car, which can be booked at Larnaca or Paphos Airport before you leave the UK. Yet not just any old Medi¬terranean island. It has a char¬acter that is European by historic links to Greece, but also Levantine through in¬volvement from ancient to modern times with Syria and Turkey, and even a touch of Africa via Egypt to the south. A first hint of this complexity comes as soon as you get into town. Away from the seafront in the port towns of Limassol and Larnaca, but especially in the inland capital of Nicosia, the juxtaposition on the sky¬line of a mosque's minaret and the dome of an Orthodox church reminds you of the is¬land's tragic division between Greek and Turkish Cypriots.

Cyprus weather and car rentals

Nicosia, capital of Cyprus since the 12th century, rises up out of the Mesaoria plain, baked dry in summer and be¬decked with flowers and or¬chard blossoms in the spring, and this is a great place to explore by rental car from Larnaca Airport. Mesaoria means 'between the mountains': to the northeast, average low of 21°C (69°F) and average high of 37°C (98°F). Winters from Novem¬ber to March are rainy, with temperatures from 5°C (41°F) to 15°C (59°F). Short sharp changes come with spring in April/May and autumn in October. Cyprus made its ancient fortune from the copper which gave the island its name and colours its silhouette on the Republic's national flag. Today, Cyprus has struck gold with tourism, but also collects good revenues from exporting clothes, fruit and wine. A highly appreciated legacy of British rule is the network of first class roads, easily the best in the eastern Mediterranean and a great boon for visitors wanting to explore the island on their own.

Cyprus history

The ancient myth is that Aphrodite, goddess of love, was born here and ever since, it seems, everyone has wanted a piece of her island. Apart from attracting Phoenician and the craggy Kyrenia range runs into the narrow Karpas Penin¬sula, outstretched finger of the island's pointingfist silhou¬ette; and to the southwest, the wooded slopes of the Troodos mountains capture enough winter snow to make for good skiing at higher altitudes. Depleted since ancient times be¬cause the wood has been used for ship building, the Paphos Forest of the western moun¬tains has been restored, thanks to an initiative in 1907 by a young undersecretary at the British Colonial Office named Winston Churchill.

This is healthy country. The old diseases of malaria and tapeworm have been erad¬icated and the climate is good. Hot dry summers from June to September range between and Assyrian pirates, conquerors from Egypt and Persia, and the ever belligerent Greeks and Turks, Cyprus has been the easy prey of French Crusaders, Venetian and Genoese mer¬chants, and a pawn in the last days of the British Empire. (Novelist Lawrence Durrell's Bitter Lemons, on his days in Cyprus as teacher and colonial official, is beautifully written but most reveals just how paternalistic even the best intentioned British observer could be in the fateful 1950s.)

All these visitors, some more welcome than others, have left their traces, from the Greek basilica and temples of Kourion (near Limassol) to the splendid mosaics of Roman villas at Paphos; Crusaders' castles in the Kyrenia moun¬tains and Gothic churches in Famagusta; Venetian bastions in Nicosia and Byzantine monasteries in the Troodos mountains; Turkish mosques in all the big towns, north and south; and, most recent and cosiest of archaeological relics, the British pillar boxes (repainted yellow) and Belisha beacons (still orange) at the zebra crossings. Slightly less charming vestiges of imperial might are the British military bases 'Sovereign Base Areas' on the south coast and the Turkish counterparts in the north.

Cyprus independence

Since the historical strug¬gle for union with Greece was relinquished in favour of the island's independence in 1960, Greek Cypriots have come increasingly to recognize their distinctive national identity. Their Orthodox Church is autocephalous, which means that the Archbishop is head of the national church indepen¬dent of any patriarch outside Cyprus. The Islam of Turkish Cypriots is of the moderate Sunni persuasion. Considering their turbulent history, one cannot but marvel at the Cypriots' quiet, easy¬going nature.

They have the sunny disposition you may expect (though don't always find) in the Mediterranean. People in the remotest moun¬tain village can be immensely hospitable. The stranger is no enemy. In the tavernas away from the tourist oriented watering holes, you will often find yourself engaged in friendly banter with 'locals' at the neighbouring table.

This widespread cheerful¬ness is coupled with real dignity that shuns expansive surface gestures. The British like to think that their pre¬sence on the island over the past century has been at least partly responsible and as far as the politeness of the police and the sober honesty of public officials are concerned, they may be right. But the courtesy of the Cypriots in general seems to be a more deeply ingrained quality com¬ing from a heartfelt concern for their fellows.

A more sombre note is struck when the question of the divided island is raised. Greek Cypriot refugees from the north there were some 170,000 in 1974, with about 30,000 Turkish Cypriots going in the opposite direction ¬react with more melancholy than anger. Nostalgically, res¬taurants and shops in Larnaca or Limassol may bear the names of their lost homes in Famagusta, Kyrenia or Bella¬pais.

Turkey and Cyprus

Under military occupa¬tion, Turkish Cypriots speak less easily of the division but make the distinction between those born on the island, de¬cidedly ambivalent, and the peasants brought in from Turkish Anatolia after 1974, who remain tight lipped. In addition to the British military community, which is most visible around?

Limassol and Larnaca Bay, the Repub¬lic's foreign residents are mostly Levantine neighbours Lebanese and Armenian Christians, even a few Arab Moslems. The island's prosperity and ethnic mix make dining out a pleasant adventure.

The copi¬ous mezedes (hors d'oeuvres) provide a feast in themselves, spiced with the influences of Greek, Turkish and Levantine cooking. The locally brewed beer is excellent and the brandy lusty, but it is the Cypriot wine that stands out, offering the fine amiable dis-tinction that characterizes the people themselves.