We left Paphos this morning and headed along the south-west
coast, towards Limassol and our destination for the next two nights,
Kalavasos. Our first stop was the
Sanctuary of Apollo Ylatis, near the town of Kourion. The sanctuary was established in the 8th
century BC in honour of Apollo, God of the Woods. The remains extant are Roman structures built
over the original Greek buildings and themselves levelled by the earthquake of
365AD. The largest remaining structure
of any substance is the Temple of Apollo.
We then moved on a short distance to the site of Ancient
Kourion, perched high on a hillside with magnificent sweeping views over the
Mediterranean. The site was most likely
first settled in Neolithic times and it became a permanent settlement in about
the 13th century BC, when the Mycenaean colonies were
established. The settlement prospered
under the Romans, Christianity supplanted the pagan gods such as Apollo and a
huge basilica was erected in the 5th century AD, complete with
outbuildings including a baptistery and storage facilities for the monks’
grain. Nearby is the Roman agora and
stoa (walkways) with its marble columns.
A raised wooden walkway then took us over the substantial remains of the
Roman baths, complete with traces of the irrigation and heating system. Onwards and upwards we walked to the House of
the Gladiators, with two well-preserved mosaic floors depicting gladiatorial
combat. Next was the House of Achilles
where fragments of a beautifully intricate floor mosaic depicts a young
Achilles dressed as a girl (by his mother, to avoid him having to fight in the
Trojan war). On our way back we were able to walk through the agora, over the
same paving stones that the Romans trod two thousand years ago. Finally, we
visited the re-creation of the theatre, perched atop the hill and directly
overlook the sea, and the remains of the House of Eustolius (completely covered
by a huge awning for protection from the elements), a large complex with many
rooms and well-preserved floor mosaics.
Then off to Kolossi Castle (taking time out to enjoy a
delicious lunch of lamb kebabs and Greek salad, with the biggest potato chips you've ever seen, in the shadow of the
castle). The castle is more of a
fortified tower than a castle, dating from 1454 and built by the Knights of St
John during their time on Cyprus. The
building is entered over a drawbridge and was defended by pouring boiling water
or oil over would-be invaders. We
trudged up the two long flights of the narrow spiral staircase to enjoy the
expansive views from the parapets.
We then continued on, passing through Limassol, which was
put on the map when Richard the Lionheart dropped by, defeated the king of
Cyprus and declared himself ruler and also took time out to marry his
sweetheart Berengaria of Navarre, who he then declared Queen of England. Last stop was the monastery
of Agios Georgios, a lovely place set among peaceful gardens with a beautiful Byzantine church. We finally reached our destination, the small
village of Kalavasos, and our characterful, rustic apartment with views across
to the nearby mountains (and a beautiful pink bougainvillea hanging over our
terrace).
Tomorrow: our last day in Cyprus, exploring the surrounding
towns and villages.
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