On the trail of Aphrodite

Last day with the car so we had a choice, head west into the rain or head north into the Troodos mountains into the snow. We figured that west would be best and sliding around mountain roads in the snow probably wasn't such a great idea anyway.

We pootled along the motorway as far as Pathos and stopped in the harbour area for a coffee and a wander amongst the fishing boats and tourist boats who were busily getting them ready for the onslaught of visitors. We had been advised to visit Coral Bay which isn't far from Pathos so we headed further along the coast. We found Coral Bay and left, nothing too impressive.

Coral Bay

What was impressive and slightly bizarre was the ship that had run aground some 50 yards from the shore further up from Coral Bay. It looked as if it had been parked sideways on to the rocky shore and had been abandoned, nobody on board, just a rope ladder dangling from the deck into the sea. I wondered whether it was an insurance job? After some digging, the ship, the Edro III, had run aground(!) in December 2011 en route from Limassol to Rhodes. All the crew with the exception of the Captain and Chief Engineer had been taken off by helicopter and the reason they had stayed was if they had left the ship it would then become the responsibility of the Cypriot government.

After all the excitment of the Edro III, we headed for Polis a small town on the edge of the Akamas peninsula on the north side of the island. Our route took us past some large isolated villas some of which where the building had been completed. We found a very pleasant taverna overlooking the sea at Latchi, a small, and as yet, under developed village to the west of Polis. Being true Brits, we sat outside whith the locals looking on in disbelief. They were wrapped up with jumpers and coats and eating inside. During lunch we noticed someone who was even more insane than us. A elderly man entered the sea not 50 yards from us, in a pair of speedos and proceeded to swim up and down almost the entire length of the beach! We youngsters have a few things to learn, I reckon.

A short drive past one of the 5 star hotels on the island, where it will cost you £1100 per person per week for bed and breakfast, and we had found the Baths of Aphrodite. Now you may well know that Aphrodite was the Greek godess of love, pleasure and procreation. What you may not know is that, according to legend , she was born in Cyprus as a result of Uranus having his genitals cut off and thrown into the sea. The resulting foam gave rise to Aphrodite. The baths are where she used to bathe after assignations with her lover Adonis. A small pool set in a fragrant garden is now one of the big tourist attractions in Cyprus. We were impressed.

Aphrodite by her pool

Our evening was spent dining in the a la carte restaurant. The service was great, the presentation superb but the food was a little disappointing. My fillet steak needed a Black and Decker saw to get through it. Never mind, the wine was good. Our now usual coffee and liqueurs were taken with, yes you've guessed it, Philip and Barbara. Further revelations were made regarding the man who has a PhD in stating the bleeding obvious, apparently he's been a permanent resident for the last 7 years. I would have got bored with the food by now if I'd been here 7 days never mind 7 years.