Cyprus: 12 points!

Before we continue to the Middle East, I will make a short stop in Berlin and the surrounding area of Berlin. I really enjoyed my time in the company of many lovely people, wonderful moments, and the special atmosphere of Neukölln. Since neither the flight times nor the prices really appealed to me and I would have had to transfer somewhere anyway, I spontaneously decided to have a stopover in Cyprus. I didn't regret it at all.

The island, which I only knew from the Eurovision Song Contest as a recipient of Greek points, is not very big, so you can see a lot in a week. Highlights are certainly the numerous beautiful beaches (both pebble and sand), the idyllic landscape, the wonderfully hot weather after the colder days in Berlin (it is supposed to be warm here until the end of November), endless party life, geology, and archaeological sites (the mosaics, which are already 1500-1800 years old and still in such good condition, are really impressive).

The many tourists, especially since Ryanair started flying to Paphos airport at very cheap prices, seem to be increasing steadily. The nation with the most representatives is Great Britain, which still has a special connection through the former colony (which can also be seen in the good and widely spread English) and Russia. In Ayia Napa, the party paradise, everything is generally written in English and Russian.

I couldn't find anything particularly Cypriot in the short time I was there. If someone had told me it was Greece, I wouldn't have questioned it. Except for the northern part of the island, of course. In Nicosia, the capital, a wall and a corresponding border crossing divide the island. The division is not internationally recognized, but it has been lived here for years. After passing through the Cypriot guard post, you walk 150 meters in no man's land. The blocks of houses are deserted, photography is not allowed, UN peacekeepers are on duty. After the ID check on the Turkish side, you can definitely notice the difference. The mosque, the veiled women, the market, the currency, everything is suddenly different. But after walking around for an hour, you go back. Somehow it feels better there.

It is easy to get around the island. The bus timetable is easy to find and a 2-hour ride costs about 4 euros. Sometimes it's not so easy to find the right bus stop. Even after a week, crossing the road is still a problem because of the left-hand traffic.

If you're not in the tourist hotspots, many people are very kind and open-minded, curious, and happy to talk about their favorite football clubs from Germany, so conversations often arise.

In Limassol, I met particularly nice travelers. The Polish geologist who is working here for 6 weeks took us along with his colleagues to the grape festival in the mountains. His passion for his profession and the layers of rock by the roadside cannot be ignored. 'That's awesome! Wooooow! That's so great!' he kept exclaiming. At the festival, there is traditional dancing, a warm grape pudding, sweets, and much more. Ironically, the one thing that is missing is wine. Afterwards, we went to the closing party of a beach club where people in swimwear were having a great time. We had a hard time keeping up that evening because everyone else had already started in the morning. Since the last DJ really stopped at 10:45 and the lights came on (an absolute mistake, as there could have been so much more turnover with a full house and a lively atmosphere!), we went back to the hostel and philosophized about life over beer until 3:30 in the morning.

Yes, Cyprus is definitely worth a visit. You could even stay a little longer and rent a car to explore the less touristy areas even more flexibly.

Now let's continue to Jordan...