October 25, 2010

Kato Paphos

So in continuing with doing touristy things we went to a close by city called Paphos. They, like everywhere else here, have a historic, archeological area which is known as the lower area, Kato Paphos. Matt's been such a good sport going to all these places with me, I know he hasn't been too crazy about them but he has been enjoying himself I think.

The city of Paphos is smaller than Limassol and quite touristy. We only got to explore such a small part that we'd like to go back at some point and look around some more. They offer lots of water activities on the harbor, as it gets closer to the end of the day, the prices get lower. One guy offered us a speed boat ride out to an island for 5 Euros-not bad!

Well, KP has all sorts of important history and ties to the island, blah blah blah. Just kidding. It was a fun place to visit and they had a castle-yay! It's fun to be somewhere that has these structures that are part of history and stories, even if they are smaller than what we imagine. This one was right on the coast, it was complete with a moat! I like to imagine what it was like to live in there, even if it was built for defense purposes. It wasn't a very tall castle so the view wasn't as grand as others (at least how I imagine the ones in England, Scotland, Germany, and the like look).



Kato Paphos Castle

Inside the entry way

Matt barely fits through the doorway-he's a big man ;)

On top looking out into the harbor

Right outside the castle on the sea


So close to the castle is the archeological area that is part of UNESCO World Heritage Center (http://whc.unesco.org). Basically this means that they think this site contributes significantly to the world's history and it should be protected and preserved for all to see. There are several sites on the island that are part of this program, KP being the first one we got to visit. There are several monasteries and old churches/basilicas on the list that I would like to visit; they are mainly in the Troodos mountains. I think it could be fun to try and visit these sites throughout Europe during our time here. The list for the US is pretty diverse and one could easily see all those sites which include some national parks, the Statue of Liberty, Independence Hall, and Monticello.
Anyhew, we had fun wandering around and taking pictures. KP has the largest amount of mosaics recovered on the island, which is a huge reason they are part of UNESCO. It just fascinates me how detailed and time consuming each work is and would take to produce-and they were walking on them! Now there are all sorts of platforms built around them so you can see them clearly. But, they are kind of hard to photograph with lighting and shadows. I've been discovering that I love the columns that were built and am liking comparing the differences between different sites!

See, columns


He indulges me, like a good hubby!


Man-strength! Trying to pick up the cap of a column. Can we say hernia?


On of the mosaics that has been restored and well preserved.


Reflection time...


There was a lighthouse on the grounds that obviously has nothing to do with the Roman ruins, but it was pretty.

Sadly, these stairs led to a locked door on the lighthouse where I wanted to climb up to get a better view.

Cacti by the lighthouse-large and wild!

The prettiest little view. I thought it looked very tranquil and inviting.

No place is complete with out an amphitheater!

The sun was starting to give off some good light!

He's king of the ruins! If you look closely, it looks like his foot is crushing the palm trees ;)

On our way home we stopped by Aphrodite's Rock (check back to random facts about Cyprus to see info on it!). We knew the sun was going to be setting as we passed so we figured that is was a good time to stop and take some pics! The coast line is lovely and we did get some good lighting. It was a fun day all in all and hopefully this small number of pics helps to show it!

Man I LOVE him!!

He's going to kill me for putting this up but I think it's a GREAT pic! I just LOVE it!

There's her rock! We didn't go down for fear of becoming oober fertile ;)

This photo would be popular here b/c of the crooked horizon!

Sun going down on another amazing day!

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