Cyprus

Firstly where is Cyprus? Well Cyprus lies at the crossroads of three continents it is in the Mediterranean, in Europe in an area of the world which is beautifully hot in summer and full of sunshine year round. As a child we regularly drove through Europe to Cyprus from England where we lived, a journey full of delights I still remember vividly peering through the car window as we traveled through Istanbul. The noises, the colours, the people. But that Journey I will share with you another time.

It is not a large Island, in fact you can travel from one end of the island to another in a day. For those who like facts the island covers a total of 9,251 sq km and has a coastline of 648 km. It has a population of only approximately 780,000, with the official languages being Greek and Turkish, English is of course widely spoken as a second language. The currency you will find there are the Turkish Lira on the North of the Island and the Euro and Greek Pound on the South of the Island.

When pondering this article I decided I would tell of the real Cyprus, the living Cyprus, from the perspective of its people now and its unique history throughout the centuries, how it is today and how it was in yesteryears. Cypriots are so proud of their cultural heritage, which stretches back more than 11,000 years. This small Island is associated with some of the most amazing and important events in history, from journeys of the disciple Paul, to the Romans,Marc Anthony gave the Island to Cleopatra in 58 BC and Richard the Lionheart sold the Island to the Knights Templar in the 12^th Century.

I have so much to share with you, but let me end now by saying in Greek 'Goodbye for now my friends'