After a couple of busy days in Cyprus (trips to Pafos, Famagusta and horse riding) the weekend was more relaxed as we spent more time at beaches enjoying the warm spring Sunshine.
On Saturday we stayed relatively local and drove to Melanda beach. Not far from the main B6 road, the access road is quite rough and bumpy. The beach itself was peaceful and quiet. There’s a taverna where the access road opens out in to the car park but we walked a little way along to the end of the beach (also a bit more sheltered from the wind at the end).
Above: Our friendly cat knows exactly where the fridge is. We felt obliged to feed her.
On Sunday, I got up early to go and watch the sunrise. Leaving at about 05:30am I got in the car and drove roughly 40km to Lady’s Mile (known in Greek as Απλώστρα – Aplostra) beach, about 15 minutes from the centre of Limassol but part of UK territory (as it is within the SBA borders).
The sun rose exactly on time at 06:02am, just a minute or two after I arrived. Lady’s Mile beach is a long (7km) beach, In my view it is better the further South you get. Eventually you’ll get to a point where you can’t go any further and a fence will stop you from getting to parts of the beach which are private – just for British forces on the island.
There are a number of tavernas along the beach, all of which offer sunbeds, food and drink, but there is also plenty of space away from the sunbeds and tavernas if you’d rather get away from people. At this time of year it wasn’t too busy.
I also found the flamingos nearby, which we had tried to find at Limassol Salt Lake a couple of days ago.
After the sun had rose I drove in to the centre of Λεμεσός – Lemesos (Limassol); The second largest city on the island after Λευκωσία – Lefkosia (Nicosia), and the island’s main port, it is the only Cypriot city I had yet to visit properly (driven past it on the motorway but never gone in to the city itself).
Along the sea front is very pleasant at 7 o’ clock on a Sunday morning for a walk; Mostly Greeks walking about, swimming in the sea, or meeting for their morning coffee in the cafés along the front. The Πολυλειτουργικό Παραθαλάσσιο Πάρκο (Sea side Multi-fuctional Park) is great for walking, resting, or even going for a swim in the sea.
Also in the area along the seafront is the Πάρκο Γλυπτικής Λεμεσού – Limassol Sculpture Park, originally constructed between 1999 and 2001, and modernised with a digital info-point system in 2017. On a Sunny Sunday morning I enjoyed walking around looking at the various designs. Having been up since 5am, now was a good time to grab a chocolate milkshare before driving back to the apartment.
I stopped in Κολόσσι – Kolossi on the way back where I found a bakery (there wasn’t one in Pissouri) so I got breakfast to do it ourselves, rather than provided by the hotel; Bougatsa (the custard filled pastry we love having in Greece) and a Sausage & Feta roll.
Spending the morning at the pool, in the afternoon Mum and I got in the car and returned to Lady’s Mile beach, finding a spot near the Oceania beach bar (on a stretch of beach with no sunbeds). Lady’s Mile Beach at this spot is sandy and shallow.
Below: Our apartment and Pissouri Bay as seen from above.
The following day, Monday, was our last day in Cyprus; after leaving our apartment we decided we’d go back to Lady’s Mile Beach and we got a sunbed at Oceania. I had a lovely freshly squeezed apple juice and when we had lunch I had a tasty chicken fillet.
We spent most of the morning and afternoon there, leaving just before 5. We had some cat food to get rid of so we stopped off at the Monastery of St. Nicholas of the Cats again to feed them – Mum felt like the pied piper as she was surrounded by them.
From there it was back to the airport – and even there, we attracted cats; At the car rental return point, one jumped in the boot….must have been the care hire firm’s way of inspecting the car not only for damages, but for signs of cat treats.
Below right: At the car rental return, Mum has to ensure the boot is clear of cats before closing it.
Back at the airport we checked in for our flight and once through security I went to get dinner. Take off was a little after 21:30, we landed in Gatwick at 00:20 and were home by 03:00am.
It was only a week holiday but much needed.
Over the Summer months I am planning a series of 1-day trips (Extreme Day Trips); first destination will be Dublin on 15th May.
Καληνύχτα,
Φρεντ Χαρτ.
