Beach Bums in Cyprus

Earlier this month, Kyle and I took a relaxing vacation to the Mediterranean island of Cyprus.  Most of the trips we take we consider to be travel, not vacation.  When we travel, we stay very busy trying to see as many things as possible, and usually end up walking our feet off. This was meant to be a relaxing vacation.  We decided to fight our tourist urges and just stay put, and relax!

It was a long journey to get to Paphos, Cyprus that involved delayed planes, buses and automobiles.  Once we got there, we pretty much just planted it and spent most of our time in the sand. (I am great at being a beach bum!) The waters were absolutely gorgeous, although they were surprisingly chilly!  I thought it was pretty refreshing, but Kyle disagreed and only got in the water once!  (I didn't hassle him about it too much since he was fighting a sinus infection the entire time.)  

We stayed at an all-inclusive resort, which is the first time we had ever done that.  It was very nice to have everything right there, and not have to go into town every time we wanted something to eat.  There was a very nice beach bar and pool bar that served great, tropical girly drinks enjoyed by men and women both!  

Kyle stayed cool in the shade most of the time!

One of our evenings there, we walked about 45 minutes along the coast to see the town of Paphos and have dinner out.  It is a neat little town.  Although Cyprus is not part of Greece, it definitely seems like it in the food and the sights!  There is a lot of interesting history there.  Cyprus is said to have been inhabited since the Neolithic times.  Paphos is the mythological birthplace of Aphrodite. There are many ancient ruins in the town, and it was also visited by Paul the Apostle.

Paphos Castle, originally a Byzantine fort

We had a spectacular dinner during sunset at a mezze restaurant right on the water.  Mezze is kind of like the Greek version of tapas where you order several small dishes to share.  We had fresh hummus, olives, grilled vegetables, grilled haloumi cheese, swordfish with rice and braised lamb accompanied by local wine.  It had to have been one of our top three dining experiences!

Kyle had fun playing with his camera on this trip.  Here are more pictures from around our hotel.

We found this little guy in the bathroom.

You're free!

Kyle and I had a wonderful time relaxing in the sun!  I wouldn't mind a repeat trip like this next summer.  Maybe we have some friends that would like to join us??