latchi harbour (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Map of Cyprus showing Paphos district. The green areas are the UK Sovereign Base Areas, the blue area is the UN buffer zone. Areas north of the buffer zone are controlled by the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, areas south are controlled by the Greek Cypriot government. Nederlands: Kaart van Cyprus met het district Paphos. Português: Localização do distrito de Pafos (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Let me share three unusual happenings in Cyprus.
Firstly, when we met some friends for dinner in Paphos recently, the conversation was all about the new gas platform that you can see out at sea at night. This is the latest drilling for offshore gas and oil. The conversation then moved to how house prices would go up on the back of successful exploration. So far the gas effect has been confined to Limassol and Larnaka but we questioned whether Paphos could be next?
Secondly, we were out hiking with a group of like-minded people on the Paphos coast, overlooking the Mediterranean, and we stumbled into a large-scale military exercise. There were jet fighters screaming overhead and there was intense speculation as to their identity. Later in the news, we saw a brief reference to a joint Cyprus/Israel military exercise.
Thirdly, we spotted a large cruise ship docked offshore from Latchi harbour – this is very rare. Latchi is well-known for the best fresh fish in Cyprus, with large families often venturing from Nicosia for a Sunday outing. From our roof terrace, we could see a number of boats servicing the cruise ship and wondered whether they had stopped for lunch?
Despite a few much-needed showers, the weather is still excellent in Cyprus at the end of October into November. The Russian tourists are still to be seen enjoying the sea that’s still quite warm.
Thoughts?
Dr Alf's Blog 