Kourion
Κουριον
Kourion overlooking the Mediterranean Sea
March 13, 2004
On Saturday we (Elizabeth, Crystal, and I) got up early and took a cab to the airport
in Chisinau, Moldova. I was surprised at how many people were going to Larnaka,
Cyprus until I realized they were all women... well nearly. I sat across the isle
from a Greek Cypriot and learned about the Turkish occupation and prostitution.
There’s obviously a lot of tension between the Greeks and Turks in general and Cyprus
it seems is the epitome of their relations.
After landing I watched the prostitutes line up for passport control; the lines
moved very slowly. We got through the airport and picked up our rental car before
hitting the road... the left side of the road that is.
The trip from Larnaca to Kourion was incredible, the Mediterranean Sea was to our
left and there was green everywhere with mountains in the distance to our right.
To the left the green seemed to go on for a mile or so until it abruptly ended at
the sea; in front and to the right, only mountains. The roads were in perfect condition
and the signs even better. We made it to Lemosses without a hitch, but passed by
the city to go to Kiorion, the ancient ruins.
The views from Kourion alone were worth the trip; we stood upon the mountains, a
steep fall to a very narrow shore and then the sea. From here you could tell the
water was very transparent. The ruins were great, but really only rocks displaying
some sort of vague structure. The mosaics were more incredible; architecture one
only reads about.
After taking numerous pictures we moved on to the amphitheater, however not completely
ancient... some ruins seemed to be touched up for safety. Next we saw a room of
mosaics and relaxed just to take in the view.
The tour groups started rolling in and we had seen enough so headed out. I took
my turn at driving.
Kourion's ancient Greek columns