April 6, 2008

Hi everyone. Well, I managed to get Dale away from his phone and computer for most of the last five days. We headed up to Kyrenia in the Turkish occupied zone which encompasses about a third of the island of Cyprus. Crossing the border wasn't difficult - all you need is time and money. We got our visas, then had to pay for extra car insurance, as ours was not valid there. It was different on the Turkish side; not as prosperous looking - more sparse and run-down. But the people were lovely and very accommodating.
On the way into Kyrenia we stopped at an old Byzantine fort dating sometime between the 7th and 10th centuries, built as a Bastion against the raiding Arabs. Great exercise, lots of stairs - but certainly well worth it. http://www.cypnet.co.uk/ncyprus/city/kyrenia/castle/sthilarion/index.html
We stayed at the Almond Village Resort which is run by such a nice family. The father built it and still works on it, and the children (adults) run the different areas - restaurant, reception, housekeeping, etc. They were very helpful and gave us great tips on what to see and do, and how to get there. Our little bungalow was very comfortable. It was still a bit too chilly to use the pool, but in the summer it would make a great get-a-way as apparently it is never as crowded in the north as it is in the south.
I am going to have to make this into a four or five part blog, since we have so many great photos to show you. We are going to have to come up with another idea on how to post more, since over this last holiday we took about 400.
To be continued . . .