Cyprus - that's Different

Cyprus - nice a quite away from the coast

Our 90 days in Schengen were up, so we had to leave Kalymnos - cheers for that all you small minded Brexiteers. We needed to make a decision, and returning to the UK in November was bottom of the list. There are four destination that are in the EU and aren't in Schengen - Croatia, Romania, Bulgaria and Cyprus - and a visit to any of these is allowed for 90 days and it doesn't count towards your tally. Of the four it turns out that Cyprus is a good winter destination so we hopped on two planes - that's been a while - and checked into a pad near Paphos for six weeks.

Stormy weather

First impressions are very favourable - the weather is mild, everyone speaks English and they drive on the left. The coastal area is very busy, with lots of modern developments - but inland is a whole different world. The island isn't a main-stream climbing destination but there is certainly enough to pass a few weeks, the three main areas for sport climbing are about thirty minutes drive from where we are stopping - though one of those is the reserve of the hard men.

Ancient remains.

And then there is the history/archaeology - the place has been inhabited for millennia and has been a crossroads for the Eastern Mediterranean. There are the most amazing remains from the Greeks and Romans and all those who came later. We have already visited the Tombs of the Kings and Old Paphos and there is more to come.