April 4, 2008

Good news, Joel arrived home safely last night. He said the trip was well worth it and now I will try and fill you in on the rest of what we did while he was here.
In Paphos the Anglican services are held at a 500 year old church called Ayia Kyriaki (or St. Kyriaki). In the grounds are the remains of a Franciscan Monastery, another Basilica and St. Paul's Pillar. It was here that Apostle Paul, on his visit with Barnabas, was bound and given 39 lashes as a punishment for preaching Christianity. After this, he managed to convert the governor to Christianity, making Cyprus the first Christian state in the world.
Still in Paphos, near the harbour are the remains of a Roman settlement with superb mosaics. The site is still being excavated, but is open to the public for viewing.
Right on the edge of the harbour is a Byzantine fort, that has been rebuilt many times by many different cultures and is now a museum.
We also spent a day in Lemesos. Dale and Stephen had two meetings to attend, so Joel, Cathy and I went to a Medieval Fort museum. Unfortunately, we couldn't take pictures of the exhibits which were fascinating. After a lovely lunch of spanikopita (spinach pie), we returned to Kouklia for a nice cold beer by the pool.
After dinner out at one of our local Tavernas, we turned in for an early night, as Joel's flight was at 5am out of Larnaca. It was a lovely visit, and so nice to be able to show off this lovely island.
Hope all is well with you. We think of you often and really appreciate you keeping in touch.
Love,
Laurel

http://www.kypros.org/Cyprus/paphos.html