Cyprus: Paradise Lost and Found (Part II)

After the Great Mouse Incident, we woke up and cautiously made our way downstairs.  We didn't see any mice, although we made sure to listen for soft squeaking noises.  Luckily, we had something better to distract us - our "Lazy Day" Cruise!  We got all (swim)suited up and lathered on some (or in my case, lots) of sunscreen lotion.  A giant double-decker bus pulled up outside the hostel and took us to our cruise ship, the Wavedancer II.

We found a spot on the shady side (not for long), and chilled out as the cruise ship pulled away from Paphos harbor.  It was an amazing day - with a light breeze, bright sunshine, and cool water.  Perfect!

Our ship was first headed off to Coral Bay, one of the nicest beaches in Cyprus.

The sea shore at a distance.

The usual suspects with their stunner shades on!

The waters off the coast of Cyprus can be dangerous.
This shipping barge drifted onto rocks in the storm
and has been stuck there since '92.

Within an hour, we had reached Coral Bay.  We set anchor and we were allowed to dive off the back of the boat...into the freezing cold water!  It was so unbelievably cold, but we were already quite toasty after sitting in bright sunlight for 45 minutes.  The water was also salty.  Like, really, really, really salty.  Accidentally taking in a mouthful of salt water is definitely on my list of worst experiences.  But we had fun splashing around in the Mediterranean Sea!

Docked at Coral Bay

Our boat then made its way to Lara Bay, which is home to these little guys from June until August.  Unfortunately, we didn't get to see any because they hadn't hatched yet!

So adorable!  I wish we could have seen them!

After our swim!

George Michael's modest beach house

This will stuck in your head all day.

Also this video is so wonderfully '80s.

The rocks off Lara Bay!

Once we dropped anchor at Lara Bay, we could participate in the Cruise Olympics!  There were races to get cans of beer and soda, as well as a Champagne diving competition.  I almost got the champagne bottle before it sunk, but then this burly British dude splashed me in the face.  C'est la vie.  

But one of us was successful!

Jake with his spoils of war.

We made our way back home, tired and sunburned.  Only find out that the hotel management had "looked at" our mice problem.  Not "done something"  or "fixed it" - just "looked at".  Meanwhile, Angelo, our friendly neighborhood tom cat, had returned.  We spent the whole night making sure Angelo didn't come inside the house.

He tried.

Twice.

When a black cat crosses your path...
you probably have mice.

The next morning, I woke up to the sound of a car alarm going off.  I rolled over and went back to sleep.  The car alarm kept going off.  Again and again.  And then we all realized that it was our phone downstairs.

It was the management calling.  To move us.

Not because of the mice, but because "someone else had requested our room".

What. Excuse me?  We had paid for that room already (which was a whole another debacle).  They couldn't legally move us, right?  Unfortunately, I'm not a lawyer (not yet).  Fortunately, Jake was in a fighting mood.  We got all indignant about having to move - to a smaller, crappier, non-pool view room - and the management told us they would drive us to the airport for free.  Sounds okay, right?

Oh, no wait.  The bus to the airport is 1 Euro.

Nice try.  By the end of the day, we had argued for two free dinners at the hotel restaurant.  But we had wasted the day moving our stuff and yelling at the management.

So the next day, we took a chartered bus tour to Limassol.  We stopped off to see some cool ruins! We first saw a home of an early Christian who used the stones of the unused Greek theater nearby.  

A welcome mat made of mosaics!

This home was beach-front property before
beach-front property was a thing.

This sign asks for blessings on the guests who enter
the home.

The mosaic patterns are both pagan... 

...And Christian.

Check out the fish and the birds.

It's still all Greek to me.

Hey Rachel!

This house is huge and fancy.

This old theater has been refurbished
and is now used for all sorts of plays, including
Shakespeare!

The acoustics were fantastic here! 

This tower/castle was home to Richard III during the
Crusades, then the Knights Templar, then the French,
and then English (again), and finally
Cypriot freedom fighters. 

An old winery!

Beautiful flowers near the tower.

The French coat of arms still adorned the tower.

Old frescos can still be found on a wall.

Rachel looks for Santa.

These flowers were so lovely!

Once we got to Limassol, we saw a beautiful Greek Orthodox church and got lunch.  But first, we went to a seaside store that had some...strange items.

Like dried out fish. 

Ewwwww.

Jake's a star.

Rachel doesn't mind holding
the pufferfish.

The Greek Orthodox church

And a church kitten!

Look at how adorable that is!

The church was gorgeous and filled with icons 

Our last stop was Aphrodite's Rock, the place where Venus/Aphrodite (depending on your preference) climbed out of the waves and foam.  Although there were no Greek gods frolicking about, the beach was lovely!  I wish we could have gone back and swam there. 

The beach was wee bit rocky.

Not as tourist filled as I imagined.

Brave guy, climbing the rock.

Helina looks so happy here!

Another one of Jake's cool panoramic shots! 

Overall, I loved Cyprus.  Yes, I got sunburned.  Yes, I somehow managed to slice up my leg.  And yes, our hotel was horrible, terrible, and the worst place ever. 

But I would definitely go again.

But I would get another hotel!