Also, I’d like to make a shout out: HAPPY 50th
BIRTHDAY, MOM!
Sorry I can’t be there to celebrate. Love you!
Now I’d like to tell you about yesterday. I took charge of
planning a trip to Famagusta and Salamis, which are ancient cities in Northern
Cyprus. I’ve always wanted to visit Famagusta after researching it in 7th
grade, so I was happy to plan the trip!
 |
| Kyle, Kristi, Lauren, Danielle, Me, and Katie on the bus to Famagusta! |
We left our comfortable home, Nicosia, and headed into
Northern Cyprus via the Ledra St. crossing. Since Kyle and I figured out where
the bus stop to Famagusta was the day before, we knew exactly where we were
headed. Plans changed, as they often do, when a bus pulled up next to us and
said it would take us to Famagusta. His price was higher than the bus we knew
of, so we were about to walk away until he changed his price and we hopped on.
An hour later we arrived in Famagusta, which is called Gazi-Mağusa in Turkish.
 |
| Kristi and Me outside the walls |
It was so exciting to see the walls surrounding the old
part of the city built by the French Lusignans and strengthened by the
Venetians.
 |
| Danielle, Me, Kyle, Kristi, Katie, and Lauren hanging out on the Salamis ruins |
 |
| Gymnasium ruins at Salamis |
From there we took a taxi to Salamis, an ancient city
about 20 minutes from Famagusta. It was amazing to explore the ancient ruins!
The ruins stretched across over 2 miles of land, and although we saw a large
portion of them, we didn’t get to see everything. I wish we had more time at
Salamis because we only had an hour. Our taxi driver agreed to take us to
Salamis, wait an hour, and then drive us back to Famagusta at a decent rate,
and since our Republic of Cyprus cell phones don’t work in the North, having
transportation waiting to take us back to Famagusta after exploring the ruins
for an hour was a good solution to the problem.
 |
| Ancient Theatre |
Navigating the ruins was probably my favorite part of the
day. I got to see the gymnasium columns, roman baths, ancient theatre, fish
market, and some other things I have yet to identify because the map was in
Turkish. Haha. Exploring something so old makes you appreciate history and the
importance of preserving what is left of the past.
 |
| posing at the Theatre :) |
 |
| Photo ops were hard to resist! haha |
 |
| Salamis ruins |
 |
| Being ancient statues |
 |
| Shadow art at Salamis |
 |
| Yeah, we took the coolest pictures at Salamis. haha :) |
 |
| Lala Mustafa Pasha mosque |
When the hour was up, we headed back to discover what
Famagusta had to offer. Within the walls we traveled through the city and
visited Lala Mustafa Pasha Mosque that used to be St. Nicholas’ Church, St. George of
the Latins, the Sea Gate, the ruins of St. Francis’ Church, and Othello’s
Castle. My favorite was Othello’s Castle. The reason it’s called Othello’s
Castle is because Shakespeare mentions a fortress/port in Cyprus in ‘Othello’
and it is believed to be this one in Famagusta!
 |
| Othello's Castle |
 |
| Tower of Othello's Castle |
 |
| Sign on Varosha fence |
 |
| Abandoned, broken house within Varosha |
Next we headed to the Ghost Town of Varosha, which is the
abandoned, fenced in area of Famagusta previously owned by Greeks. It is now
guarded by the Turkish military. This area has been empty since 1974 when the
Greeks fled due to the Turkish invasion, and the Turkish military has left it
that way as a bargaining tool for future negotiations. Peering beyond the
fence, it was sad to see the grand hotels that used to be the most popular
tourist places in Cyprus but are now beyond repair after being bombed and left
to the elements since 1974. There are also several cranes in the skyline,
halted mid-construction of new hotels. As I learned on this website, there is
even a car dealership in the Ghost Town that still houses brand-new models from
1974! Everything beyond the fence is frozen in time and left exactly as it was
in 1974, which leaves an eerie feeling in your heart and makes you feel the
struggle between the Greek and Turkish Cypriots. My visit to the Ghost town is what inspired today's post title to be from "After the Storm" by Mumford and Sons
 |
| Bombed hotel with Ghost Town (Tower of Terror, much?) |
We continued to walk around the outskirts of the fence,
which brought us to Palm Beach. The hotels along the coast were in the fenced
in area, and it was strange to swim in the Sea with the deteriorating city as a
backdrop. Nevertheless, the beach was lovely and it was a great way to relax
after such a busy day. One of the hotels along the beach reminded me of the
Tower of Terror because the elevator shaft was bombed and open to the world.
 |
| Palm Beach |
 |
| St. George of the Latins ruins |
Knowing we wanted to catch the 5pm bus back to Nicosia, we
left the beach and headed to the station. When we got there the owner was very
rude and demonstrated that the next bus was coming at 6pm by waving a clock in
our faces. Previously we were told that a bus was coming at 5pm, so we were
annoyed that we left the beach early only to have to wait another hour for the
bus to come!
Eventually we made it back to Nicosia and crossed the
buffer zone into the South. When we arrived in the South, a group of peaceful
protestors were parading down Ledra St chanting about anti-fascism.
 |
| Palm Beach |
It was an exhausting day traveling through ancient ruins,
traversing the city of Famagusta, peering into the Ghost Town, swimming at Palm
Beach, riding buses, and observing protestors. The more time I spend in Cyprus,
and the more I travel around the island on both sides, my understanding of the
Cyprus Problem increases and I am left wondering if a solution will ever be
found. Being exposed to the Ghost Town in the North and the protestors in the
South makes me realize that the issue continues to span generations of Greek
and Turkish Cypriots, but hopefully their issues can be resolved one day and
maybe the Ghost Town will flourish once again. Only time will tell, of course,
but for now I am thankful that Cyprus is in a ‘peaceful agreement state’ that
allows free passage between the North and South so I am able to experience the
island from the Turkish and Greek perspectives.
As I mentioned previously, I wanted to visit Famagusta since I had to research it in 7th grade. As part of the
cross-curriculum research project, we had to write a poem about a city in our chosen country as if it would be printed in a travel brochure. I would like to share
that poem with you even though it is not very good and some of it is
inaccurate, as I have learned by traveling there.
Fantastic Famagusta
 |
| The Sea Gate |
By Courtney Haines (2004)
Come to Famagusta, one and all!
Walk up to and touch the mighty wall.
Go to the beaches and surf the waves,
Or have an adventure in one of the caves.
You can visit the many historical towers.
Maybe stop and smell the flowers.
Take your time and stay up late.
Visit sites like The Sea Gate.
Time will fly, so make it last,
But don’t rush through things way too fast.
Eat a good dinner at the Lime Light;
You’ll be in heaven with your first bite.
In Famagusta there’s adventure galore,
And not even that, there’s so much more!
I decided to write a new poem to reflect the actual Famagusta I discovered from my visit.
Faded Famagusta
By Courtney Haines (2012)
So grand an image I used to be,
Where tourists flocked here to the sea.
Born to resist with walls so strong;
Beyond those walls, something went wrong.
Despite towers and ruins to explore;
My spirit changed in 1974.
Depends who you ask, the South or the North,
To discover how the issue came forth.
The subsequent struggle made my beaches grow dim,
But luckily now, some tourists will swim.
Frozen in time is a city so still;
The desolate scene gives my bones a chill.
I hope one day that city will shine,
And the divided country will have no Green Line.
I know I’m not a poet by any means, but I wanted to share
those with you. As always, thanks for reading, and look forward to posts about
traveling through Central Europe!
Till next time!
-Courtney <3
No comments:
Post a Comment