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Bookmark & shareA Top Day in Lefkosia (Nicosia)
I start early with a sweet Turkish coffee on Lidras Street, watching Lefkosia slowly come to life, as I do the same. My caffeine fix completed, I stroll through the bizarrely truncated alleyways to the Green Line to see the legacy of the intractable 'Cyprus Problem'. After that, I duck into the stately Phaneromenis Church to ogle the icons, before climbing the towering Ledra Museum & Observatory tower for views of the city as it once was - undivided. By now I'm ready for a leisurely and rustic Cypriot lunch at Mattheos or one of the workers' cafes near Plateia Solomou. In the afternoon, it's a toss-up - to step back in time at the vast Cyprus Museum or experience history in a different way by crossing the Green Line to the north side of the city (most visitors just need to show their passports at the border). Even sleepier than the south, north Lefkosia, or Lefkoşa, is awash with Ottoman and Frankish relics. Nowhere is Cyprus's history more tangible than at the gargantuan Selimiye Mosque (San Sophia), built as a Frankish cathedral in the 13th century. Come evening, it's back south again for a Full Monty of a meze at Zanettos in the old town, then straight to the Omeriye Hammam (Turkish baths) to sweat off the calories. If I'm feeling energetic at this point, I'll hit the party scene at Zoo or sip-and-be-seen in a trendy Lidras St cafe. If I'm in a more chilled-out mood, I'll head to the Weaving Mill, which screens an inspiring variety of art-house movies in a bohemian space near the Phaneromenis Church. Who would guess there was so much to do in sleepy little Lefkosia!?
Author: Joe Bindloss
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