The wine tour was conceived at a Chania wine tasting in January. Just as had our previous wine tasting to Heraklion with Nikki & Rob. Where there is good wine … Frances and Edward were up for it during their Crete trip, as were Jennifer and Chris from Crete.
This is my first trip since loosing James 2 months ago.
We were due to cross Kissamos to Gythio at 0815 on Wednesday 30th. Bad weather forecast. So SeaJets messaged, emailed and telephoned to advise the crossing was brought forward to Tuesday at 1930. Maria cancelled for a games night. Corrie’s drop off brought forward. And we were off.
The ferry left on time. It was rough. Frances poorly 🤢. I felt 😫. Neither of us ate. But did managed a glass of the Sekt Jennifer had brought. Docking at 0230
It doesn’t matter how many times I visit, it is still incredibly moving. As reprisals for the resistance, on 13th December 1943, Germans approached from all sides. Killing and burning as they went. Everyone was pushed into the school. Men and boys over 13 one way, women children and old men in another room. The men were taken up the hill and machine gunned. 700 killed. The village was set on fire. The women realised that they were to be burned in the school, so broke down a door. A sole German sentry let them run down the hill. The next day when the women returned, they found their men. Many used bare hands, as their houses had been destroyed to bury their family.
Aged 13Outside the school museum. A mother pulling her dead husband on a blood stained coat whilst the crying children look onPhoto of the male staff and boys, most murderedLiving testimony from a few survivors – then children The front school door, permanently closed
We then slid down the hill for two wine tastings. Amazing scenery on the way up and down.
Winery No. 2 – Mega Spilleo
The winery had been attached to the monastery of the same name. The Germans also burned this and killed some of the monks. Since the war, the vines had been left for the goats and sheep to graze. The land was leased out in 1999 since when the owners had expanded and are making some interesting wines. Given the geographic layout there is no irrigation as they rely on the morning dew.
The premium wine tastingGlass floor to original Monks’ wine vatsThe ancient concrete and clay amphora
Winery No. 3 – Tetramythos
A lovely lady, happy to chat but the wines v poor – a poor comparison to Mega Spilleo.
But we got to see the wines being sorted, crushed and piped into a vat.
SortingGrapes slightly crushed into pipesThe waste stalks used for manurePipes to tanksPine to make retsina
And the lovely girl suggested a fab traditional grill restaurant with views for an early supper. Funnily enough, the others felt wined out! I managed a few gins!
Good buffet breakfast for €8 … drank that in coffee alone.
Mystras is an amazing city. Byzantine architecture. Only did a bit as it is huge.
The monastery still houses nuns. One gave us a piece of Turkish delight, although shouldn’t call it Turkish!
The nuns are obviously green fingered
Motorway to Tselepos Winery. Good wines. Including Amalia Brut sparkling which is our go to at home. €100 for a box of 6 from the dusty cave. €13 a bottle here plus a discount for the volume I purchased. At this rate of purchasing, it will not be long before France’s and Edward are evicted from the car.
Empty glasses!The grape press is unusual in that it has a balloon inside to press the grapes against the outside wall. Interesting use of clay and concrete pots for the grapes.
The house we have for 2 nights is fab. Gorgeous garden and outside kitchen which it is too cold to use.
Last night after a pleasant drive from Famagusta, we arranged the very modern Aliana hotel in old town Limassol. Another large and comfortable bed – not too firm for Katherine. We decided to treat ourselves to a nice meal on our last night in Cyprus – Places to eat – the first taverna was fully booked – peak time for Cypriots on a Sunday evening – we had a drink at two tavernas – K on mojitos and me on vino rosso! The second inn was very noisy – pop music blaring from speakers and resident DJ. So no conversation. We then repaired to the “Steak House” for some more vino and Negroni for K… I had a good chicken dish – K had steak.
Our hotel central so K and J able to have a drink out at the same time … oh joy, mojitoThe 2014 marina development
We started Monday doing our own guided tour of part of Limassol – K had a self guided walking downloaded. The usual mix of churches, museums and other attractions. Finishing our walk with brunch.
CastlePretty streetsTh small square apparently is a nightlife hubNew Greek Orthodox cathedral … nice light through the windowsThe promonade had better sculptures than the Agia Napa Sculpture Park
Driving towards Paphos, we stopped at Kolossi crusades castle – 14th century. We were only a short time in the castle when the ticket lady said they were closing! There was an alert that a drone attack was a possibility on the RAF base in Akrotiri close by – part of the Iran problems…
Kolossi castleJ found the latrine …again!
We piloted our rented Baby Blue Nissan March car – freshly valeted – to a petrol station en route to the airport – next stop the rental company – the nice young man dropped us at the terminal building. We got through security and passport control fairly quickly – new style passport control – scan, photo and the machine issued a ticket to hand to the staff member – saving time. We saw immediately that our flight was delayed by one hour – concerned as quite a few flights were cancelled or delayed due again to the Iran problems… no sign of any departures or arrivals outside. Gladly we took off only two hours late…
Famagusta ghost town is called Varosha. During 1970-74, nearly 50% of Cypriot tourism was at this top class resort. A resident population of c.40,000. The 3rd largest Cypriot city. It attracted the likes of Bardot, Raquel and Burton/Taylor.
Different web sources give varying accounts Here’s my interpretation / summation … From 1963 and the collapse of the power sharing government, many Turkish (18% of the population) were subjected to ethnic cleansing. Having to relocate to ghettos etc and economic hardship.
July 1974 saw a coup backed by the Greek junta (Generals time). 5 days later Turkey invaded. Reports of massacres of Greeks, including around Salantis, where we were 2 days ago. The Turkish army planned to reach as far as Famagusta walled city, as many Turkish Cypriots lived there. When they arrived, Varosha just next door, had been abandoned. The Greek Cypriots had fled within a few hours. The residents had expected to be back within days so left virtually everything.
Despite the Turks erecting a fence around it and a NATO presence, who decreed that it can only be repopulated by the original property owners, it was ransacked and then everything removed. To be honest, I said to J, it has been sanitised. We have visited ghost towns before but there is usually evidence of people living there. Varousha doesn’t even have light bulb fittings.
There were boards outside some buildings and a display … the Turkish argument is that most of the land was part of a foundation going back hundreds of years. The land registry shows the land was sold? to Greek Cypriots during the British occupation. But foundation / charity land can not be sold. Turkish PM Erdogan and the TRNC want to reopen Varosha. They will run out of Coastal construction space soon! Visitors were first allowed into a very small area in 2000. Part of their development plan?
We had thought we would hire bikes, but it was precipitous so we pulled up our hoods and walked. Walked the relatively small area permitted. Enyry into buildings in a state of 50 year decay are verbotten. Guards very present to check we comply. A sad place, but strange with no evidence of human life.
Boards declaring this site was illegally sold by the British, ergo still TurkishThe main attraction for the 1970s tourists. Varosha stretches as far as the eye can seeThey were still building when is was evacuatedBusinesses, homes and hotels all crumblingThe top cluster of my pins is the walled city. The 3 orange pins are pretty much the limit of what is now open to visitors. The blue blob is the border control … the Nato Green Line is right at the edge of Varosha. All a bit surreal.
We drove parallel to the coast, along the fenced off city to the border and back into the Republic of Cyprus. Suddenly everything felt different. Better roads. Shops smarter.
The next Ghost Town was Agia Napa. We could not be so close and not have a look. The Sculpture Park was not our cup of tea.
Agia Napa Sculpture Park: maybe we lack artistic appreciation but we didn’t think these very fineNor was the Flintstone cafeNor the cafes and barsNor the Black Pearl in the harbour
But we stopped for coffee and a toasty with the scant other mostly retired tourists.
