Ayia Napa for the weekend!

So have you ever had a moment where you stop and question if a particular moment in life is actually real? This weekend I stood on top of a ridge overlooking miles of sandy beaches, listening to the waves smash into the rocky cliff sides below me and swam in the most beautiful teal colored water I’ve ever seen in my life. My weekend in Ayia Napa was truly unreal.



We left Friday early morning and we stopped by some holy sites. First we stopped at a famous mosque which was very interesting to me. It was my first time inside one and this one in particular was extremely famous. Next we went to a church where the tomb of St. Lazarus was located.

After these stops we went to a lookout point with a view of Famagouste. This part really had an impact on me. Famagouste used to be one of Cyprus’s most thriving cities with new hotels and the most beautiful beaches on the entire island. However, during the Turkish invasion in 1974 they invaded Famagouste and to this day the Turkish won’t give back the city to the Greek Cypriots. The city is completely empty, dinner plates still on the tables, drawers opened, later homes looted; but after the invasion it’s been a ghost town. No one is allowed to enter the city; it’s completely blocked off to everyone. So you meet people, such as the kind lady who lectured us, that stands at the buffer zone and looks into her empty, ransacked home but she’s isn’t allowed to go into her old home and every day she sees the devastated and empty city that she once called home.

I met a lot of people in Ayia Napa that were in the same situation. Ayia Napa was a small village south of Famagouste that housed farms and agriculture with a few locals living happily together. After the invasion all the cities in the south were affected and all the refugees from the north had to completely start over. So, for example, my waiter/owner of the restaurant we went to Friday night had lived in Ayia Napa all his life. He knew the location before the invasion and before the transformation of the city. Today Ayia Napa is known as a prime destination spot with beautiful white sand beaches, stunning weather, sports and activities, and of course the best night life around. People come from all over the world to vacation there, yet back in 1973 no one even knew of Ayia Napa. Cyprus is such a young country, yet throughout history it’s always been of value to Europe, the Middle East, & Africa for its strategic location on the Mediterranean.




By afternoon time we arrived in paradise. Our hotel was gorgeous and of course somehow I lucked out getting a corner room with a view of the beach and the pool resort area and the sunset every night from our balcony. We hit the beach right away. The water was perfect and it was awesome to be swimming around with a huge group of friends.






My favorite adventure though was to Cape Greko. Our taxi driver dropped us off at the base of the cliff and we climbed up to the top. The wind was so strong it almost blew me over and it definitely blew my skirt all the way up. We were all cracking up. Mom and Boyd it reminded me of the badlands or wherever we were! Basically from top of the cliffs you could turn right and left and see beaches, completely surrounded by water. Then straight down were a bunch of cliffs and the water was banging into the cliffs. It was truly breathtaking.






We made our way down the cliffs to a location that was behind part of a small peninsula where the waves were breaking (not to mention accidentally going through an old Greek Army training center). We finally got to this cove and it’s honestly one of my favorite places so far. We walked along the rocks out to a spot of jump into the water. The water is so incredible salty you could just lay there and float forever. Of course the water was teal, clear and so warm. We had about 14 friends there and it was such a great afternoon.



We headed back for a huge meal and more beach time, this time at our sandy beaches next to the hotel. Of course it was followed by the pool and the hot tub. Both nights we went out in big groups and enjoyed the night life. Everywhere we went was so much fun and I really really enjoyed myself. It was a great weekend with a great group of friends.

Hope you enjoyed the updates :)