Randal and I walked this morning back to the ruins of a 5th century basilica. It was my third time there. The first time I forgot my camera card. The second time I didn’t spot the mosaic of the flip flops (sandals to the ancients.) This morning Randal walked with me and we found the flip flops, but I’D FORGOTTEN MY CAMERA CARD AGAIN!!! Yesterday I’d downloaded photos from our day long motorbike trip to Girne and was really tired so forgot to check the whereabouts of the camera card when I was finished. Now I have an excuse to go back up the hill again to the basilica for the flip flop photo. Luckily no one mans the entrance gate which is always open so I haven’t had to pay the 5 TL fee each time. There is nowhere even to leave money if one wanted to which I would once, but not for all of the times I go. It’s a lovely walk and a nice place to sit and imagine as it’s in a field with nothing commercial around it. You’ll see it after I finally get my flip flop photo.
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Sipahi to Dipkarpaz and the Ayios Thrysos Church on August 8 2011
There is a network of dirt roads all over the peninsula and Randal wanted to start exploring them. One brochure calls them walking trails and one calls them dirt bike trails. We took our motorbike. None of the brochures shows any maps so we just picked our way aiming in the general direction we needed to go.
Where are the dinosaurs?
There was something about the stark, vast, emptiness that made both Randal and me think prehistory and dinosaurs. Cyprus is the 3rd largest Island in the Mediterranean and is the result of uplift. It was once submerged below the Mediterranean.
The roads were packed dirt with lots of stones.
When we return in late November, and the rainy season, these roads might not be passable on our motorbike. There are markings on the rocks for walkers following the trails. “The network is comprised of 580 kilometers (348 miles) of trails covering the northern part of the island. Nearly 90 kilometers (54 miles) of the total length is in the form of narrow footpaths and over 490 kilometers (294 miles) of length is wider dirt track.” www.northcyprus.cc And when we return I hope to have a new camera with a great wide angle lens to capture some of the vast spaces.
We’re lost!
The trails are marked with green circles in a white circle, but we had no idea where they would lead us. We finally came to a small community and I called. “Merhaba.” Luckily the family spoke fluent English. Here both husband and wife are giving us directions and they pretty much matched. Straight, right, then straight and left….
All along the way we saw farm fields in the valleys as well as terraced on some of the mountains and occasionally herds of sheep and goats. There are evenly spaced paths around the mountains which might be the walking trails but Randal guesses they are goat trails
Some of the multicolored goats.
I bought some yogurt yesterday and we’ll get some cheese in the market in Famagusta tomorrow. Hope it’s as good as the cheese in Turkey.
We came off the dirt trails and biked on to Dipkarpaz aiming for the same restaurant as before. But it was closed. The signs on the doors said open but no one was around. I asked the woman from the small market just down below if the restaurant was open. She spoke no English but understood what I wanted and called the owners. Then things got really confusing. I understood her tell me that the owners were coming. But nothing happened. Then another man came by to use the restaurant restroom and we asked him. He spoke no English either but understood my question so he also started to call the owners. I tried to explain they’d already been called and then the Turkish woman heard and told him that she’d already called. Next the man from the Arch Houses Hotel across the way came over and said he would make us some lunch. We didn’t know what to do but then he explained that the restaurant owner was in another town and wouldn’t be back until 4 pm. Who knows? It is Ramadan so maybe lunch hour is not served, just dinner after sundown when Muslims can eat. We had eaten lunch there on Saturday during Ramadan and so had about a dozen other people who came to eat just as we were finishing. Both Randal and I wanted some bread and meze ( salad dishes) so when the Arch man offered to make us some eggs as they only did breakfast and dinner we opted to look for someplace else. It was nice of him, but just not what we wanted and we weren’t starving or desperate. We found a small restaurant in the town center and had a lovely conversation with a transplanted British couple and their two daughters. The couple lives in South Cyprus. The husband’s work takes him around the world and at this point he is actually working in Lebanon. As for lunch, no meze either, just a lamb wrap each. The lamb was good but too little of it and the bread was good, but too much of it. Didn’t compare to our chicken wraps at Aciktim in Marmaris.
After lunch we headed back toward Karpaz on the main road stopping to visit Ayios Thrysos Church. It’s interesting to see interesting old structures here; they’re all over the place!
“Ayios Thrysos church is, in fact, three churches. The one you see first alongside the road dates to the 15th century. It is, however, mainly empty, with no iconostasis, and what icons there are, are reproductions printed on hardboard.
Of much more interest, however is a smaller, medieval church, built closer to the shore, and not obvious as you drive past. This dates to around the 10th century. Further down is a small cave church which is probably Byzantine.
Inside the 10th century church is a healing spring which can be reached down a short flight of stairs. Be warned, however, it’s a bring a torch and bend double situation.
This church is well used, as witnessed by the ready supply of candles at the entrance and the huge number of votive offerings in the form of paper tissues or pieces of cloth which have been inserted into every available nook and cranny”
http://www.whatson-northcyprus.com/interest/dipkarpaz/thrysos.htm
The 10th century chapel.
I don’t know if the icons have been left by visitors along with the pieces of cloth. We did see some lit candles but no caretaker was around.
Chapel interior.
Randal deciding not to go down to the healing spring.
I need to create a checklist before we take off on the motorbike.
Flashlight, binoculars, spare camera card (in case if forget and leave mine in the computer) extra camera batteries, sun screen. We always take water and some Gatorade but twice I’ve left my camera card behind, both times just when I’ve gone walking both times to the same place! There seem to be lots of dark places to peer into so a flashlight would really be helpful. Here the stone steps were too steep and the light from Randal’s cell phone too weak. There were lots of cardboard icons that didn’t add to the atmosphere.
Looking out from the medieval chapel.
Many of these churches, chapels and monasteries are along the coast because travel was maybe done mostly by boat around the island.
The side of the chapel.
Up the stairs is a bar and restaurant. Not sure about the Byzantine cave church unless it is the door that was boarded up with the leaves growing over it just behind and to the left of the palm tree. We’ll stop another time to look again. No signs or information boards to help you learn anything.
15th Century Ayios Thrysos Church
All locked up, but at this point we were just getting too hot for Randal to enjoy exploring, so it was time to go back to DoraMac and the AC. (The heat doesn’t seem to bother me as much as long as I’m not having to pedal a bicycle.)