Cypriot castle climbs and crossings
Five am from 30,000 ft over the Mediteranean.
We've just had a fun, if sleep deprived 1 1/2 days in Cyprus. Hazy 4 decade old  recollections of blue helmeted Canadian troops and Archbishop Makarios have transformed to real appreciation of a magical island with a rich history (both ancient and new), friendly people (both Turks and Greeks - though not necessarily to each other) and great food. This is a location that we would like to return to and explore more fully. The original plan was to have 2+ days here, but that was reduced, limiting our ability to travel much outside the walled city of Nicosia. The east-west "green line" that divides the Turkish occupied north from the Greek south adds to the complexity of getting around. Crossing is straightforward for us, but must be done at a handful of checkpoints in the country. Entertainingly (unless you are trying to find scavenges) each partition's maps leave the other sector's blank, and the locals claim ignorance of thinks like bus depots on "the other side". A not so friendly rivalry exists. Cyprus Delight is sold on the Greek side, "far superior" to the Turkish Delight of the north (although not noticible different to us). We are to drink some KEO beer. When we ask for it in the north at a taverna, the owner says Turkish beer is far better that Greek KEO and offers to par for ours if we don't agree. And he is correct (KEO is like US beer), so honesty prevents us taking him up on his offer.
Nicosia (aka Lefkosia) old town lies within a wall built by the Venetians in the 1500. Two of the border crossings are here, with a no-man's land (UN controlled)separating the 2 sides. We will go through several times in the time we are here, although the locals only recently regained the right to do the same. Our hunting begins after our 3 pm meeting at the Hilton: we have until 6:30 pm the next day. It is the weekend here (Saturday afternoon + Sunday) so MANY potential scavenges  (most museums etc) are closed for the weekend, or for renovation, or were recently destroyed by fire! So we roam the city centres (South and North), determine potential bus travel (limited), visit a gothic mosque and a caravanserei. We try for a hammam (closed) so settle for bouzouki music instead before heading home to bed. Tomorrow we will bus to Kyrenia (aka Girne) on the north coast.
Most teams opt for a leisurely start complete with sit down breakfast (likely our last for the next 4-5 days). We Greek taxi to the border crossing, change taxis to Turkish, and arrive at an unrecognizably minimalist "bus depot" - tiny offices/kiosks surrounding a parking lot full of mini buses. A 35 minute ride through the coastal mountains takes us to Kyrenia, a pretty port town with an excellent harbour guarded by a castle. We tour there, search for icons, then taxi to the first of 2 crusader castle ruins high in the mountains overlooking Kyrenia. We can drive part way there, but at Buffavento (literally "wind-buffeted") Castle, a 30 minute climb awaits as we snake up the cliff face to the remnants of an ancient fortress. The view is splendid. Down we go, looking out for snakes and moufflon, but seeing neither, although lots of "sheep poo" on the path suggests that they are around.  On to St. Hilarion Castle, a somewhat better preserved ruin with less of a climb required. We bus back to Nicosia, and spend the last 2 hours of the hunt tracking down dactyla, Cyprus coffee and cocktails, Arabian chewing gum (like retsina, it's an aquired taste).  Will finish this later, on the plane on our way to Rome.