Kyrenia
Girne
Kyrenia harbor
March 16, 2004
We got up early and knowing what we were doing today for the border crossing, got
to the north and to St. Hillrion’s Castle, but it was closed so we headed to Kyrenia
and its castle. Kyrenia's castle is similar to a fortress with phenomenal paths
everywhere and a great courtyard. Each tower has tunnels and pathways deep into
the ground. The prison/dungeon had 2 holes where people were held to die or be tortured.
The view from the top displayed the clarity of the water and even allowed us to
see as far north as Turkey, outlined by the snow-capped mountains.
The highlight of the castle, however was the old shipwreck, found in the 1900’s,
which is from 600 B.C. and still in phenomenal shape. It’s hard to believe that
it’s 600 years older that Jesus.
The town is great: old and historic; the sea on one side, the mountains on the other.
We had ice cream that refused to melt, which we had to chew, but interesting and
the show the "Turkish ice cream man" put on was worth the money we spent
on the "ice cream."
We spent some time just seeing the town, but quickly left to St. Hillrion’s for
a new fantastic adventure.
Kyrenia castle
Kyrenia Castle
St. Hillrion’s castle was built on a hill nearly impossible to reach. It has a Byzantine
chapel, kitchen, barracks, and dining halls. We continued up to the top, which contained
a courtyard, more rooms, a watchtower and the royal bedrooms. The queen’s window,
extravagantly designed, presented a view of the mountains, city, the sea and the
sky. The very top was peaceful and still so we spent some time alone.
View of Kyrenia from St. Hillrion's Castle