On the way to the checkpoint of the “secessionistic so-called Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus”. Note the flag of the TRNC in the foreground and that of Turkey in the background. At this point we are actually in the U.N. buffer zone. Chris is on the way back with our passports. The TRNC immigration stamps are on a separate piece of paper. Just like what the apartheid-era South African authorities would do for Indian passports !
Still in the UN buffer zone
The ubiquitous flags of Turkey and the TRNC
Algadi Turtle Beach: no sign of any turtles though
Overcast skies for a change ... gives us a breather from the hot weather
Strange rock formations on the sides of the highway
This was where we stopped for lunch ... we were sorely tempted to use the tabletop rock as our picnic spot !
Apparently Cypriots are very fond of their donkeys. Chris informs us that this donkey was maybe a few months old.
At Apostolos Andreas monastery - Land's End in north-eastern Cyprus. Not very far from the Syrian coast.
Land's End !
At the Apostolos Andreas monastery. Like most Orthodox churches in northern Cyprus it is in a horrible state of disrepair. The monastery is dedicated to St Andreas, one of the apostles of Christ. Chris patiently explained to us that it was redundant to say Apostolos St Andreas, since there are only 12 apostles and they outrank the common or garden variety saint. It's not clear if the monastery contains any relics of St Andreas himself, unlike those of St Barnabas and St Lazarus.
It's evident (and sad) that this ancient monastery is in a state of serious disrepair. This situation is pretty symptomatic of all the properties of the Orthodox church in the T.R.N.C. Apparently the Catholic churches (of the Maronites - immigrants from Lebanon who claim to have settled in Cyprus before the Greeks) are in much better shape.
One of the few pieces of unspoiled coastline in all of Cyprus. Doubtless this will be gone in another 5 years once a better approach road is built.
The walled city of Famagusta
The ubiquitous oleander shrubs outside Famagusta
This catholic church was built by the Lusignans (Venetian empire) sometime in the 13/14th century. Note that the cross on top of the steeple has been removed. While the Greek cypriots who were with us claimed that this was done post-1974, Lawrence Durrel suggests (in “Bitter Lemons” written in 1956) that this happened when the Ottomans took the city of Famagusta after a siege of 1 year in the 16th century.
These signs are of the Turkish army and are everywhere in the T.R.N.C. Turkish army camps litter the entire countryside. In this particular case, the forbidden zone is not an army camp - it is the ghost town of Varosha just south of Famagusta. There is some talk that if there is eventually an official partition, the Greek side might get Varosha back.
Can a building just wither away like this because of disuse ? Or was it a victim of bombs ?
