Mapko wrote:Theodosia...I'd suggest going to Cprus at least twice - the first time to do all the touristy stuff, i.e. the beaches, the shops, the bars, the archaeological sites, the ancient monuments, lakes, churches, etc. Then I'd suggest going back and finding out what your ancestry actually means, i.e. go to the Central Jail to see the graves of the EOKA heroes; take a look at the Presidential Palace and the staue of Archbishop Makario III; the statue of Marko Drako on the roundabout (be careful - I took a photograph of the statue and there was a guard tower directly behind); there are tours of the EOKA hideouts in the hills that you can go on for a cycle; there are plenty of churches that were part of the war, but Kykko Monastery is probably the most important.
If you have no reason to go to the (illegally occupied) north, then I wouldn't bother - just watch archive footage of WWII and how the Nazis (mainland Mongols, in this case) made the Jews and other minorities (Turk C's, here) live in dirty ghettos.
Kalo taksidi.
there is alot to be said to support Mapko, if you are a reader, go to the IPO (Information and Press Office) in Nicosia, they make a lovely coffee there, and there is a great wealth of information they offer freely. i know about EOKA too in personal ways, i suppose like most people my age, i know it was a struggle against the British who took the island to be a possession not unlike the Turks that they took it from, whose troops devolved unruly without respect, they became an enemy, it was to these brave Cypriots to defend Universal Principals, not just the Rule of Law. i know that EOKA evolved, but at its later stages those protoges like Sampson, Cyprus was come to know them as traitors.
if i could see and travel in the north, i would; because i remember my dear friends and neighbours, throughout a history much longer than the last 50 years. pity the Occupation Movement was moved out of the Buffer Zone, i would have suggested you to visit there, the true face of Cyprus, its youth, who see themselves as Citizens of the World, a community, not "Greeks", not "Turks", close to their land, but in this regard, Cypriots. it is and it was a nice feeling, my past, and the sense of it that lives today. Cyprus is rich in Cultural Heritage, visit the Maronites, and the Armenians, visit the Latins too, they have a living Heritance too, they need the same help. Cyprus is a very precious ethnosphere, it's History may be mostly Greek, but Cyprus is a crossroad for every Modern Religion, let alone three Continents, Cypriots as Greeks have a great responsibility as its Steward, it is unique, but that seems to be the Problem.
Mapko, i respect your opinion , it is based on the Principals of International Law, and morally grounded. indeed suggesting to put a (Cypriot) flag on your car's antenna may invite getting shot at or arrested (after all these things have happened before), in some parts of Cyprus, but i would do it. this is the Principal i defend. you don't even have to buy a cup of coffee by the shore at Kyrenia, but go and see. i suggest that you will find within their filthy corruption the few who are like you, (you might meet in the south)(they will have the roadside cafes that have been there forever,eg.) because they love this island and you will recognise each other, demonstrate, act, don't spend a penny in what "they" have made inviting, their hotels and their casinos, go visit Barnabas and the monestary there, visit Pentathaktilo and the castle called ekatospitia, find those caves, they'll still be black with the napalm where young men were burnt alive, and Salamina... you are the guerrilla we admire in this sense should you decide to, suffer Peace, be the Person you want all Persons to be, as an Irish Person, a Brit, or a Greek (and Turk) there would be no difference, wouldn't there? here is the intent of the Government's advice with the gates open. fill yourself with the dust of thousands of years, act wisely, and since its all about the almighty dollar spend wisely too;
...Cyprus needs dialog, and direct acts from its ordinary citizens which clearly demonstrate their loving nature as Human Beings here, as Cypriots, who put Cyprus first not just their ratsa.
...come often (lol) Theodosia, you will never see all of Cyprus visiting once or twice.
