Adventures in Austria

Originally featured in the Larnca News, which seems to have disappeared!

Just a three hour flight from Larnaca on Austrian Airlines takes you to the beautiful city of Vienna. The land of Mozart, exquisite cakes and the Viennese Waltz. After the blistering heat of Cyprus, the cooler climate and beautiful scenery make Austria a perfect place to escape too, in the hot summer months.

There are some good deals to be had in Vienna, especially for internet bookings. Our stay at The Imperial Riding School Vienna, a hotel in Rennweg came with a very good breakfast which was included in the price of the room as a special offer. It was an imposing, busy hotel, three stops on the tram from the city centre.

 

Vienna itself is a magical place, full of beautiful architecture and famous coffee houses. The main attractions are; the cathedral, which is called Stephansdom, the Hofburg Palace and the Kunsthistorisches Museum. The cathedral was dark, gothic and atmospheric, but due to the renovations taking place on the outside it was difficult to see it in its original state.

 

The Hofburg Palace, summer home to Emperor Franz Joseph and the Empress Elizabeth or “Sisi”, as she was known, was breathtaking in its luxury and opulence. It takes a full morning to view the Imperial Apartments and see the amazing wealth and treasures contained with in them.

 

The most notable art gallery is the Kunsthistorisches Museum, which contains an impressive selection of famous paintings. There are works from Raffael and Francesco Guardi, Bruegel, Caravaggio and Peter Paul Rubens. My favourite painting is The Tower of Babel by Pieter Bruegel the Elder. Probably the most well known paintings is the “Madonna of the Cherries”, by Titian.

The museum building is of a unique design. It is adorned with gold and marble and it contains a wonderful café which serves some of the most delicious Viennese cakes you can imagine!

After an inspiring weekend in Vienna we moved on to Salzburg by train. The travelling time varies depending upon which route you take, but the fastest arrives in just under three hours. Salzburg is a very different city from Vienna. It has a more cosmopolitan feel and it is extremely busy. The main attractions for visitors; are the imposing Hohensalzburg Fortress and Mozart’s house (before he left for Vienna), and of course, shopping in the scenic cobbled streets.

A short trip from Salzburg (forty minutes by bus) and you are surrounded by glorious lakes and mountains. We stayed in a lovely hotel in St. Gilgen, a village on the edge of Lake Wolfgangsee. From there it is possible to take a boat trip around the lake and visit St. Wolfgang, where you can catch a stream funicular to the top of the mountain and observe the stunning views.

Many people choose Austria as a hiking destination, but there are many less demanding walks, along pathways through the wild flowers, scattered across the hills.

Austria is especially beautiful in the summer and it is very accessible for travellers from Cyprus.  It was such a nice restful holiday; we will definitely do it again!

 



The Beautiful City of Vienna

Kunsthistorisches Museum

 Hotel Balcony View St. Gilgen

Fuschl

Lakeside View St. Gilgen

 

The Park St. Gilgen

A Rainy Day in St. Wolfgang

       

Polis & Latchi

Why would anyone need a holiday when they live in Cyprus?

 Even us island dwellers enjoy taking a break from home occasionally.   My favorite spot for a holiday in Cyprus is the village of Polis, which is just over a thirty minute drive along some very scenic mountainous roads from Paphos.  We have found a very quiet hotel with its own stretch of beach, containing turtle nests as seen in the picture below.  You need to get up very early to spot the baby turtles emerging from their nests, usually between five thirty and six o'clock in the morning is the best time.  Both last year and this, I have managed to spot a baby turtle bravely making its way across the pebbles and shingle to the sea. They are mid brown in colour and very tiny.  It is very inspiring to watch these creatures emerging from the sand and struggling through their epic journey to the water.  Once they have been picked up by the current, you can  hold your breath while watching them swimming bravely out into the sea.  I am told that they always return to their original birthplace to make their own nests in future years - a lovely thought!

My other favorite pastime like many on this island is messing about in boats. Below you can see me in my favorite boat  the Santorini. I have of course slowed down dramatically so that my husband can take the photo. I don't do slow... normally!  The perfect trip if you are new to the area or on holiday is to hire a boat from Latchi harbor and take the thirty minute trip to the Blue Lagoon, which is every bit as gorgeous as its name suggests.  There you can pick-nick and swim in the stunning bay in its lovely turquoise water.  What a wonderful day out!

I am such a safe driver!

The beautiful Blue Lagoon

Latchi Harbor

The harbor & cafes

Turtle nests-the turtles appear around 6.a.m- a wonderful sight!

Nazareth & The Sea of Galilee

Hi Everyone!

This is my last travel blog from Israel before returning to Cyprus!

When you ask the average holidaymaker what is their favourite travel destination?  They rarely reply Israel.  After many years of conflict with neighbouring countries, security in Israel is very high; but how does this affect the average traveller and what makes visiting this place so special?

            There are many organised trips to Israel and with a valid passport and a stamped visitor’s visa, tourists rarely encounter any difficulties.  Israel seems keen to promote tourism.  The Israeli tour guides are pleasantly mannered and extremely well informed as they must first pass very stringent examinations to qualify for this type work, which in effect means representing their country and culture to the rest of the world; who may have only experienced it so far, via the news.

           Once inside the country, known as The Holy Land, the atmosphere is peaceful and the sights are stunning.  For those interested in religion, history and the Jewish, Christian and Arabic cultures, this destination is second to none.  I visited the Arabic City of Nazareth and the shores of the Sea of Galilee on Easter Monday, and this was my particular, travel experience.

         Visitors to the busy city of Nazareth may be surprised to find that the downtown area is almost completely Arabic.  A tiny green domed mosque stands next to Nazareth’s most important cultural centre, The Basilica of the Annunciation in the capital’s North district.

         The Basilica was built in 1969 at the site where, according to Roman Catholic tradition, the Annunciation took place.  Inside the church, the lower ground level contains the Grotto of the Annunciation, believed by many Christians to be the remains of the original childhood home of Mary.

          Across the courtyard is the St. Gabriel Church, which was built on a spring called Mary’s well, which is thought to be the spot where the Virgin Mary was visited by the Archangel Gabriel, according to The Greek Orthodox tradition.  If you take a tour inside of this lovely church, the guide will show you around the basement, where Jesus is said to have worked as a carpenter.

          The next stop on the tour was to Capernaum on the shores of the Sea of Galilee.  Here we visited the house of St. Peter, at which Jesus reportedly stayed, and also the ruin of the Jewish synagogue at which Jesus taught and healed a man who had the spirit of an unclean devil, according to The Gospel of St. Mark.

         At this stage, Auval our tour guide, kindly added an extra visit which was not on the schedule to the Church of the Apostles; a lovely Greek Orthodox Church which was built in 1939 next to the Sea of Galilee.  It is here that Jesus is said to have chosen his twelve apostles.  As it was Easter Monday, many Greek visitors had already congregated in the picnic area outside the church and were busy barbequing and sharing food in a scene reminiscent of Green Monday in Cyprus.

         Our last visit of the day was to the famous Jordan River Baptismal complex at the lake side, which is a popular centre; attracting hundreds of pilgrims from all around the world.  After purchasing a simple white gown, the pilgrims baptised themselves in a specially designed place in the river.  The complex contained showers and changing rooms which were fully equipped to cater for this event, which proved to be a very special experience for many of their visitors.  It also contained a smart restaurant and a well-stocked gift shop.

         As a tourist destination, Israel proved to be an unusual and surprising place.  The scenery was stunning; the beaches beautiful and the shopping fantastic - but very expensive!

The City of Nazareth

St. Gabriel Church

The Basilica of the Annunciation 

The Stunning Stained Glass Window

Jordan River Baptismal 

The Sea of Galilee

The Port of Jaffa

      Hi Everyone!

As you may have noticed, I have added a lot of new buttons which will enable you share my blog with family and friends if you wish to do so.  I have also added the Frequent Flyers option for those who read the blog regularly and wish to be alerted to new posts.  I write this blog in between features for magazines and writing my novels and I cannot always stick to the same date, which may be a little inconvenient.  If you wish to receive a reminder, then you are most welcome to join me and my friends - it would be lovely to see some new faces on the panel!  If you have just popped in for the first time, I do hope you enjoy it and please feel free to post any comments or ask any questions, which I will be pleased to answer if I can!

Best wishes

Sonia x

The Port Of Jaffa

As I continue my travels in Israel, I have moved on to the lovely Port of Jaffa, which has become a popular spot for tourism in recent years.   Jaffa is one of the most ancient cities in the world and is known for its picturesque stone houses and narrow cobbled streets named after the signs of the Zodiac.  Since the nineteen sixties it has become home to many artists, who have relocated from the city area of Tel Aviv, establishing an artist's community with many shops and galleries.  In the hot summer months, the area is a popular venue for festivals and outdoor events.

According to Christianity, Jaffa was named after Japheth, the son of Noah, who built the port after the Flood.  Although, many people believe the name was derived from the Hebrew word ‘Yofi,’ which means beauty.   In the western world, it is often associated with the many oranges orchards of the region.

In the harbour there is the famous Andromeda’s  rock which according to Greek mythology, was the site at which the beautiful young princess was chained (naked), as an offering to the sea monster, Cetus.  Andromeda was rescued by the very dashing Perseus who had just slain the Gorgon, Medusa.  He instantly fell in love with the princess, but at their wedding a vicious quarrel took place between Perseus and Phineus, the uncle to whom Andromeda had been promised in marriage.  At the reception, the unfortunate Phineus was turned to stone at the sight of the slain Gorgons head!  Although the reason why Perseus brought a severed monsters head to his own wedding, remains a mystery.

One of the most notable pieces of sculpture in Jaffa is the Gate of Faith, which is situated in Abrasha Park; the highest point in Jaffa.  The sculpture was commissioned in 1974 by Mordechai Meir and completed in 1977 by artist Daniel  Kafri.  The idea of the sculpture is to symbolise the Jewish resettling of the land and Israeli's right to do so, based upon God’s promise to Abraham.  The gate is the symbol of  the move to the Promised Land.  Passing through the gate is dependent upon fulfilment of the conditions of the covenant; in which the Jewish people promised to obey the Torah and its commandments.  The left column represents Jacob's Dream, and the right, the Sacrifice of Isaac.  The top section forming the arch depicts the Fall of Jericho.

As well as the lovely port, Jaffa is well known for it’s flee markets and streets of antique shops, which make amusing browsing if you have the time.  There are many interesting sights such as The Sea Mosque (the El Bahar Mosque) and the stunning, St. Peters Church, all within easy walking distance from the port and Kedumim Square; which houses an attractive visitors centre with  an archaeological site underneath  it!

If you are considering a trip to Israel, then Jaffa offers plenty of interest for visitors, who are well catered for with a nice range of restaurants, shops and galleries.  Jaffa is part of Tel Aviv and it is only a short journey into the city, which boasts many museums and classic examples of Bauhaus architecture. 

El Bahar Mosque -The Sea Mosque

The Gate of Faith

Andromeda's Rock

Art Gallery in Old Jaffa

Kedumim Square

The Hanging Tree

Zodiac Streets

St. Peter's Church Jaffa

Easter in Jerusalem

As we are heading rapidly towards Easter I have included my original article (first published in the Larnaca News) about a trip regularly taken by myself and other villagers to Jerusalem.  This is the first in a short series which will include trips to Jaffa, The Dead Sea and the pyramids in Egypt.
 I hope you will enjoy taking these trips with me!

Around this time, I and many other residents of Oroklini, head for the port at Limassol to embark upon an eight day cruise to Egypt and Israel, travelling with Thompsons an English based company who lease their ship from Louis, a well known Cypriot cruise line.  Each year the itinerary varies slightly and trips are added or changed, but the main attractions are the pyramids and Jerusalem.

My first visit to Jerusalem was even more special than I had hoped. Quite often when we imagine vising places, when we actually arrive they can seem disappointing, but I found this trip to be the opposite, Israel was so much more interesting and beautiful than I had imagined.   To this day it remains my favourite place to visit.  In my minds eye, I had envisaged a dry, dusty landscape something I vaguely remembered from my scripture classes at school; but Jerusalem was unexpectedly green, being surrounded by millions of trees which were planted by the Jewish National Fund to commemorate those who lost their lives in the holocaust.

On the day of our trip, our first stop was at the garden of Gethsemane which was beautiful; but unfortunately much smaller than it had been in Jesus’ time.  We visited the Church of All Nations, with its impressive display of scenes of the betrayal.  Next, we moved on to the Western or ‘Wailing Wall,’ as it is commonly known. This is the most sacred place for Jews, many of whom touched the wall while they prayed and placed personal notes of hopes and wishes into its cracks and crevices.   

 The next phase of the tour was inside the walled city, following the last of the fourteen stations of ‘The Via Dolorosa,’ the final journey of Christ to Calvary where he was crucified.   We entered the Chapel of Investiture which was built at the site of the crucifixion.  In front of us at station eleven was a depiction of Christ on the cross and a wall of sacred Greek icons. The place where the cross had actually stood was marked by a silver disc on the floor underneath the alter. To the right, there was a section of ancient rock under glass, the Rock of Calvary, you could see the huge crack which suddenly appeared during an earthquake when Jesus died. 

On the ground, surrounded by lights, was the Stone of the Unction (or Anointing Stone) on which Jesus body was laid after death and prepared for burial. It was a very moving experience as the modern day pilgrims, laid their hands upon the stone and prayed.

The last place we visited was the Holy Sepulcher, built on the site of the original tomb, which had held Jesus’ body and was his last resting place before the resurrection. There was a very long queue to enter and we had to be content with a glance outside, but the atmosphere was electric.  It was a very special time for many of us who had long dreamt of this visit.

On the way out, our final stop was the stunning Greek mosaic, depicting the stages of the crucifixion and burial. It was very beautiful.

The trip to Jerusalem was the highlight of a lovely holiday which also included visits to Jaffa and The Dead Sea. The cruise was relaxing and the trips were wonderful. I would highly recommend it.

Jerusalem

The Garden of Gethsemane



The old trees in the garden

The Wailing Wall

Inside the walled city
passing from the Jewish to the Christian sectors

The beautiful mosaic

The alter with the original rock underneath

The stunning stain glass window

Crossing the Border: A Trip to Turkish Nicosia

View of the street Arasta

As most people, know Cyprus is a divided island. Until recently, it was quite difficult to cross from the Greek to the Turkish side, but all that has changed with the open crossing points, where a valid passport or identity card will enable you to travel easily from one side of the island to the other. I often cross the border at Ledra Street in Nicosia, where there are many interesting things to see. If you are one of the many tourists, try to pick up a free map at the crossing. It’s a clear and easy to read, making it much easier to locate the museums and landmarks you may wish to visit.

   

Once across the border, there is a distinctly different feel to Nicosia.The area near the crossing used to be derelict but has been regenerated with clothes, handbag and jewellery shops as well as the ubiquitous kebab restaurants and cafes. There is a warren of narrow streets lined with stalls and shops. There are sewing workshops with delicate gold lace, glistening in the sun. My personal favourite is the sweet shop; with a window displays of at least thirty different flavours of Turkish Delight.

     

There are many sights to amuse the tourist but I will concentrate on two for this visit.  The first is the Mevlevi Tekke and Museum. As a child I had been told that I tore around the house like a “Whirling  Dervish.” I used to think that my grandmother had made the name up, but as I am sure you are aware; the name describes followers of a religious order who practised whirling while meditating in order to bring themselves closer to God. The Mevlevi Tekke building was an important meeting place in its day. It was built in the 17th century and contained a semahane or place for devotees to whirl. Inside the museum there is a reconstruction of a whirling scene complete with figures, which is interesting. The Mevlevi were an important social and cultural order, founded in the Ottoman times by poet Mevlana Celaleddin Rumi. The museum is inexpensive and well worth a visit.

         

My second and favourite place in Turkish Nicosia is the Büyük or Great Khan. It was built in 1576 by Sinan Pasha the Governor of Cyprus 1572-1579.  It is constructed entirely of stone and is the biggest Khan in Cyprus. It has since become an arts centre with a lovely square courtyard. The many shops, contain local craft work; pashminas, lace and embroidery. In the centre there is a café serving Turkish food. You can watch as your “pies,” small fried pastries a little like ravioli, are made fresh on a large table, while you wait. The Turkish beer is Effes and it complements the pies beautifully.

   

Flower stalls in front of Selimiye Mosque
(St. Sophia Catherderal)

Fancy a bit of Turkish Delight?

The archways into The Khan

The Craft Stalls

The Büyük or Great Khan

 Turkish Pies

The Mevlevi Tekke & Museum

The Venetain Column

If you are thinking of visiting Turkish Nicosia for the day, there is much to see. I hope you enjoy it and don’t forget your passport!

Pretty Flamingo

Cyprus is a bird watchers paradise!

This is due to it's location, which places Cyprus in some of the main migratory routes for birds between  Europe and Africa. Hundreds of pink flamingos regularly make the stop-over at the Larnaca and Arkrotiri Salt Lakes, and yes luckily for us, the seasonal lake of Oroklini, in our own village, each winter!  They arrive in late autumn,  usually in groups, but this year we had a single bird who was stranded on it's own for several months (we think it lost his friends on the way to Larnaca!) These lovely creatures then leave us in their wake as the spring heat dries out the lakes.

The Salt Lake, Larnaca

Oroklini Lake

Aren't they beautiful?

This area will dry out completely in the summer!

Remember that great song by Manfred Mann?

On our block all of the guys call her flamingo
Cause her hair glows like the sun
And her eyes can light the sky
When she moves she walks so fine like a flamingo
Crimson dress that clings so tight
She's out of reach and out of sight

When she walks by she brightens up the neighbourhood
Oh every guy would make her his if he just could
If she just would

Some sweet day I'll make her mine, pretty flamingo
Then every guy will envy me
Cause paradise is where I'll be

Pretty flamingo, pretty flamingo

lalalalalalala... I can hear you singing!

The New Pier at Protaras

I am delighted to say that the new pier at Protaras is now finished and ready for visitors.  I have long been a fan of the sea-side leisure pier and I think this new one is a nice construction, which adds a lot of character to the holiday resort. The new pier has an accompanying walkway, spanning the length of the beach up to Fig Tree Bay, giving direct access to the large, luxurious hotels along the sea front. With some of the best beaches in Cyprus, Protaras has so much to offer, for both residents of the island and a holiday makers.

The design of the pier is a traditional wooden structure and does reflect the early piers which first made an appearance on the Isle of White, off the English coast, with Ryde Pier in 1814. This pier was originally built for landing traffic from the ferries but amusements and refreshments were also added at a later date, making it the first fun pier for public use.

The early pleasure piers were probably at their most fashionable in the Victorian era in England and Wales. The most notable being the two piers at Brighton in East Sussex and three at Blackpool in Lancashire. Unfortunately many of the old British piers have fallen into disuse from neglect in recent years, and I have recently signed a petition to save the pier at Whitby, North Yorkshire, which is slowly being destroyed by neglect.

My favourite pier is still, the now derelict, West Pier in Brighton, which was destroyed by fire and storms. I believe there was something almost magical about it, and it was there I chose to set the nightmare sequence in my novel The Main Line Murders (it is actually set in Cramwell a fictional town in the north east of England but I borrowed the pier!)

The popularity of the pleasure piers spread across the world with notable piers at Scheveningen in the coastal town of The Hague in the Netherlands, (which was built in 1961 to replace the original lost in the war in 1944) which has a wonderful panoramic observational tower; and the Rolls Royce of piers, which is  in my opinion, the Blankenberge Pier in Belgium.

If you are visiting Protaras, I hope you enjoy the pier and new walkways as much as I did. It is wonderful to see new piers being built at a time when so many others have been left to decay.

       
       

The lovely new pier!

Fancy a stroll?

Beautifully built

A nice day out!

The new promenade

Can't find a spot for my deckchair

The figs of  Fig Tree Bay