Paphos, Cyprus/Ohad Amichai
Thousands of Israelis made Cyprus their new home - far-close from the homeland, and even more so from the beginning of the war, when thousands more fled to it and found it a refuge and a balm for hardship. Even more visit its beaches every year in the summer months, for a tummy-back vacation in order to wash away their worries, smeared with sunscreen. Why do we love this place so much?
At the end of 40 minutes in the air I already landed in the island nation and started getting answers. I was invited to survey two hotels on the beaches of Paphos. The road there, from the airport in Blaranca, took an hour and a half (more than the flight itself), crossed, on the one hand, valleys and stepped heights, and on the other - plains of green fields, with the Mediterranean coast stretching in the background. From time to time, the view was obscured by waves of kurkar rocks on both sides - into which the road we traveled was cut.
Galloping through these landscapes reminded me, more than anything, of successfully mixing a trip to Haifa on the coastal road on the one hand, and a trip to Jerusalem on the other. Even the settlements that cut the landscape into sections and made it green gave a sense of home and reminded, a bit like here, settlements that were built overnight, out of nowhere. This construction, just like in Israel, adds a layer of afterthought, of "we did it because we had to", which was planted on land whose rich heritage goes back to prehistoric times (more on that later).
Thus, as the journey continued, peace rested upon me. Unlike many places in the world - where with curiosity and wonder comes a feeling of alertness and readiness for the unknown, here the whole hand was known, even if the cards were shuffled a little differently. Thus, my mind turned to observing the people traveling in their vehicles, and wondering: where are they going? In what occupations could they spend their time in the coming hours? What is the house that awaits them at the other end of the day? I also noticed a rock sticking out of the sea, where according to Greek mythology the goddess of love, Aphrodite, emerged into the world.
Paphos greeted us
As mentioned, after an hour and a half we arrived, and the city of Paphos greeted us - with more of the same construction as its skin. On the outskirts of the city - parking lots, hospitals and offices, and between them and the beautiful touristic beach strip, residential neighborhoods. Apart from the hotels, they are designed something-something and are ready to embrace the tourists who already visit them, and those who are expected to pour in during the upcoming hot tourism season.
I stayed at the "Annabel" hotel, to which the twin hotel "Almira" is adjacent. Both, if my memory serves me well, are among the first to receive a 5-star rating in Cyprus, and both belong to the same owners. Therefore - the many facilities and services offered are open to the guests of both hotels, including the swimming pools, the spa and the restaurants.
I was greeted by a spacious foyer, completely covered in the warmth of mahogany wood and decorated with sofas, a grand piano, and a huge chandelier hanging above. In the second hotel - where other reporters were staying in the tourist delegation I joined - the atmosphere is a little lighter and simpler, and I connected with it a little more.
Express food
I got a spacious two-story room, each of its balconies facing the Mediterranean Sea. On the first floor - living room and balcony. Above - a bedroom, another balcony, a closet, a spacious bathroom, which included a shower and bathtub, and toilets. In short: no complaints. True, not all the rooms are so big and spacious, but, from what I checked, they all get a taste of the sea, and all, from what I glimpsed, are pleasant to look at.
The furniture that decorated the room was green-turquoise, brown and white. Like the foyer, the feeling was a little nineties, in a graceful section that suited the bluish landscape. Those looking for a more updated and elegant look can find it in the adjacent hotel, whose shades, between blue, white and gray, give it a more elegant and modern look.
It is important to stand up for the truth, and admit in my heart that staying alone on two floors felt too decadent - too many times I was bothered to climb a winding staircase, or thoughts of an unruly garment I forgot in the living room plagued my thoughts. These were my biggest annoyances on this trip. In any case, the room, and the hotel in general, the pools, the spa, the restaurants and the rest of the common spaces - felt clean, available, pleasant, new and in order. This is no small matter, and made the stay extremely relaxing.
Then, with a straight back - I went for a tour of the boardwalk. There are no surprises here either, a wide concrete section that accommodates a stream of tourists, on one side the sea, and from the land it is blocked by an avenue of restaurants for tourists and souvenir shops. Nothing even pretends, so to speak, to be authentic: "Shawarma Express", "Pizza Express" and the like. And apart from the British English that she mastered with a high hand - also from the lips of the tourists who walked along the boardwalk, unfamiliar languages came up in the night that coalesced into one Migdal-Babylonian tourist language. In the absence of a clear language in the ear, a certain release comes with it, the worries are removed from you - and allow yourself to gather in another inner zone.
The water in Cyprus, like the sky, has a Levantine hue that was foreign to me and I only knew from pictures in books, a little bluer, a little deeper - but bright and pleasant just like in Tel Aviv. But the immersion in them was to my disappointment. The beaches in the area where I spent time are too thin, and the water is salty. Also, in the middle of the end of the swim, I suddenly remembered that I was in a foreign country, alone, swimming without rescue services - and I was attacked by anxiety about a current that would sweep me to the heart of the sea or worse, to the land of hostile Turkey. As a result, I began to swim back and forth, short distances, always making sure I could return to a safe shore, like a fish that has lost its current.
A movie at the local cinema
It's time for dinner. Throughout the trip we dined in the hotel restaurants like royalty, courtesy of the pro-Israel hotel owners who really took care of everything. Each one has different names, such as "Yuranos" and "Mediterraneo" and they all claim to represent the Greek-Boacha-Cypriot cuisine at different levels, from the tavern to the gourmet.
In practice, it is the same lady: the same ingredients, the same kitchen, and the same waiters who change from shift to shift and serve quite similar dishes, in a different costume. While in the "ordinary" tavern simple covers of musical hits performed lightly by obscure and unremarkable bands were played, in the luxury restaurant the same songs were played by a local band of musicians. And the food itself? Not too exciting, not unique. Many of the dishes that claimed to represent more special flavors from the local cuisine disappointed, on the other hand, the simpler dishes - steak or fish fillet, which were simply roasted on the fire properly - and stood out for the better. The meals were generous, and also overall delicious - and the wine made a human heart happy.
After the first dinner, I chose to go out on my own to watch a movie at the local cinema, which is located on the outskirts of the tourist area. I went out without a map, and the darkness, in a city that is hardly networked by street lighting, was a little daunting, but after the pupils dilated a little - it turned out to be an advantage. Suddenly, textures revealed to me along the way under the cover of small and separated lights in the depth of darkness - enchanted and whispered secrets and fragments of stories.
The great advantage of the duplex
On the way back I ran out of battery on my phone, and had to rely on myself to navigate the way back. On the way, I also stumbled upon the noisy and neon party area which is populated mainly by excited tourists. I went back and landed on the bed. That's it, I told myself, 12 hours after arriving in Paphos, Cyprus - I'm done.
The next morning, I slept on the second floor of the room I was staying in - I was shocked to discover that the bathing suit, which I had foolishly hung on the balcony railing, was gone. It evaporated in the wind and fell to the neighbors below. I rushed myself to the balcony and indeed, when I saw the short black pants lying on the balcony from below, it took me a few seconds to remember - that that floor, too, is actually my room. This was the great advantage of the duplex.
Shortly after, we went on a tour of the old city. She too, completely contrary to the promises of the local tour guide who promised that this is "the urban heart of the urban community. She also told us about her professional exploits with Israeli television anchors such as Israel Aharoni and Nadav Bornstein, who came to film travel programs in the city, and also about the mayor of Paphos, who controls On the city for almost a decade in a row,
she raved about how he cleans the municipal institutions of corruption (everyone is corrupt of course - except him), how he literally rebuilds the city and turns it into a magnet for foreign tourism, and how - as part of these efforts, archaeological buildings are discovered Underneath the buildings and roads paved in the city, you can find a "square" that opens up and reveals an ancient tomb.
The people I met, the tourists, the hotel workers - people who looked their best, dressed in the "uniforms" that the place invited, among If work clothes, or just bathing suits, and such "archaeological pits" were opened, for example, one can notice the friendly Romanian hotel manager, who adopts a local accent as much as possible, and when asked - he shyly admits, by the way, that he will never return to his homeland
. Between this island and our small country there are some similarities: two countries that were ruled by foreign regional empires, until at the end of the 19th century they were handed over to the Ottomans, and finally - the British mandate. Cyprus received its independence from the British only in 1960, and almost since then - there has been a geo-national battle, which has torn the island into two halves, between the Greeks in the southwest, and the Turks in the northeast.
These Cypriots know how to preserve
A visit to the antiquities site located at the end of the boardwalk, within walking distance from the hotel, was the most beautiful and meaningful part of the trip. This is one of several UNESCO heritage sites in the city, which includes historical remains from ancient times to the days of the British Mandate. UNESCO is indeed a branch of the United Nations, and you can laugh until tomorrow that they hate us and are anti-Semitic - but one thing can be learned from them, and that is to preserve sites
It was a beautiful, clean space. Without the remains of the boys on the annual trip, and without unnecessary excavations of the Maccabees, small groups of tourists and mosaics of Greek gods encouraged
the
gentle wind and the sound of the waves I want to take off my headphones (for the first time when I'm alone), and listen to the background of nature. The blue sky, and the sea, were stunning, and the clouds that decorated them were in pleasant and foreign shapes - they start with a clear outline and slowly lose their shape. A cool, not too cold, caressing wind next to the sun that hides among the clouds and comes out, gently. This flat-relative site allows you to see far, almost the entire city, however boring it may be, resting on water, a feeling that is sometimes so lacking here. And thus, after all the grumbling and grumbling, I understood what is so magical And it's beautiful here, especially for us. A step away from the tensions, the chaos and the conflict, Cyprus offers a warm feeling that even if the ground falls under our feet, at least there is a beautiful sky to stare at in wonder. Alternatively, an Israeli citizen who immigrated to the place claimed that the main advantage here is tax benefits.
The writer was a guest of the Annabelle Hotel in Paphos