Nicosia
About Nicosia
8:45am and we are on our way to Nicosia.
Nicosia is located in the centre of the island. It is the world’s only divided capital; the south side is the Republic of Cyprus and the north side is the Turkish occupied area called the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. The Republic of Cyprus is internationally recognized and a part of the EU but the northern part is only recognized by Turkey.
The countryside between Paphos and Nicosia is dry and hilly/rocky with trees and bushes interspersed throughout.
Language isn’t a problem since most people speak English in Cyprus. Most signs are also in Greek and English. Cyprus gained it’s independence from Britain in the late 50s which explains why they drive on the left side of the road and why there are so many British tourists. I also notice a fair number of Russian tourists who take copious numbers of selfies.
Nicosia is larger than Paphos with taller buildings, larger businesses (even an Ikea) and busier traffic. What one would expect in a capital city.
Crossing the Border
It takes just over two hours from Paphos to Nicosia. Nicosia was a walled city. There is still a moat but most of it has been incorporated into the city and the actual walls no longer exist. We park outside the walls and make our way across the moat into the old town and then to the green line which separates the south and north parts of the city. A rather haphazard wall of abandoned buildings and fencing marks the border. People are allowed to cross back and forth but must go through border control. First you present your passport to the border police, then walk through a neutral zone and once again show your passports to the Turkish Cypriot border police.
Around the North Side
After wandering a bit, we stop at the tourist office. The lady shows me where I can buy Turkish Delight and explains that most of the important sites and landmarks are along a blue line which is painted on the pavement.
Unfortunately the blue line is poorly maintained. It’s almost totally faded out in places. Generally, the north side of Nicosia is a bit more run down than the south side however, there are still a lot of very attractive spots.
A group of soldiers are doing a military exercise with two artillery guns in a park. A few minutes later we hear several booms as the guns are fired causing much excitement amongst the pigeon community.
There are many beautiful, aged doors to be seen on both old commercial and residential buildings.
I love the street art here. Some very creative pictures.
It’s Sunday so many stores and businesses are closed. There are busy areas with lots of people mulling around but there are also other areas that seem totally deserted except for the ever present street cats which are seen all over Cyprus.
We stop for lunch at an outdoor cafe. It is easy to find vegetarian and pescatarian food around Cyprus. Alcoholic beverages are inexpensive; 
1.5€ (euros) a beer in the restaurants.
Prices are generally cheaper on the Turkish side than the Greek side.
I ask our waiter where I can buy Turkish Delight for my friend Zoe. He points to the store beside the restaurant but says it’s closed on Sundays. He sends us to another place, but I’m informed that their new machine for making them doesn’t arrive for a few more months. We are sent from place to place with no luck.
Buyuk Han
Quite accidentally, we find Buyuk Han built in the 1500s as an inn but is now an arts and crafts market and also has cute little cafes in its courtyard. It is totally charming with its stone walls and flowering plants. Of course I do some shopping.
The official currency for the North side is the Turkish Lira but most places near the border take euros.
A restaurant owner offers me a sample of her home made Turkish Delight. It is good but much softer than the normal sweet and is too delicate for me to pack.Back on the South Side
Giving up on ever finding the elusive sweet we cross the border back into the Republic of Cyprus. We check out numerous portions of the wall. Some are quite insubstantial.Calls to prayer hover in the air from nearby mosques.
With tired feet, we head back to our car for the return trip to Paphos.