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SEPTEMBER 2008
LIMASSOL WINE FESTIVAL
Traditional Cypriot wine making When: Aug - Sep 2008 (annual) Where: Municipal Gardens Opening Hours: Various Limassol, Cyprus' wine-growing capital, celebrates the country's rich viticulture with the annual grape harvest festival. Scores of the island's wineries and vineyards converge on the town's stately Municipal Gardens to share some of the fruits of their labours during a veritable feast
of
buffets and wine tastings which attracts 100,000 visitors. alongside Muscats, pine-flavoured Retsinas - and not to forget some of the island's renowned dessert wine, Commanderia - all against the backdrop of music and dancing at the Gardens' open-air theatre. Cyprus has been making wine for about 6000 years (from 4500-3900 BC), so Cypriots have had considerable practice with the harvest celebrations. One of the most commanding spectacles of this annual event is to witness the traditional pressing of the grapes that signals the beginning of the festivities. PALOUZE FAIR
When: Sep 2008 (annual) Where: Vouni Village
Palouze is a jellified non-alcoholic substance made from grape juice and flour and eaten as a blancmange. Vouni village makes a great deal out of it each September during this fair, which includes a visit to the nearby Donkey Sanctuary to coo at the much-loved beasts of burden. Fasouri Watermania, Cyprus
When: May - Oct 2008 (annual) Where: Fasouri Watermania Waterpark Cost: CYŁ15; under 12s CYŁ8; under 3s free Opening Hours: May-Sep 10am-6pm; Oct 10am-5pm Fasouri Watermania is the biggest waterpark in Cyprus, with 30 slides, beach volleyball courts, a football pitch, two restaurants and three snack bars. Visitors can brave the Kamikazi Slide, splash out in Europe's largest Wave Pool, get blown out of the Black Cannons or just relax on the Lazy River. Roman mosaic, Paphos, Cyprus When: Daily Where: Paphos Archaeological Park Cost: CYŁ2 Opening Hours: 8am-5pm (until 7.30pm Jun-Aug)
the homes of the imperial Roman commanders who governed Cyprus 2000 years ago and tell the stories of key mythological episodes, including Dionysus' gift of wine to man. The Roman mosaics were stumbled upon by a ploughing farmer back in 1961. Following extensive excavations by Polish and Cypriot archaeologists, three separate Roman villas have now been unearthed and are open to the public. Mosaics in the House of Dionysus show the God of wine, Dionysus, giving the secret of viticulture to Ikarios, the King of Athens. This is one of the earliest depictions of drunks ever found and the two peasants lie prostrate beside an empty amphora of wine in the final panel. The second villa to see is the House of Aion, where a mosaic of the birth of Dionysus from the 5th century reveals how closely the early Christian artists drew on classical scenes to inspire their work. The final villa excavated, the House of Theseus, must have been an enormous complex and well demonstrates the wealth and splendour of the Roman
occupation of the Cypriot capital. Don't miss the particularly fine rendering of
Theseus' fight with the Minotaur in the Labyrinth. and often overlooked, historical gems.
Mosaic floor, Kourion, Cyprus
When: Daily Where: Kourion Archaeological Site Cost: CYŁ1 Opening Hours: Nov-Mar 8am-5pm; Apr-May & Sep-Oct until 6pm; Jun-Aug until 7:30pm An important ancient city-kingdom, Kourion is one of the most spectacular archaeological sites on the island of Cyprus. It features
a
fully restored Graeco-Roman Theatre, originally built in the 2nd century BC, now
used for musical and theatrical performances. The site is comprised of 5th century relics such as the House of Eustolios, originally a private Roman villa featuring baths and numerous rooms, and the Early Christian basilica, believed to have been the Cathedral of Kourion. The House of Achilles and the House of the Gladiators boast intricate mosaic floors, the Nymphaeum is a Roman structure dedicated to water nymphs and the ancient theatre has been restored to its former glory. Amathous, Cyprus
When: Daily Where: Amathous Archaeological Site Cost: CYŁ1 Opening Hours: 9am-5pm/6pm/7.30pm, depending on season According to mythology, the ancient city-kingdom of Amathous is where Theseus left the pregnant Ariadne to be taken care
of
after his battle with the Minotaur. An important cult of Aphrodite-Astarte
flourished here.
of the Acropolis and Agora areas, as well as parts of the upper and lower city. The remains including five early Christian Basilicas that date back to the Archaic, Roman and Christian periods. Paphos Aquarium
Paphos harbour at dusk, Cyprus When: Daily Where: Paphos Aquarium Opening Hours: 9am-6pm/7pm/8pm, depending on season For a great family day out, head down to Paphos Aquarium, where both Mediterranean and tropical species (including
crocodiles) can be seen in the 72 environmentally-friendly tanks. elements of their own particular ecosystems. Specially-designed lighting enables visitors to study the intriguing markings and beautiful colours of the different fish, and to watch them in their watery habitat.There is even a restaurant on the premises, overlooking the town's stunning port and Paphos castle. Limassol zoo garden
When: Daily Where: Zoo Garden Cost: Donations accepted Opening Hours: 9am-4pm (until 7pm in summer) Limassol Zoo Garden is home to a diverse collection of around 300 animals and birds, a natural history museum, an educational centre and a special children's area. Residents here include lions and tigers and bears, panthers and zebras and monkeys, ostriches, peacocks, vultures, emu, falcons and macaws. Sheep, goats, donkeys, hens and
rabbits can be found in the kids' area. Most of the larger animals are from
circuses, other zoos or have been donated. and nature films. Tombs of the Kings, Paphos, Cyprus
When: Daily Where: Tombs of the Kings Cost: CYŁ1 Opening Hours: 8am-5pm/6pm/7.30pm, depending on season On UNESCO's World Heritage list, the Tombs of the Kings date back to 300BC, when the Ancient Greeks ruled Cyprus with Paphos as their capital. High officials rather than kings were buried here, but the magnificence of the tombs gave the locality its name. The site is divided up into eight different tomb complexes. Some of them are just holes called loculi, but others are far more elaborate, involving flights of steps down to the roomed tombs. Numbers three, four and eight have Doric columns forming a peristyle around a central courtyard. Peeling off, like rooms in a house, are adult-sized and child-sized spaces. No bones, urns or other funerary deposits remain, all long since looted by antique hunters. As you walk around, keep an eye out for the Cypriot plant life which blooms in winter and spring. Unploughed, the ground harbours many flowers, including cascades of cyclamen during January, February and March. Secret Valley Golf Course, Pafos, Cyprus
When: Daily Where: Secret Valley Golf Club Cost: Entry fee varies for competitions Opening Hours: 7.30am-5pm (until 6pm in summer) Close to the legendary birthplace of the goddess Aphrodite, Petra tou Romiou, the Secret Valley Golf Club's scenic valley location offers panoramic views to golfers from the 72-par, 6120-metre course. The course is near to the village of Kouklia in Paphos and is home to the Cyprus Amateur Ladies' Open and the Cyprus Amateur Men's Open. Please visit the Cyprus Golf website for details on how to enter the club's tournaments. The clubhouse features a bar and restaurant, locker rooms and shop. Agios Neofytos Monastery, Paphos, Cyprus
When: Daily Where: Agios Neofytos Monastery Cost: CYŁ0.50 Opening Hours: Apr-Oct: 9am-1pm & 2pm-6pm Nov-Mar: 9am-1pm & 2pm-4pm Founded at the end of the 12th century by the Cypriot hermit and writer Neofytos, the Agios Neofytos Monastery is a stunning hermitage that is enjoyed by tourists today. In the monastery's church, an ecclesiastical museum houses icons, manuscripts, holy utensils, old books, ecclesiastical garments, various religious objects, jewellery, a collection of ancient Cypriot pottery and old maps. The Egkleistra, an enclosure carved out of the mountain, contains some of the finest Byzantine frescoes dating from the 12th to 15th centuries. There are also well-tended gardens and a shop where you can buy fresh Melissovouno honey. Every January the monastery hosts a two-day religious fair with Cypriot crafts, food and appropriately monastic goods for sale, while live music keeps shoppers entertained.
Limassol Castle, Cyprus
When: Daily Where: Limassol Castle Cost: CYŁ2 Opening Hours: Mon-Sat 9am-5pm; Sun 10am-1pm Built in the 14th century on the site of an earlier Byzantine castle, the medieval castle at Limassol also houses the Cyprus Mediaeval Museum. It was here that, according to tradition, Richard the Lionheart married Berengaria of Navarre and crowned her Queen of England in 1191. Armour, cannons and other relics related to the Crusades are on display at the museum. Exhibits trace the economic, social and cultural development of Cyprus and the customs and traditions of the island from the 3rd to the 18th centuries AD. The four main periods covered are the Early Christian Era, Middle Byzantine Era, the Middle Ages and the Ottoman Period. The oldest report on the existence of the Limassol Castle dates back to 1228. The castle as it appears today is a structure that was rebuilt under the Turkish domination in the 19th century. Visitors can climb a wooden staircase to the rooftop for a panoramic view.
Chrysopolitissa Church, St Paul's Pillar, Pafos, Cyprus
When: Daily Where: Ayia Kyriaki Cost: Free
Cyprus was the first country to adopt Christianity thanks to the efforts of St Paul and St Barnabus in 45AD, who converted the Roman consul to the new faith. For this reason, it boasts the ruins of one of the oldest Christian churches (basilicas) in the world - Ayia Kyriaki, or Chrysopolitissa as it is also known. There are two churches on this site, just off the pedestrianised street of Stassandhrou. One was built by the Byzantines in the late 11th century and is still standing. Given over during the 1990s by the Orthodox bishop to the ex-pat community, it is an extraordinary piece of England in the middle of Cyprus, feeling just like a parish church. The other church survives only as foundations of a much earlier edifice, thought to have been constructed in the 4th century. It had seven aisles and an archbishop's palace, which were both destroyed by Arabic raiders some time after its construction. The foundations enclose some 4th-century mosaics of geometric patterns and some much later columns, one of which is thought to be that on which St Paul was flogged. The presence of the Arabs is evident from the domed Ottoman baths (no longer used) just to the north of the foundations, as well as a tiny mosque converted from another Byzantine church which was in use until 1975. In spring, thousands visit the Church of Ayia Kyriaki to see the beautiful displays of flowers depicting passages from the Bible. Limassol Archaeological Museum When: Daily; not Sun Where: Limassol Archaeological Museum Cost CYŁ1 Opening Hours: Mon-Fri 9am-5pm; Sat 10am-1pm Visitors to Limassol's archaeological museum can follow the development of civilisation on the island from the ninth millennium to the late Roman period. Among the many artefacts on display are pieces from the preneolithic site of Akrotiri, or Aetokremnos, where evidence of the earliest human activity on the island has been found. Bronze Age Mycenean vases and contemporary artefacts from the necropolis of a monumental building at Alassa are also exhibited, along with Phoenician and Aegean pottery, jewellery, tools, coins, clay idols, stone statuettes and a huge sculpture of the Egyptian fertility God Bes. Ethnographical Museum
Where: Ethnographical Museum Cost: CYŁ1.50 Opening Hours: Mon-Sat 9.30am-5pm; Sun 10am-2pm The Ethnographical Museum is a private collection dedicated to life in Cyprus since Neolithic times. The comprehensive rural life section on the ground floor features antiques, basketry, trays, sieves and irons. One of the rooms is decked out as a bedchamber, with traditional Lefkara lace and clothing, while another features a collection of 19th-century pottery. In the sunken garden there is a wood-fired oven, used to bake bread for the village before the advent of electrical appliances, which stands next to a genuine 3rd-century tomb. Upstairs there are cases of jewellery, fossils, coins and pottery. Cyprus Donkey Sanctuary Where: Cyprus Donkey Sanctuary Cost: CYŁ12; under 12s free Opening Hours: 10am-4pm
A visit to the Cyprus Donkey Sanctuary makes for a relaxing day out in the Troodos hills. There are a dozen enclosures featuring stables, stores and exercise yards, with 130 donkeys available to ride. Most of the management, all retail and many of the animal welfare programmes at the Sanctuary are undertaken on an unpaid volunteer basis by Friends of the Cyprus Donkey.
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When: Daily