Kuzey Kıbrıs

During the Kurban Bayram, or Eid al-Adha, a few friends and I spent our time off traveling in Northern Cyprus, followed by visits to Antakya (historical Antioch) and Tarsus. This post has been long overdue, but buyurun! …here you are!

But before we caught our connecting flight to Lefkoşa, Cyprus, we spend the Eid Sunday in Istanbul. We bussed into the city to Taksım Square and took a stroll down the busy Istiklal Caddesi. We also crossed the Galata Bridge with its numerous anglers casting reels off its sides and stopped at the Yeni Cami.

Nice views from the plane

Yeni Cami

Fishing off the Galata Bridge

Some delicious Baklava to finish off our brief stop in Istanbul

Some brief backgroud info about Cyprus before I relate to you our travels there: the island is divided into two parts, the Republic of Cyprus, home to mostly the Greek Cypriot population, and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (Kuzey Kıbrıs Türk Cumhuriyeti), home to the Turkish Cypriot population, which is a self-declared state with only Turkey recognizing its independence. My passport now has a Northern Cyprus stamp on it, which may make it hard for me to visit Greece in the future, until I get a new passport of course.

Our flight to Lefkoşa left Istanbul in the evening. Upon arrival in N. Cyprus, we took a bus to Girne, a major city located on the northern coast that served as our hub during our stay there. After spending a couple of days in Girne, we rented a car and visited other parts of N. Cyprus.

View of the Girne Harbor from the Girne Castle

View of Girne from the St. Hilarion Castle

Kind of reminds me of The Lord of the Rings

Bellapais Monastery

Inside the church of Bellapais

Other visits included the ruins of Soli in the northwest, the ruins of churches in Gazimağusa and ruins at Salamis on the east coast, and a wonderful visit to the Karpaz Peninsula.

View of the Mediterranean (Akdeniz) from the Oasis Hotel on the Karpaz Peninsula

Had to stop to let his herd by. The Karpaz peninsula is also know for its wild donkeys. Unfortunately, we did not see any.

I racked up some decent miles driving in North Cyprus. James was my navigator.

Next post will be about Antakya and Tarsus, so stay tuned!