Back to the Mediterranean: Dr. Aphrodite's Rock.

No, that's not a new pop song!

Yesterday was tourist day, and the last part was spent watching the sun slowly set behind a place where Aphrodite, or Venus, was supposed to have emerged from the foam. Three rocks of various sizes were purportedly thrown into the water by an angry Greek god. The proper name for the place is Petra Tou Romiou, which means, Rock of the Greek. The legend says that Aphrodite was born here.

Petra Tou Romiou just before sunset.

Earlier in the day, I set off in my rental car for the town of Limassol or Lemesos. I drove through the uninviting tourist section, filled with hotels and restaurants and then came back to the old town. After parking the car, I wandered the narrow, winding streets and bought some familiar local delicasies: Cyprus honey, mosphilo jelly, and some sotzouko (a rubbery grape and almond sweet) for my sister. For all you essential oil lovers, I also purchased some supposedly pure rose oil for three Cyprus pounds (6 bucks). YUUUCK! For the purists, it wasn't pure! I left it for the hotel maid. It was passable as perfume, but not as a therapeutic oil. Take a lesson: you get what you pay for!

As the intense Cyprus sun rose higher into the sky, and all the smart locals retreated indoors for their afternoon siesta, this crazy American with no hat on, drove out through the orchards to the west of Limassol to find Kolossi Castle and the ruins at Khourion. I say crazy, because when I got to the ruins, high on a hill and in the beating sun, I traipsed around there for a couple of hours while I got culture, and sizzlingly hot.

Episkopi Bay from Khourion

I digress for a moment for the benefit of my family. On the way out to Kolossi Castle, I drove down lanes that reminded me of another part of the island where we lived (Morphou). Evergreen trees lined the roads and orange orchards stretched out as far as the eye could see. I passed a couple of strawberry growers, too. One had introduced an innovation: he had planted his strawberries in green houses, up on some kind of rack. The strawberry plants hung down from the trellises presumably so that the strawberries did not get crushed or moldy on the ground.

I wish I could upload pictures of the Castle and the ruins. They were awesome. When I return home, I will post pictures. The internet cafe where I am currently sipping a carbonated soft-drink (orange Kean) does not have the capability of uploading pictures. (Enclosed photos were uploaded upon my return.)

After taking in the ruins at Khourion, I drove down to the beach below, put my feet up on a yellow plastic chair at the café, and ordered a local beer (Keo). When the family at the table next to me ordered Kalamari, I decided to partake also. So, with the gentle waves of the Mediterranean lapping below me, I sipped my glass of beer and munched on some rather rubbery octopus rings. (I think the octopus must have been a Grandpa, cause the rings were about two inches in diameter and tasted as if he had been around the Mediterranean a few times. I'll take the Calamari in Bodega Bay instead!) I dipped my hot, tired feet in the cool water and headed off toward Paphos to see the afore-mentioned birthplace of Aphrodite.

Ahh, the beer that refreshes!

My day was complete and I tumbled into bed around 11PM.

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Today, I am in the capital of the island, Nicosia. The main street, Ledra Street, used to be open to automobile traffic but is now a pedestrian mall. When I was little, we would come here about once a month to shop. Mom would schlep us up Ledra Street and back down the next one (Onosogoras Street). In the summertime, the stores closed at 1PM for siesta, so we had to be sure to complete all our shopping before then. It was a mad dash up one street and down the next. Imagine cars going along the narrow street, Vespa motorcycles weaving between the cars, everyone honking madly, and people in and out of shops. If you wanted to pass someone walking toward you on the narrow side-walk, you might have to step into the street. Watch out for the cars! Not enough room for cars and people. Honk honk! People drive with their horns here!