Cyprus, Archeology

I am going to spend another day in Paphos. At this time I decided to buy an unlimited day ticket for travelling with public transport. And it cost me only 5 euros. 

I really like the sea coast in Paphos. Honestly, I can walk here day and night. Everything is made for a comfortable and pleasant strolling. Here and there you meet cafes, souvenir shops and travelling agencies.
Of course, there are numerous hotels in Paphos, but they do not have their own beaches. Instead, there are public places to swim.

After a short walking I decided to find some place for having a light lunch. In harbour area I came across the Blue Mare restaurant, which was located on the second floor and had a stunning sea view. First, I thought that they could serve mussels for me. However, when I found out that they did not have fresh mussels, which was really strange to hear, I asked for a simple Seafood salad.

When finishing my lunch, I have bought frozen yogurt for the dessert in the street. And it was simply delicious.

I took another bus and set off for the old city. Except walking down the narrow and cosy streets, I could find some souvenirs with low price. I also bought a good quality bag for myself. By the way, at 15 o'clock all the shops are closed, and life in this area come to a standstill, so you should be careful if you come here for shopping.

Having returned to the bus station, I went to the Archaeological museum, which is located close to the harbour. The territory of the museum is in open air, and the main attractions are mosaic, amphitheater and lighthouse. This is a perfect place for unhurried strolling and taking excellent photos.

There are many advantages of my hotel. However, there are some short backs as well. First of all, it is its location. Frankly, that it is not a real fun to go out and to get to the center on foot. Because it is rather far from a main road, and it is extremely dusty all around. Moreover, there are no such places as restaurants or shops nearby. Still, the atmosphere in this hotel is cosy and relaxing, food is fairly good, evening events are cheerful and the stuff is welcoming.

Tonight we have had a Bingo show. Unfortunately, I won nothing. Just my luck! The frustration of defeat was smoothed by drinking a glass of Mojito. I also tasted a strong Cyprus coffee, which resembled me Turkish coffee, and it was served in small cup along with a glass of cold water.

Cyprus, Donkeys and Oranges

This morning, after finishing my breakfast, I went to the beach to have some sunbath. And later I set off for the town of Paphos.
First of all, I wanted to take a special excursion to the local villages from Ruslan Travel company. Actually, this tour operator is the same as the transport company, which service I use every day while getting to and from Paphos. It seems to be a very reliable organization. Eventually, I paid only 25 euros for the tour, but it is going to be held tomorrow.

However, today I have Donkeys safari tour, which is offered by the operator Biblio Globus, with whom I arrived to Cyprus. They say that it is the most popular excursion among Russian tourists.

While transporting to the village our guide provided us with some brief information about Cyprus and Paphos. For example, Paphos was the main place of Aphrodite's worship; and the name of the city means 'passion'. I also found out that olives cannot be of black color as we see it in shops. Meanwhile, sitting close to the bus window I have noticed that Olive trees are planted everywhere on the island.

So, we are going to see a village which is about 800 years old. However, the main attraction of this trip is certainly a donkey's ride.
As I was told, donkeys are not stubborn, but patient creatures. They are really afraid of water, and they can sing loudly. They have big ears which are used for temperature control. They eat everything and can eat up to 14 kilos a day. People also say that donkeys are the real psychologists, and they copy the owners' behavior.

In the beginning, there was an "orientation" program. For instance, they taught us how to treat the animals in the right way.

Then there was a short excursion with visiting a small museum. We also entered a traditional house and a village zoo. Nevertheless, the most exciting part of our program was ahead; it was donkey's ride, which lasted only half an hour.

My donkey's name was Adam. In general, it was a rather measured trip with no surprise, but I liked it.

Finally, we could taste some local products, which were produced on the farm: olives, wine and other stuff. At the end of our excursion we also had supper. Our guide warned us, that wine at this party never ends. So, we could fill up our vessels infinitely with red and white liquid.

While we were eating there was a special show - the traditional dancing. After all, we were taught how to dance sertakki.
Another surprise from the farm was fruits which we could pick up from am orange tree.

We arrived to the hotel at 23. I felt cheerful and absolutely satisfied about my trip. To sum up, I would like to recommend donkey's safari to everyone.

Cyprus, The Bus Tour

Breakfast at the hotel is various enough not to get bored during one week. But at the same time, I cannot say that it was "haute cuisine".

The season has just started, and people are arriving at the hotel. Despite the fact that the temperature of the sea is not high, some people are swimming. Of course, these people are Russians. However, the great part of holidaymakers came here to sunbath, and they have a good visible result already.

After breakfast I go to Paphos again. There is city sightseeing tour here, and I want to join it. For 12.5 euros I buy a day ticket, which means that I can take on a bus during the whole day. The bus stops at many places which are really worth visiting. Moreover, there is an audio guide on board which speaks English and gives additional information about sights which we drive through.

First, I decided to make a round trip from the beginning till the very end. The journey starts at Paphos harbour and makes a leap roughly in one hour. Fortunately, the weather today is cloudy, and it is rather comfortable to take a seat on the upper floor. So, I should not have bothered about getting sunburnt again.

When my trip had finished I went to a Rock Tavern and ordered dolmades, which is stuffed grapes leaves, and village salad. The first meal was small, and that what I was warned about fairly. However, the salad was really enormous, but I was obstinate to eat everything.

Later I went to harbour and visited an old castle which is located nearby. The entrance fee is 2.5 euro only. Honestly, there is nothing special about this stone building. Nevertheless, the view from this side is excellent.

There was time to have another round trip on "hop-on hop-off bus". The last bus departures at 16 o'clock. So, I took the bus and got off in the old town. Frankly speaking, I was not inspired by this area. First of all, it is empty here, in comparison with the area which is close to the harbour. However, it is possible to find a great deal of shops here. I was lucky enough to discover a market and to buy some souvenirs for my friends with a good price. I also bought a new leather wallet for myself.

Every night at the hotel they organize some kind of entertainment for their guests. They call it animation. And this time there was a music contest. We had to listen to some music and to guess, what was the band, singer or movie. I found out that I am not a musical expert. I gained only 6 points out of 12.

After the quiz finished there was disco, but when they switched on the Russian singer Grigory Leps twice, I left this event. For me it is not the right music for dancing, but other Russian people, who were there in large majority, liked it very much and sang it in choir.