Finding the Familiar

There’s a really cool bookshop here in Larnaca. It is filled from floor to ceiling with all kinds of genres, even in English. There’s so much in there I couldn’t stay long the first time I visited because my brain was overloading. I promised to return. 

When I did, I took a more leisurely look around. I was stunned to find this just lying out.

 I read this book back in the 80’s as a teenager and have never forgotten it. It is, to date, the most messed up book I have ever read in my life. To sum up, it’s about a couple of circus performers who decide to create their own freak show. The woman takes a bunch of psychedelics and gives birth to conjoined twins, a little person, an aquatic bird boy, and a kid with telekinesis. 

Then it gets weird. 

Almost as weird as finding this book, in English, while in Cyprus. When I saw it, I just pointed at it and said “YOU!” like the book personally owed me money. It’s only lived rent-free in my head for 40 years – no amount of money is getting it out of there at this point. I just marveled at the fact that something someone wrote decades ago may have never been a bestseller (to my knowledge) yet it is still in print after all this time and available to traumatize new people on the other side of the planet. 

Personal writing goals (not the traumatizing part). 

Anywho, my week in frozen central was up and, since the place was booked, it was time to move on. No host to take me to the next joint (I was starting to get spoiled) so that left me to lug all my crap to the nearest bus station … 

And then go looking for a cab because the bus was taking too long. I wasn’t thrilled at the thought of hiring one, but I was hungry and getting impatient. As with every encounter I’ve had with a Cypriot cabbie, we spent several minutes just trying to figure out where the new place was. Seriously, dude, all I have is the address. You should know this area better than I do. 

By syncing up our GPSs, we finally got to the new place. I already liked the location a lot more compared to the last place as it was closer to the beach and the supermarkets. It took me a while, though, to figure out how to enter the building. The host’s directions had me going through the carwash alley of the local bike rental place, getting wet while approaching the back of the building. Luckily for me the rest of the directions were easy to follow and I had no problem getting to the apartment despite being a bit early for check-in. 

It’s a decent place. A corner shower, huge bedroom, and an oven. I’m not a fan of the road noise at night as the bedroom faces a busy street. Then there are the pigeons. Those flying rats are everywhere; they perch in every crevice of the building as evidenced by the piles of crap all around it. They make me nervous every time I approach the building in case they want to let the crap fly.  They forced me to dry my laundry indoors and not on the shared balcony because they would startle me every time I went out there.  Their loud cooing has woken me up on more than one morning along with the noise of the buses racing by. 

Despite the issues, it’s cozy enough. I booked it for the remainder of my stay in Cyprus. I’m very grateful not to have to find another place in a week. Since my first three weeks in Demetris’ place, I’ve had week-long stays in 4 different places and I am wiped out. 

I’ll end this entry with another book I found in the store by one of the best-selling authors in the world. I know this because I’ve seen her books in every country I’ve visited. I’ll let you figure out which one it is.

New Digs in Larnaca

 

I was not upset about leaving that place.

View of the ocean aside, there was no way I was extending my stay with that tiny bathroom.  I didn’t bother to tell the host this when he found out I was staying on the island.  He contacted me before my last day to ask if he could arrange transport to the airport.  When I told him that I was going to another apartment, that’s when he asked about extending.  Dude, if you don’t know why, there’s nothing I can tell you.

He was gracious enough to offer to take me to my next place (gotta love Cypriot hosts!). After figuring out that the directions his wife had given him would have taken us to the other side of the city from the directions I had, we managed to get to the new place with no trouble.

Then the real fun started.  It took me a minute to find the new place based on the directions.  I’d been dropped off just a few feet away, but there were enough buildings there to completely confuse me.  Finally got to the place and followed the host’s instructions to get the key out of the unlocked mailbox.  Except there was no key, only a lockbox of which I didn’t have the combination.  I contacted the host by WhatsApp as she requested.

And waited.  And waited.  And waited.

After walking around aimlessly when I got tired of standing with my stuff, I contacted the host again through Airbnb.  Finally, I got a response (why did you give me the other number if you weren’t going to respond?).  The host was already inside, so she came out and helped me upstairs.

The place is decent.  A real kitchen as opposed to a shelf in the living room (with a gaping hole where the oven should have been), A nice bedroom, a view of the salt lake, and the real reason I booked the place – an actual bathroom!  With a tub and everything!  I was so thrilled, I did a little dance.  So much room!

It was a comfortable stay except for a few issues.  The apartment is in one of those buildings that just retains the cold.  There were two heating units in the apartment (unlike the last place) but it just didn’t matter in the living room.  Even with the thing on a pretty warm setting, the place was always freezing.  When I wasn’t typing, I had to keep my gloves on along with both hoodies.  It was nuts.

There used to be a view of the ocean out of that kitchen window but now there's only a view of construction.  The new building meant constant noise and the workers gathered around the front of the building.  The host told me that they're building thousands of new units all over the city.  I can believe that based on what I've seen.  I still find it a bit odd though since the city is also covered with abandoned buildings and empty store fronts.  Why not just raze those buildings or at least try to renovate them? 

There was one other issue with the building's location.  While yes, the proximity to the salt lake made for a pretty from the living room, the apartment was way too far from the grocery store.  I don’t know if I’ve mentioned it before, but there are only three major grocery stores in the city.  Lidl is the furthest from Finikoudes Beach, so I don’t hit that one too often.  The one I usually visit is called Metro, a good-sized store with a great selection.  The third store is the closest to the beach, but not my favorite as it is way too cramped and hard to maneuver.

The rest of the city is just a series of convenience stores with limited options.  Getting to Metro from this apartment took 45 minutes of walking through windy unfamiliar streets.  The first time I ventured out there was on a Thursday.  Which just happened to be Jan 1, 2026 and – you guessed it – the store was closed.  Sigh.

I wasn’t even thinking about the holiday.  Hell, most of the time I forget what day it is.  Almost three years of travel and having no set schedule will do that to a person. 

I was able to get a few items from the one convenience store that was open.  I have a favorite one near Finikoudes that I’ve frequented enough that the ladies behind the counter have started to recognize me.  One of them is even named Daphne.  Fancy that.

I also met Thanos on a later trip out for breakfast.  That was unexpected.  When I saw the waiter’s nametag, I had to ask him about it.  He told me that he had the name before Marvel came out, that it common in Cyprus.  I did not know that and was baffled at the thought of someone looking at their newborn son and naming him after the personification of death.  Turns out though that the name also means immortality.  So ... there’s that. 

Yes, I am the goober who will always take pictures of rainbows.  And a double rainbow?  Fuggitaboutit!

Year End in Cyprus

 

I was neutral about leaving the last apartment.  Other than being a bit noisy and having no hot water in the kitchen, it was a decent place.  So decent that I couldn’t extend my stay even if I wanted to because it was booked.

The new place was a bit of a walk so I figured I’d find a cab at some point. Fortunately, the host, Chris, said he would pick me up.  Seriously?  Cool.

I got out front right as he was pulling up.  I knew from the brief call we'd had the night before that he had a strange accent that I couldn’t place.  It wasn’t Greek, British or German but had elements of all of those.  As we were navigating through the numerous streets that were closed due to construction, I asked him where he was from.  He said he was Cypriot but that he’d hung around a lot of South Africans.  Oh.  That explains it. 

I was doubly glad that he picked me up when we reached the new place.  It was way too far to walk to even get to Finikoudes with all my junk.  While he was busy explaining everything about the apartment, I didn’t get any photos of the place.  I was a little too busy missing the last place.

The flooring was a bit worn and I didn’t like it.  The washing machine in the bathroom was not connected to anything.  By that I mean that I had to plug the machine in (remembering to turn on the power to that plug) while putting the outtake hose in the toilet.

Are you kidding me?  I'm really not used to my apartments being this DIY.

The host also stressed turning off the power to an outlet that wasn’t being used.  He then went on this whole diatribe of how expensive the electricity was on the island and he would have to charge me separately if I used over a certain amount.

I’ve encountered this a few times and it always strikes me as stingy.  Babe, you could always just pad the price a little if you’re so concerned about your guests making use of the amenities in your apartment.

I started unpacking my food as he continued to talk.  He would send me a list of restaurants, he pointed out where to throw out the trash, he reminded me of the backroads route to get to Finikoudes, and again he talked about the electricity.  I got it, dude, could you just leave?  He was very nice, don’t get me wrong.  It was just a bit much.

It was only after he left that I realized that I couldn’t connect to the Wi-Fi.  I already knew that my eSim was not working for some reason, but I fully expected to be able to get the login from the label on the Wi-Fi box.  Nope.  It was the rare box that didn’t have it on there.  Great.

I ended up (and I know this sounds stupid) walking back to Demetris’ place to hook up to his Wi-Fi. I do love it that my computer and phone automatically reconnect to a system I’ve used before even if I’ve been away from the place for months.  Very handy.   I took a screenshot of the info Chris sent me and headed back to the apartment.

I eventually got a physical sim, but it too decided not to work.  Sigh.  I spent more money to get a new eSim installed and could finally get my phone connected again.

That was the most drama I had in that place.  I washed my clothes a couple of times, after hooking everything up, and had no problems despite the hassle.  Still made me miss Demetris’ place though.

I did get a job during that week.  It’s a part-time proofreading gig that doesn’t pay much but I will be glad to have some money coming in. 

After a week, it was time to move again, as this place was also booked up.  Seriously, what’s up with that?  I don’t recall this place being so busy last summer when I first visited.  Why are so many people visiting the island during the off season?

I ran into the host as I was taking out the trash as he arrived to collect the key.  When I brought my stuff downstairs and went to give him the key, he asked where I was headed next.  I told him that my new apartment was about a 40-minute walk away.  I again planned to catch a taxi after a 15-minute walk to Finikoudes Beach so I could ride from there.  He waved me off and told me he’d take me.

Dude.  That is above and beyond and something I have NEVER encountered.  A host willing to take me to and from their place?  What?

The apartment may have only been okay, but the host?  Top tier.

While I guided us with my phone, we headed towards Mackenzie Beach and the new place.  Just as we were pulling up, a cleaning lady was coming out.  I thanked Chris again and he handed me over.

Yeah.  Once AGAIN the new place just made me miss the old place.

The flooring is nicer than the last place and I knew that there would be twin beds instead of a single queen.  It’s way too far from the three major grocery stores, but I could deal with that.  The big issue is the bathroom.

The walk-in closet in my former house is bigger than this bathroom.  This place was designed for a Sim!  I am not a Sim.  I am a plus-size woman with long legs who goes to the bathroom.  A lot.  And every time I have to shimmy my way to the toilet, I cuss up a blue streak.

The door barely clears the sink!  How in good conscientious does a builder see this and think “yeah, that’s enough space.  It’s not like people spend much time in this room.”?

Congratulations, random apartment in Cyprus.  You win the award for the WORST BATHROOM I HAVE EVER ENCOUNTERED!  Even the one in Demetris’ place was better and that bathroom was the worst part of that apartment.

To give it some credit, the one benefit the apartment has over any other place I’ve stayed in Cyprus (including Demetris’ place) is this.

Does the view make up for that bathroom?  Hell no.

It doesn’t make up for the tiny stove that I not only have to light, but I have to go onto the balcony to activate the jug of compressed gas before I do. That stove also has numbers instead of degree markings so I had to worry about burning anything I put in it.

It doesn’t make up for the fact that the only heating unit is in the bedroom.  The apartment is one of those places that retains the cold because of course it is (that includes the freezing cold toilet seat).

The view also doesn’t make up for the single bed that is barely comfortable.  I got some sleep but felt far too many springs in the mattress.

It is a decent view, though.  The sun rises in the window in the morning and I can’t stress how much seeing the sun and the water lifts my spirits.

  

Still in Larnaca

 

I really do love Demetris’ place.  It is one of the few apartments on my entire journey that feels like home.

I was lying on the couch one night during my nearly 3-week stay, watching Barbie for the umpteenth time, and I just looked around at the place.  Is it the large, worn rug on the floor?  The lighting?  The comfy gray couch?  The nice bed?  Something about the combination of it all just makes me feel less like a wandering vagrant.  It makes me feel like I belong here.

The circumstances of this stay weren’t exactly ideal.  I’ve mentioned the construction going on just outside of the building.  Not only did it mean that every time I left the apartment became a new challenge, but the noise was near constant from sunup to sundown.  Still didn’t dim the apartment’s shine.

There is a baby in the apartment next to mine who is constantly screaming.  Not crying – screaming.  High pitched and incredibly annoying.  No dim (not exactly adding to the experience, though).

The hot water started acting funky during the last few days in the place.  I had to put off showering and boil water to sanitize the plates after washing.  Still no dim.

The apartment is not the cheapest place in the area – it’s actually one of the more expensive ones.  I haven’t checked, but I think the price went up since my last visit.  Even though it’s the off season, the place still has great ratings on Airbnb.  With good reason as it is a great place.

Just a note:  I had been dealing with inflammation the entire three months I was in Portugal.  It started with the bee sting on my right foot.  Then my left foot started to swell.  Then I was having problems getting my pants on despite not making any major changes to my diet.  I couldn’t figure it out.

After a week back in Cyprus, most of the swelling was gone.  I have no idea if it’s the climate, or the fact that I’m no longer in those uncomfortable chairs in my place in Portimão, or if it was just the natural time for the swelling to go away.  Whatever the cause, I’m just glad that my shoes and pants fit again.

The power of a great apartment?  Who’s to say?

But, in seemingly record time, my departure day arrived again.  I overlapped the stay with the new place by a day to try to get around the construction.  I figured it would be easier to get all my crap around in two trips without having to wait around between the 11 am checkout and the 4 pm check-in for the new place.

Ha!  The construction workers had a better idea.  Just when I had packed, cleaned the place, and was ready to dump my trash, I went downstairs to find that the street had been cordoned off.  The workers had just laid down concrete.  I was going nowhere that day.

Great.  And I’d already eaten most of my food in preparation for the move.  I ended up with a dinner of salmon, pita, and a pack of noodles that was already in the apartment.  Thanks, Demetris.

The next morning had me antsy.  I didn’t have an option this time – I had to leave the place that day as it was booked for the next week.  Though that wouldn’t matter so much.  If I couldn’t get out, the new people couldn’t get in.

Fortunately, the concrete was set by the time I got downstairs.  Unfortunately, it had been raining on and off all morning.  

Oh, yeah.  This will be fun.

While the area directly in front of the building was now nice and smooth, just a few feet away was still covered in dirt, rocks, and construction equipment.  And puddles.  Lots of puddles.

I waited the rain out as long as I could then reluctantly said goodbye to the apartment and got my stuff downstairs.  Past the newly laid concrete, there were metal struts providing a walkway over a puddle and onto the dirt.  As I stood there trying to figure out a way forward, a nearby construction worker saw me struggling with my bags and stepped in to help.  He got me to the road (thanks, dude!) but it was still up to me navigate the puddles and head in the right direction.

And yes, it had started to rain again.

I managed to cross the street, repeatedly whipping my phone out for directions.  I wandered for a good ten minutes and still couldn’t find the place that was only supposed to be 5-minute walk away. Then my Wi-Fi went out.  Then a wheel broke on my small suitcase.

I don’t want to do this anymore.

Wet, tired, and dragging my lame suitcase, I started walking in a random direction and passed by a café.  The woman who worked there set my phone up with the café’s Wi-Fi (thanks, babe!) and I set off again.  Back in the same direction I’d just walked.

This sucks.

As I rested beside a traffic-heavy street, my third angel of the day appeared.  She had noticed me earlier and asked where I was going.  With my phone in hand and speaking Greek to a nearby shop owner, she determined that the bar I was looking for was just across the street.

My host had told me to meet a guy at the Alchemies Café and he would get me to the apartment.  The problems was that this was the second time I was approaching the place from behind where there’s no signage.

I had literally passed right by the place and didn’t even know it.  In the rain.  While tired and wet.  And hungry as I hadn’t eaten breakfast yet.

Sigh.

The angel passed me off to the bartender who got me to the new place located over the restaurant.  But first we had to detour to the 4^th floor.  Apparently, the elevator refuses to go to the third floor, so we had to exit on the 4^th and go downstairs.

Seriously, just kill me.

Finally, I made it to the place.  A spacious apartment with a huge balcony.

A bathroom with a tub and hot water (even if there was no hot water in the bathroom or kitchen sink). And another issue with noise as the restaurant is a rowdy one that is right next to another restaurant and a kid’s play area.

Well.  At least this area is construction free.  And the Alchemies serves a decent burger.

Winter Calls in Cyprus

 

Time’s up. 

Still haven’t figured out my finances and must flee Portugal again.  My bone-deep weariness deepens.

My current malaise only uncreased when I found out that Portugal has changed its immigration policies.  Under the new system, it now takes 10 years instead of 5 to attain residency.  All the people in the current process of citizenship are in limbo with the new system. 

The country was already known for its insanely slow bureaucratic process and now the new system is leaving everyone confused about how to proceed.  A YouTuber I follow (Dave in Portugal) who’s been in the country for 5-7 years said that if he were faced with trying to immigrate now, he’s not sure he would do it.  The new system has made the whole process too difficult.

Great.

The goal of moving to the country just seems to get further and further out of my reach.  With the ever-worsening news coming out of the U.S., I know there’s no way in hell I’d ever want to go back there to live.  I’d rather be nomadic forever (and I really don’t want to do that).

Weird things are also happening in my second choice of country, Türkiye.  It’s bad enough that the lira has devalued a lot in the last year, causing many immigrants to move out, but there was an incident recently that was really alarming.  A German family of tourists, two kids and their parents, all died due to some kind of chemical being sprayed in their hotel. Earlier this year there were also reports of tourists being drugged or dying from food or alcohol in the city.  With everything getting more expensive there, it’s thought that merchants are skimping on ingredients and putting people at risk.

Yikes.  I hate hearing all that about the country.  I can only hope things get better for the Turks. 

As for my number 3 immigration candidate, Cyprus, I decided to spend the winter there.  Just like last winter.  Boy, am I ready to be housed.

But I remain grateful.  I’m not completely broke (yet), I still have the freedom to move about as I chose, and, most importantly, I’m not in the states.  Things are much worse for a lot of folks there and they are always on my mind.

Anyway, enough with the gloom and doom.  I took the usual route of taking an Uber to Faro Airport.  From there it was a quick flight to Lisbon for a 4-hour layover until my next flight. That was the easy part. 

The part that concerned me was the flight from Lisbon on an unfamiliar carrier.  I still vividly remember getting robbed by Ryanair coming into Portugal and didn’t want the same thing to happen with Sky Express.

The guy checking me in asked me to also check the weight of my smaller bag.  He then gently warned me that the clearance was usually 8 kg and my bag was overweight at 14 kg (this was because I was trying to lessen the weight of the big bag which still ended up being heavy).  I started reaching for my purse when he shook his head and said he’d let it pass this time.

What?  You mean I’m not about to be robbed?  Seriously?  I thought for sure I’d end up shelling out another 50 euros just to be able to secure my seat.  I discovered later that the plane was barely half full so it was easier for him to overlook the weight limit.  I also think that it helped that my name is Daphne.

It’s one of the things I do enjoy about traveling to Greece or Cyprus.  If ever I tell anyone my name, they are sure to remember.  Oh.  Tall, black, American woman – that’s Daphne.

Cool.

I didn’t even get pinched by any of the security in Greece or Portugal.  Truly the Travel Gods have smiled on me and I am grateful.

The flight from Lisbon was an overnight to Athens Airport.  A short layover there and I was back in Larnaca.  I managed to book my favorite place on the island (and one of the best of my entire journey) for a little under three weeks.  The place wouldn’t be ready for another day so I booked a night at a nearby hotel.

I took the city bus to Finikoudes Beach (a note again to anyone visiting the island: avoid the cabs.  The bus is cheaper and worth the wait.) then dragged my crap up the familiar road to the apartment …

Only to find that the whole area leading up to the apartment is to’ up from the flo’ up.  And I mean that literally.  The sidewalks and the street are completely gone, replaced with rocky dirt and construction vehicles.

Boy was it fun to transfer from the rough Cyprian sidewalks to no sidewalk at all! I wasn’t even sure I could get into the hotel because the workers were right in front of the door.  I managed to maneuver myself across rickety boards to the entrance only to find the door locked.  Sigh.

I called the number on the door, but found the line was disconnected.  Seriously!?  I wouldn’t have been able to get in if one of the construction workers didn’t come out a few minutes later.  I entered the empty reception area and quickly realized that there was no elevator in the ancient building, just a really long set of stairs.  Some more fun!

After ringing the bell and getting no response after 5 minutes, I went upstairs to find someone.  The lady running the place followed me downstairs and checked me in.  While she was doing that, the Asian cleaning lady came in.  She remarked on the construction and told me that they’d been working on the street for the last 6 months.  It was only now that the tiles were being placed for the new road and it would be another few months before everything was finished.   

The hotel was decent enough with each room named for the 9 muses of Greek mythology.  There was a rooftop bar (closed for the season) and a breakfast area just outside of my room.  I had a good night’s sleep (pretty much a guarantee after the rough night of sleeping on the plane) and woke to a hodgepodge breakfast of sliced meats, olives, toast, crepes, coffee and juice. 

It's unusually warm in Cyprus this year, with the temps hitting the low 80’s F.  I enjoyed the sunshine, ate my olives, and reveled at being back on the Mediterranean. 

A Quiet Place -- Larnaca Edition

 

And finally, it was time to escape all that construction noise.  I had arranged to get to Demetris’ place early and, of course, he was able to oblige.

Once again, I benefited from having a place in walking distance to the next place.  Even with the rough, uneven sidewalks, I managed to lug all my crap to the new/old place and arrived 30 minutes early.  I was just about to message Demetris when the man himself appeared holding up a new Nespresso machine.

He helped me upstairs and set up the new machine while I unpacked.  After showing me a couple of new things about the place, he wished me well and reminded me to let him know if I needed anything.  Somehow, I doubt I’ll contact him. 

This is still one of the coziest, well-equipped places I’ve stayed in during my travels.  From having plenty of cookware in the kitchen (and now a nifty new coffee machine), a clothesline and pins, as well as plenty of water and other liquids in the fridge, the place is still run by a conscientious host who considers his guests’ needs.  And yes, there was a fresh toothbrush and toothpaste waiting for me in the bathroom.  Still love that.

I was happy to be back in the place though I was a little concerned about more construction noise considering the view from the kitchen window.

As well as the street behind the apartment that was completely torn up since my last visit to the city.

But I awoke every morning naturally and not to the sound of shouting and banging.  Ah bliss!

I’ll be spending the last of my 90-day visa in Cyprus in this apartment.  Where I go after that is still up in the air and for good reason.

A word about Santorini: thousands of earthquakes in one week, a volcano waking up, and most of the island evacuated.  I hope those folks are alright.  The island may be a big tourist spot, but people want to forget about all the Greeks that call the place home who are now at risk of losing everything.  I particularly hope that the folks I met at the hotel in Perissa got out safely.

Now there are concerns about Türkiye.  The waters receded off the coast of Istanbul because of all the underground activity around Santorini.  Geologists aren’t sure if it is just a natural reaction to the shifting of tectonic plates or if it might signal a coming tsunami.  It’s just a wait-and-see situation now. 

Sigh. 

Too many places I’ve visited and liked are not doing so well.  Maui still hasn’t recovered from the fires they had in Old Lahaina and then the nightmare repeated in L.A last month.  Now this?  I don’t want to get all biblical, but we already had the plague wipe out millions, wars are still waging around the world, the orange regime is wreaking havoc on the U.S., and the planet itself keeps expressing its disapproval.  Existential dread seems to be the theme for the rest of 2025.

The Road to Larnaca

 

Time to move again.  While the apartment was decent enough, I could not handle that noise any longer.  Since I couldn’t find anything I liked in Limassol, I figured it was time to make my way back to Larnaca.

No issues figuring out the bus system this time.  The nearest stop for the intercity bus was about a ¼ mile away.  But …

Why why why did I see the exact bus I needed pass by me while I was on the way to the bus stop?  Seriously!?  Oh well.  Time to sit and wait.

And wait I did.  I was glad that it was a proper, uncrowded stop with a bench and that, at the very least, it wasn’t raining. 

About a ½ hour later, a cab pulled up in front of me.  The guy looked at me with all my bags and asked “Larnaca?”  I said yes.  “Airport?” Finikoudes Beach, I replied.  “80 euros.”  Hit the bricks, I gestured.

I’d rather wait all day at that bus stop, on a gorgeous Cypriot morning, to spend 4 euros for a ride as opposed to 80.  That extra 76 euros is grocery money – that I would have to spend on food anyway.  No thanks.  I made the mistake of taking multiple overpriced taxis all over the island last year.  I have learned my lesson:  just take the bus.  The green intercity buses may make you wait awhile, but they are worth every penny. 

Instead of driving off, the cabbie just parked there for a while.  I thought he was trying to wear me down for a fare, but I think he just wanted a nap.  He got a good one too.  It was another ½ hour before the bus finally showed up.

An hour later, I was back in Larnaca.  My new home for the week was a short walking distance away, again over uneven sidewalks.  The host, an energetic Brit, met me at the apartment and showed me around.

And it happened again.  I don’t know how Cyprus keeps doing it, but every new place just makes me long for the old place.   The first place I had in Paphos was pretty nice, all things considered.  My biggest issue was the iffy hot water situation.  The second place was colder and had the same water issues along with being noisier.

My first place in Limassol was the dump with the broken toilet seat and the curtainless shower (there were also bugs in the electric kettle that I didn’t mention before).  The second place was decent enough for a studio, but the construction noise was insane.  And now this place … sigh.

Tiny, cold, with a mini-fridge and no microwave.  Not good.

I took my first and only cruise back in December 2019.  I think my cabin’s bathroom was bigger than the one in this apartment.  That’s just wrong.

And the host told me about the construction going on only after I booked (apparently, the listing mentioned it, but I must have missed it).  After the last place, I figured it couldn’t be that bad.  Right?

Just like the last place, the construction is directly behind the apartment.  The drilling and hammering and yelling also begins at 7 am.  And so does my headache.  I’ve booked the place for 9 days.  Brilliant.

I get it.  Winter is the best time to do repairs and upgrades before the busy tourist season.  But must the construction noise follow me from city to city? 

The only consolation I have is that I’ve already booked my next accommodation for my last three weeks in Cyprus.  It’s the same place I stayed in last year that I really liked.  Demetris’ place is also in walking distance of this apartment.  I walked by it multiple times and heard … nothing.  Really looking forward to that.

I’ve mentioned that Cyprus is #3 on the list of places I could live and I stand by that choice.  Having the weather be 65 degrees and sunny most days in the winter is a must.  But upon returning to Larnaca during this time, I don’t think I’d want to live in this city.  It just seems to be more run down than I remember.  Finikoudes Beach is still nice with all the restaurants that front it.  But there are way more dead spaces throughout the city now.  It gives it this hollowed out feeling that just isn’t working for me.

Limassol was a little too much for me, so I think I prefer Paphos.  The harbor alone is enough to recommend that place.

Limassol Part 2

 

After a week in Limassol, I still miss Paphos.

While Paphos was mostly quiet with a gorgeous harbor, Limassol has a more big-city feel.  The main road that connects all the coastal towns is the main drag here and it’s less appealing than in Paphos.  There’s construction everywhere, so the sound of machines is constant.

There is one corner near the apartment that is constantly covered in motorcycles.  It reminded me of Thailand and the motorcycle taxis, but these were just delivery guys.  Wolt is the big company here for food and grocery delivery.

There is no nice harbor area nearby with a bunch of seaside shops and restaurants.  There is the old harbor near where I got off the bus from Paphos, but that’s two miles away from the apartment.  I’ve been on the good foot this whole time, so I have not returned to the harbor.

Along the shore there are small narrow beach areas, a broken-up boardwalk (which is annoying as the walkway just disappears for several feet and you have to cross the beach to connect to the next section), and lots of hotels and houses.  A couple of the seaside places have For Sale signs out front, but I don’t even want to know how much they would cost.

I knew I didn’t want to stay in the last place for too long.  The bathroom was starting to really piss me off (no pun intended).  And no, the owners never did show up to replace the lid.  Not that I was expecting them to – like I said before, whoever cleaned the place knew about the issue and never got it resolved.  No matter.  I cut out a night early and arranged to move to another place in the city.

Pro:  the new place is in walking distance, so no need to flag down a cab and try to convince some guy to do his job.

Con: despite getting me nearby, the directions from Google were (once again) not quite accurate.  It got me to the right street, but pointed me to the wrong building.  I had to text the host who sent me a link to a map (that one was accurate).

Pro:  the apartment is as the pictures depicted.  The ‘front’ room is the office area with a decent desk chair, a rarity in the Airbnbs I’ve visited.  As for the rest …

Con:  the listing didn’t specify that the place is technically a studio (usually a pass for me).  Turns out it’s this small, dark, window-less (well, one narrow window in the front and a frosted glass window in the bathroom), oddly shaped … thing.  There’s a sliding glass door hidden by that curtain with the bedroom/dining room/kitchen (and the only heating unit) beyond it.

Pro: the place is clean and functional.  No loose lid on the toilet this time and the shower stall has a door along with excellent temperature control and water pressure.

The ultimate con:  while the apartment is not what I expected, it is decent enough.  Except, of course for the noise.  All that construction I mentioned happening around the city?  Well, some of it is located directly behind the apartment.  And it is beyond annoying.

Seriously, how do these places just keep finding new ways of getting worse?

Still, I figured I’d make the best of it.  It helped that I already knew the area.

On Saturday, 1/25/25 I decided to go out to this place called Barley’s for breakfast.  It’s a British pub I’d visited before for lunch while enjoying some American R&B music from the 90’s.  What brought me back was the rare American breakfast offered on the menu.  I sat there reading while marveling that every song that came on made me feel like the restaurant tapped into my personal computer.  When my pancakes and eggs arrived, Paper Planes by M.I.A was playing.  That is only my favorite song of all time. 

American breakfast in a British pub on a sunny Saturday in Cyprus.  The whole experience put a smile on my face for the rest of the day.

The next day, Sunday, I woke up to the sound of electric saws.  At 7 a.m.  Are you f*&king kidding me?  Then, an hour later, the internet went out.  I switched to a different modem, which worked for a couple of hours ... then the power went out.  It stayed out for several hours.

So, no.  I won’t be extending my stay in this place.

On to Limassol

 

After 5 weeks in Paphos, I figured it was time to explore more of the island.  While I was reasonably comfortable in the apartment, the longer I was there, the more issues I encountered which led me to not extending my stay again.

The floors were constantly covered in this sooty residue and I know I wasn't tracking anything in.  I've mentioned before that the building was old and retained the cold.  I also think that the vents were spitting out this dust.  The constant hacking I heard from the neighbors would seem to confirm that theory (so much noise through the thin walls!).

I came back one day to find that the power had gone out.  No big deal, it's happened before in other Airbnbs.  This time, though, it was just mine and one other building in the immediate area and the power was off for hours.  I didn't want to leave to get dinner and have to fumble my way back in the dark, so I ended up having another no dinner night in the place.  Also, I couldn't take a shower because of the dark, so it was a fun night all around.  Power was mercifully back on by morning. 

So, once the three weeks were up, I thought it time to move on.  At least this time, I knew the bus system and should easily be able to move between the cities.  Right?

Why then was my first experience using the intercity buses so much easier than my second?  Despite knowing what I was doing this time, the travel day ended up being a complete mess.

First off, Google.  The Maps function usually doesn’t steer me wrong, but in this case, it told me to catch the bus in a municipal parking lot.  Okay.  That doesn’t sound right.  I entered ‘bus station’ repeatedly into my phone and it kept telling me to go stand in the middle of a parking lot where there was no signage, no bench, no nothing.  Seriously?

There was an elevator shaft nearby since the parking lot was at the base of a hill.  I took it up, expecting to finally see an actual station.  Nope.  Just a sitting area flanked by taxis.  I asked a cabby where I could catch the bus.  He made some vague gesture that the station was located elsewhere, but notably, did not offer his services.

That’s something I’ve noticed in Cyprus.  Not only are the cabs outrageously expensive, but the cabbies act like they don’t want to get a fare.  When I first left the apartment, I found a taxi stand a short distance away.  I told the lady I needed a ride to the bus station.  She told me it would be 10 euros, but that it was only a 15-minute walk.  Okay.  I guess I can walk it … with all my crap … over uneven Cypriot sidewalks … in the blazing sun … while holding my phone to get directions (to a parking lot).  Sure.  Sounds like fun.

And boy, was it.  I left the second taxi stand, thinking the station was nearby, but no.  After wandering around for a while, I returned to that same taxi stand.  I asked a different dude where I could catch the bus and he told me about the actual bus station that was about a mile away.  Just take me there.  Whatever money you want to charge me is fine – just get me there.

Arrived at Karavella station and waited.  And waited.   And waited.  There was a bus already there with signage for Limassol.  But that wasn’t the bus.  Plenty of other buses arrived that were also not the bus.  I really hate waiting.

Finally, a bus arrived and let out its passengers.  I knew the driver would take a break before reloading, as I’d watched others do during my stupidly long wait.  But, come on, dude!  I’ve already traveled over half the city, I’m tired, I haven’t eaten since breakfast, and I just want to get this travel day over with. 

Then, at last, we were allowed to board.  And no, at no point during the hour-long trip did we ever hit that parking lot that Google recommended.  Thanks for that.

I'm not sure why the bus driver had a mermaid doll splayed on his windshield, but I had to take a picture of it.

The trip went well enough.  The spaces between the cities consists of a whole lot of nothing.  Just huge rock mountains with a few scattered towns.  We hit some traffic coming into the city as Limassol is bigger and a lot busier than Paphos. 

I wasn't sure where the bus route would end but, as I was following our route on my phone, I thought to get myself as close to the apartment as possible.  I watched most of the passengers get off at the Limassol bus station, leaving me and one guy on the bus.  We got to the next stop and the driver got up and asked where we were going.  Before I even had a chance to answer, he yelled that it was the end of the line.  Fine.  I'm leaving.  You could have just said that as soon as you stopped.

Now I'm on the side of the road.  I recognize it as the place where I changed buses on the way to Paphos.  But what do I do now?  I'm staying in the city, I'm at least 2 miles from the apartment (and screw walking all that way after the day I'd had), and I didn't know the local bus system.  Sigh.  Time to catch a cab again.

And again, the taxi drivers ignored me.  I thought maybe they couldn't stop in the bus lane, but, as more and more taxis zoomed by me, I started to take it personally.  They see a woman with luggage on the side of road waving and think what?  I'm just being friendly?

I lugged my crap to a nearby taxi stand and managed to convince a cabby to do his job.  He got me to the place with no problem and I found my way into my new home for the week.

My last place wasn’t as nice as the first place I stayed in Paphos.  It was still cozy enough to extend my stay for 3 weeks.  The new place makes me miss the last place.

It's spacious enough and has a gas stovetop (thank you!) but ....

I hit the bathroom first thing (of course) and immediately noticed that the tub (Yay!) had no shower curtain (Boo!).  Why is this so hard for Europe to get right?  Even the last apartment had a partial partition on the shower stall.  But this place?  Yeesh.

Then, the real corker was the toilet.  Not only is the flushing mechanism confusing -- the knob on top that I kept trying to push down or twist until I figured out that you have to pull it up -- but the toilet lid just fell off when I tried to close it.  Are you kidding me?  You know that whoever cleaned the apartment KNEW that the toilet lid was loose but did nothing about it.  Oh, no, let’s just let it be a surprise for the first sucker who rents the place.

I hate that bathroom.

I messaged the host, not only to get it fixed, but to make sure I didn’t get charged for breaking the thing.  They said they’d be out to fix it at a time that was convenient for me.  We’ll see how that goes.  Until then, I’ll just be staring at a gaping toilet whenever I go in there.  (I’m keeping the door closed).

Once I found the big issues with the apartment, I really began to notice the small things.  And, boy, are there a lot of small things.  

Why is the floor so scuffed up?  I already don't like the white tiles as I prefer the hardwood I've had in most places.  But to see that the floor is this messed up (there are scuffs like this all over the apartment) just makes the place feel scruffy.

Why is there a lock on the refrigerator?  I have never seen that before. 

I’ve also never seen a patio with two sliding glass doors.  No screen door – two sliding glass doors.  WHY???

My first place in Paphos had a screen door – a rarity in Europe.  The only issue?  Whenever I’d open the door in the morning, a cat would appear and immediately start screaming at me.

I miss Paphos.