Cyprus – Where East Meets West

 

"Birthplace" of Aphrodite

It felt good to shake off the controversial and contentious dust of the Middle East and arrive on the island of Cyprus.  History shows, however, that the conflicts lived out on this arid island of the Eastern Mediterranean are even older than the conflicts between Semitic tribes—the conflict between the Greeks and Turks.  I remember the Cypriot crisis of the 60’s and 70’s occupying many of the newscasts of my youth.  It seemed like such an exotic place with the black-robed Greek Archbishop facing off against the romantic Turks.   Although our guide never mentioned it, that dispute still simmers with a modus vivendi reached, but no real solution.  The Green Line, controlled by UN peacekeepers, divides the Turkish north of the island from the Greek south, although only Turkey recognizes the legitimacy of the Turkish Republic of the North.  The British also still have two sovereign areas on Cyprus which they generously retained for themselves when they “gave” the Cypriots their independence.   


House of Dionysus in Paphos

We landed in Limassol, a Greek port in southern Cyprus, and departed for a tour of the ancient city of Paphos.  Our female guide made for a nice change; the male point of view of the Mid-East had become tiresome.  On the way, we passed the rocks where Aphrodite rose from the ocean foam created when Cronus, the son of Uranus, castrated his father and cast the genitals into the sea (speaking of angry young men!).   

Paphos was an unexpected treat.  The ancient city was only uncovered after World War II when the site was occupied by a British airstrip.  Marvelous mosaics have been uncovered and left on the site where they were found; they formed the floors of several rooms of a building that archaeologists speculated had been used as a trading center.  My old buddy Dionysus was prominently displayed, so they must’ve had a good time while trading.

"Good wishes" in Greek

The countryside was arid, like most Greek islands, but our guide informed us that the Cypriots had completed several major dam projects to create water reservoirs easing the chronic water shortage.  I thought that was an interesting project since many activists in the Western US are urging that we tear down our dams.  Sailing over the vast oceans, it becomes interesting to contemplate the scarcity of fresh water and the growing human population.