Author Topic: Turkish Not Turkey: TRNC in 2002  (Read 2560 times)

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Offline Colwyn

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Turkish Not Turkey: TRNC in 2002
« on: June 22, 2017, 18:04:31 PM »

These photos have been transferred from film to digital - but not very well. Aplogies for quality.

Kyrenia Harbour

Well Kyrenia Harbour hasn't changed very much in 15 years except that you could see more of it back then because not every restaurant and bar had huge gazebos outside on the prom.













Offline Colwyn

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Re: Turkish Not Turkey: TRNC in 2002
« Reply #1 on: June 22, 2017, 19:08:38 PM »
Five Finger Mountain Range [Turkish Beşparmak: Greek Pentadaktylos]

It seems to odd to name an entire mountain range {some say it should be only the western end} after a single geographical feature that is just one part of it, especially when it takes a considerable leap of imagination to visualize the description it inspired. This photo was taken from the little café at the top of the pass below the peak. I think you are supposed your right hand facing you and count off the peaks from the right starting with your thumb. Perhaps there is a better vantage point from where the five fingers are more pronounced.


Offline Colwyn

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Re: Turkish Not Turkey: TRNC in 2002
« Reply #2 on: June 23, 2017, 09:36:52 AM »
St Hilarion Castle

St Hilarion is the most astonishing castle I have ever seen. To begin with it is perched on a 2000ft high escarpment above Kyrenia, then it is located on higher ground that stands above the surrounding mountainside, then it is on a rocky outcrop several hundred feet high, and finally St Peter's Tower rises right from the top. It is a castle in the sky. Absolutely spectacular.

We set out early to get there determined to get right to the top before the heat of the day set in (we were young back then, in our 50s). We began the assault and toiled up the rocks and then then the bottom reaches of the castle. After an hour or so St Peter's Tower still stood far, far above us and the day was warming up. We agreed that, for us, St Hilarion was impregnable. We scrambled back down for a drink in the little cafe of the bottom of the castle, the only people there, and had an interesting chat with the old owner about matters Cypriot.




Offline Colwyn

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Re: Turkish Not Turkey: TRNC in 2002
« Reply #3 on: June 23, 2017, 10:58:25 AM »
The Karpaz Peninsula
The Karpaz is the finger of land, the panhandle, that sticks out of northern Cyprus to the east. It is very remote – or at least it was in 2002. It is so remote that when the Turkish Army landed on the north coast in 1974 they didn’t bother to invade the Karpaz; they just cut it off. It is so remote that many Greeks did not leave so there were still many families there in 2002 – rather fewer now. It is a wild and desolate place.

We set off to drive to the end of the peninsula – 85 miles from Kyrenia, Once we had moved out along the peninsula traffic trailed away and soon we were seeing perhaps one car every 20 minutes. There were huge sandy beaches that were quite empty.

Beach at Start of Peninsula



Little Church in the Middle of the Road (our car, nobody else around)



After an hour or so we came to a village where I took the wrong road out along the peninsula. I realized after a few miles, retraced my steps and asked a resident, with signs for ”Apostolos Andreas?” {the monastery at the very end of the Karpaz). He pointed metowards the only other road heading out of the village. “Teşekkür ederim” I said and he glared at me. Leaving the village I pondered his reaction. Then it dawned on me – I blame the heat for my slow wittedness. The village must have been Rizokarpaso (Turkish: Dipkarpaz) the last Greek village in TRNC and I had been asking directions from one of its Greek citizens.

We now headed into the Milli Parki, a home for wild donkeys (asses) … and not much else. They roamed over huge sandy sandy beaches.

Milli Parki



Finally we reached the end of the peninsula. It was some time since we had seen another human being and the Apostolos Andreas Monastery was equally lonely. But this time, unlike St Peter’s Tower we had reached our goal.
 
Apostolos Andreas Monastery

Offline Laura B

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Re: Turkish Not Turkey: TRNC in 2002
« Reply #4 on: June 23, 2017, 11:58:36 AM »
Not nearly so remote nowadays but still wild and beautiful.  Thanks again for the photos Colwyn.  As for St Hilarion.....we did that in May. (71 and 68 years)  Probably much more accessible now than when you did it!!

Offline Colwyn

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Re: Turkish Not Turkey: TRNC in 2002
« Reply #5 on: June 23, 2017, 16:41:58 PM »
Bellapais

The village of Bellapais (other spellings are available) is the pearl of North Cyprus. Of all the places we were to visit this year this was the one we expected to have changed the most. Indeed we did wonder whether returning there 15 years on would spoil our memories of this lovely place. As it turned out my unfortunate accident put paid to all thoughts of going there.

Bellapais stands on a steep hillside some four miles away from Kyrenia with views over the city.

View


Before going to Bellapais it is recommended, almost compulsory, that you read Lawrence Durrell's book about his time there in the early 1950s as the British Empire was falling apart and Cyprus was going with it (independence was achieved in 1960). Lawrence had a house in Bellapais called, like the book, Bitter Lemons. Durrell introduces us to a famous proverb that goes something like this: The laziest people in the Mediterranean live on the island of Cyprus. And the laziest people in Cyprus live in the village of Bellapais. And the laziest people in Bellapais waste away their time under the Tree of Idleness. The tree is therefore a prime target for tourists. Not that there were any tourists there other than us. In Bellapais, like other places we went in 2002, holiday-makers were conspicuous by their absence. Our first target, however, was not the tree but the splendid if ruined Augustine monastery Abbaye de la Belle Paix (beautiful peace). We walked in beautiful peace around the monastery by ourselves. Until, that is, a Turkish Army bus pulled up outside and a troop of national servicemen spilled out. The young men trudged morosely round the Abbey clearly on a 'cultural' day out and not enjoying it all. We left them there and went to look for the Tree of Idleness.

Abbaye de la Belle Paix



The monastery and the square that stands outside it occupy just about the only flat land in the village.
Opposite the monastery was a bar-restaurant built around a tree which grew through through the ground floor roof and into the floor above. We were assured that this was indeed the Tree of Idleness. We hadn't seen a more likely candidate and, anyway, a comfortable seat and cold Efes was an attractive offer whatever. So we sat and idled looking out at the monastery. As ever - we were the only customers. [I am told that today there are two bars, each with their own tree, which they equally insist is the authentic one].

Bar Under Tree of Idleness



Eventually we roused ourselves and set out to explore the upper village {which back then was almost all that there was except for the houses lining the road from the plain running into the square}. The roads were narrow and extremely steep. Eventually we came to Bitter Lemons - Durrell's big ugly lump of a house.

Narrow Street



Bitter Lemons



Disappointed with his house we intrigued by a notice pointing to "Gardens of Irene" even further up the hill. We carried on up there. There was a small sign on a garden gate. We peeped inside and saw it was indeed a little garden where they served drinks and snacks. We settled down, sole customers, with a couple of beers. We learned that the place belonged to a British women, Dierdre, who had owned the house, and been living there, when the Turkish Army arrived in 1974 and had stayed on. After a while a chap in a suit peered into the garden and then disappeared. A minute later he returned with a man and a woman equally formally dressed. We were to learn that they were the Romanian Ambassador to (southern) Cyprus, is wife and an equerry. They had come north for a day on a sight-seeing tour.

In TRNC in 2002 such things as having a drink with an Ambassador seemed quite normal. It was a quaint, charming and surprising country.
« Last Edit: June 23, 2017, 17:02:38 PM by Colwyn »




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