Our last couple of days in Cyprus were spent on the western side of the island, in Paphos and its environs. The clouds came in and out, sometimes rainy, sometimes sunny and warm. We started off by exploring the ruins of ancient Paphos, with columns and mosaics from the Roman and Hellenic periods of the area.
Most stunning was the large complex of tombs that dotted the seaside cliffs. The colonnaded courtyards of kings were built underground, something I had never seen before. I went down into the courtyards, exploring the tombs and passageways that connected them. It was quite cool, reminding me a bit of the Hypogeum in Malta, although not as old or mysterious. It was really something to be strolling along the seaside here and then below opens up a view of columns.
The next day, we ventured further north to view the shipwreck of the Edro III, a Sierra Leone cargo ship that was transporting goods from Cyprus to Greece, when it encountered bad weather and hit the rocks north of Paphos. Thankfully, none of the crew were killed in the accident. For curious sightseers, it creates an interesting photograph opportunity – something else that I’d never seen in my travels! We actually saw another shipwreck farther off the coast of Paphos. The ships are just sitting there as the funds and dangers of removing them are just not worth it.
We spent the rest of our final day just exploring the oceanside, basking in what little sun we could find, and visiting different sites, like the beautiful Agios Georgios Church.
