Monday 21 November 2016

Cyprus - My 7 day circuit across the country - Day 2 late afternoon - North Cyprus - Famagusta - The 6th of November 2016


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We continued strolling around the old streets of Famagusta and as we headed to the Nestorian Church we came across a former place of cult turned into a bar, which clearly reinforces the idea that the times they are a'changing.























































It would be dark in no time so we tried to move faster to avoid the inevitable ... We were nevertheless unfortunate not to find the Nestorian Church (which looked rather interesting) open. According to written accounts it was built in 1338 by a Syrian merchant for Famagusta's Syrian community. It would later be taken over by Greek Cypriots and renamed. We managed to take some photos of the icons through the main entrance door key hole but that was about all.


















































By the time we reached Sts. Peter and Paul church on our back the street lights were already on. We somehow managed to briefly admire the 1359 church later converted into a Mosque in 1571 and renamed as Sinan Pasha Mosque.




















We stopped at the ruins of St. George of the Greeks Church said to have been erected in the 15th century in Gothic-Byzantine style. Just a shell was visible and though fragments of wall paintings were said to be visible on the east apse we couldn't see them properly due to the lack of necessary light.





















Before boarding the bus we stopped briefly at a well known town Café that sells local delicacies. Most of us didn't buy any because of being hesitantly inebriated by such a wide variety. As we drove back to Nicosia it was pitch dark. Despite the tiredness and hunger we felt it had been a very interesting day.
























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