Welcome to Paradise (Odou, Cyprus)

Tom:

Day 2 of our honeymoon is guaranteed to be more restful than the first. After being in airports overnight and driving down dirt roads in the mountains (in the dark, with no street signs and no map, on the other side of the road), we have made it to our destination: Odou!

We wake up feeling brand new. It’s the first time we’ve slept in a bed in FOUR days! Holy shit! I sleepily look at Meg and see her smiling – we actually made it. After a slow-paced morning, we head out of our room to see Odou in the daylight. I have been to several scenic locations in my lifetime, but I have never felt so paralyzed – this place is breathtaking.

After admiring the mountains and Mediterranean Sea, we head up to the coffee shop. We are greeted by our host (whose name I cannot pronounce, but I know starts with a “K”), and immediately offered a “Cyprus breakfast”.

The meal consists of: bread and butter, tomatoes, cucumbers, Haloumi cheese, hard-boiled eggs, and Cypriot coffee (we later found out that it’s similar to Turkish coffee). Wow. After eating airport food for two days straight, every bite lights fireworks in my mouth. The tomatoes are juicy and full of flavor, the native cheese salty and squeaky, and the cucumbers sweet and soft. All of the food on the table is produced in the farms near the village, which is how most residents of Odou (about 120 people) make their living. And you can taste the quality and freshness.

While we were wrapping up the meal I was wishing would never end, Meg and I decide to make the drive down to the coast of the Mediterranean (with directions from our host of course, as we still do not have a map). We are going to a city on the beach: Limassol (Lemesos)!

Okay, so let me stop for a second and talk about my experiences behind the wheel of a European car. First, let me give you some background on myself: I am vey calm, rarely get agitated, and generally have a “we’ll get there when we get there” type of attitude. Whatever the opposite of that is, that is how I felt on day 1. I’m not going to go into details, but let’s just say that it took a special person to hang in there with me and stay positive. Thank you, Meg.

So, at around 11am we head down the mountain to Limassol feeling much calmer and in control. The views are incredible in the daylight, and I am starting to enjoy cruising around the corners.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BELQVUQRcZo&feature=youtu.be 

After about 45 minutes, we reach our destination – we get out to stretch our legs and ask a lovely Cypriot woman in a shop what there is to do in Lemesos. She suggests going to the beach, and gives us directions. When we arrive, we stare in wonder at the beauty of the Mediterranean Sea. The water is light bluish with hints of teal sparkling in the sun – we are both put at ease instantly. We weave through the sculptures on the boardwalk and find a sunny place to read (it’s about 20 degrees warmer in Limassol compared to Odou). We spend the next hour basking in the sun, reading and sleeping.

Now that we are the calmest a calm couple can be, we decide to go visit the ruins of the Ancient city-kingdom of Kourion in Episkopi! At this point, I feel confident that we know where we are and where we need to go. That feeling lasts about five minutes. Before I know it, we are maneuvering through the winding streets of Limassol without any true direction. We pass a bustling street full vibrant people, trendy clothing shops, and aromatic cafes. Somehow, after banging my head on the steering wheel for a half hour, we find our way to the motorway, and head west. We stop briefly at the wine museum of Cyprus, but after seeing the price for a tour, we think better of it (but we did capture one of the barrels!).

Our arrival to the ruins is met with another spectacular sight – ancient cliffs, carved in the 14^th century, line the road. We are giddy with excitement.

As we walk through the ruins, we find out that its construction actually dates back to the Neolithic period. I’m no expert, but that sounds old as shit. But let me tell you, what an impressive sight. We walked through numerous sites, including the Basilica, bath house, and house of the Gladiators, to name a few.

 

 

 

  

And though the ruins themselves were amazing and impressive, the best part of the site was its location: Set high on a cliff overlooking the Mediterranean Sea and the vast farmland below.

Our legs now tired and the sun beginning to set (at like 3:30 in the afternoon, so weird), we started our journey back to Odou. With another small episode of stress at having missed a turn, we found our way, stopping at a couple of supermarkets for bread, wine, cheese, and olives (of course) near Limassol. From there, we had a peaceful cruise up the mountain road with the light fading – what an incredible day.