K and B Trip Notes: Cypress Haves … and Their Have-Nots

QE II in port with us!

Tiny little ship from France

18 Big buses and 2 vans waiting for ALL
of us to disgorge from the ship!

Cute little Orthodox church
for the port

Bright and sunny. Finally. After several days of gloom and rain, we are parked aside what looks like a vacation paradise called Cyprus. But not exactly…really. Much like its neighbor Greece and especially Rhodes, Cyprus is a large island strategically placed right at the “sweet spot” between Asia, Europe and Africa. And what that meant milleniums ago as it does today is lots and lots of invasions and fighting to maintain its independence.

I guess I never really thought about Cyprus before. It was an island. Somewhere in the Mediterranean. Sunshine. Beaches. It was “over there” and really never touched our lives in the US. What I realized today is there are similarities from all corners of the world that apply here. For instance, with all the struggles and refugees from wars in Turkey, Greece, Albania, all those central European countries, Cyprus was, unhappily, separated. One part is Turkish. One part is Greek. And the Greek part appears to be quite prosperous, with designer shops, Mercedes and BMW dealerships, gorgeous behemoth homes being built, while the northern Turkish side is littered with destruction, of formerly gorgeous homes, of formerly prosperous shops, of broken government services.

typical countryside...like Hollywood western set

Archiological dig

Mikanos' Cadillac limo

Small but exquisite Orthodox cathedral
next to palace

Mikanos' Mercedes limo preserved
in glass viewing box

Old smaller bishops palace.

Minaret visible just over the "green line" DMZ

Bishop's palace... new one

Statue to Archbishop Miknanos

How can this be, you ask? Well, the United Nations maintains a DMZ zone. That’s right: a demilitarized zone on Cyprus. You can see the uniformed soldiers with weapons, the military trucks, the wall (or blue line, the residents call it) and, god forbid, you want to take a picture! You could end up in jail, as a spy, they tell us. To go from one side to the other, it is possible, as long as you have a passport, stamped paper correctly filled out, and a time limit. Right now, you can stay until sundown on the Turkish side. And this separation is especially hard because both the Turks and the Greek/Cypriots used to be neighbors and friends.

Miaret visible on the other side of the DMZ

This artificial ripping away of friends, neighbors seems so unnecessary. But, still, the two sides remain separate, leery of each other. It reminded me a bit of North and South Korea. How can the Turkish side look past the DMZ to see those fancy cars, those expensive shops, the wealth displayed and feel content? And the Greek part of the island is also part of the EU, which brings commonality with the rest of Europe, while half their land is not part of the EU, artificially rejected from Europe.

Round Neolithic home reconstruction

Neolithic stone bowl with pour slot

Ruins of thriving city left in ruins by
Richard The Lion Heart

We saw, again, ruins from thousands of years ago, round houses inhabited by the ancients. And the fallen pillars from former Greek colonies, stone walls surrounding fallen villages to remind one of the past glory of this island mass. It looks much like a southwestern desert; sand and scattered hearty trees that can exist with little rain and months of drought.

I asked our guide a bit about life here. She is from Italy, married to a Cypriot, like much of the polyglot that is the population. She told us there is a large colony of rich Russians who come and build the huge mansions we saw as we drove around. And there are vacationers from northern Europe who come in the summer for the sun and sand beaches. Residents speak many languages that are taught in schools here: French, Italian, English, Russian, Greek, Spanish. Her 3 year old grandson can speak English, Greek, Italian and Japanese already! School runs like in the US and is paid for by the government. The president is elected to 5 yr terms. I asked about Obama and the US. The answer I got was rather candid.

She said,” I don’t know about him. He promises much and does not deliver. He doesn’t seem to be very friendly.”

However, when asked about a President Hillary Clinton, she was enthusiastic. Apparently on Cyprus, Bill Clinton, who has been here numerous times, is well liked, almost worshiped for his friendliness, his charisma. And she felt it was about time a woman, especially Hillary who is so experienced, took hold of the helm.

“Your country needs help. Why did you elected George Bush? He messed things up,” she observed.

And, as we pulled out of the harbor, my thoughts were a big sanguine about the future of the island. And, looking forward to our arrival tomorrow in Israel, to a strange new world for us!