Cyprus & Vienna

Dec 26, 2013-Jan 2, 2014
Dec 26 AC846 YYZ-MUC, A3 803 MUC-ATH, A3 906 ATH-LCA, Dec 31 OS832 LCA-VIE, Jan 1 LH1235 VIE-FRA, AC875 FRA-YUL, AC421 YUL-YYZ

Christmas 2013 in Toronto will be remembered for a huge ice storm that paralyzed the city just before Christmas Eve.  Luckily, Tom saw that the storm was coming and purchased a small generator that allowed us to live in relative comfort through our 24 hour outage.  Unfortunately, Tom’s office was out for longer and we weren’t really sure if he’d be able to travel until the power was restored.  The power came back the night of Christmas Eve, and we were able to travel as planned to Cyprus.  Cyprus has both a rich ancient history as well as the more recent conflict with Turkey from 1973.  The ongoing ceasefire has created an interesting dynamic where you can cross a UN-patrolled Green Line and travel to a territory that Cyprus and the rest of the world does not recognize.  In some ways I expect it may be similar to the divided Germany of years ago.  After enjoying Cyprus we celebrated the New Year in Vienna

Dec 27
After overnight flight we spend the day relaxing in the capital Nicosia

Dec 28
We cross the Green Line and spend our first full day exploring Northern Cyprus

Great view of the 10th Century Saint Hilarion Castle

Looking down to the north coast and the Mediterranean

More of the well-preserved castle walls

A broader perspective of the castle walls

Kyrenia harbour

Roman-era gymnasium ruins in the ancient city of Salamis

One of the pools in the Roman baths

Well-restored ancient theatre

Sunset over the ruins, a good end to our day in Northern Cyprus

Dec 29
Exploring the ancient side of the southern coast of Cyprus

One of the many incredible 2nd century mosaics of Kato Paphos

Ancient ruins in Paphos Archaeological Park

After grabbing lunch we check out the medieval castle of the Paphos

One of the fascinating 4th Century BC burial tombs

Closeup of the tomb

The elaborate interior of the burial tomb cut into the native rock

Impressive multi-room tomb

The rocky Mediterranean Coastline

Dec 30
Exploring more sides of ancient and very ancient Cyprus

Exploring the extensive coastal 2nd century BC ruins of Kourion

Ruins of raised floor that would have provided underfloor heating in Kourion

Foundation of ~8000 year old Choirokoitia village

Recreation of the Neolithic housing.  Offers fascinating perspective on ancient life

Dec 31
We briefly cross the Green Lineto visit Northern Nicosia, then fly to Vienna

A view of the divided city and the Green Line

St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna lit up for the New Year

New Year’s Eve festivities in Central Vienna

Outside the Kursalon, a music venue next to the Stadtpark

Jan 1
After staying overnight by the airport, early morning trip home