Tomb of the Kings & more

Moving to Paphos

I woke at 0600 after retiring at 2000.  Perhaps I’ve conquered my jetlag after three nights?

Today I move on to Paphos by bus.  Since I was waking early still, I tried for the 0900 bus.  I nearly missed it as it had been double-parked and I couldn’t see past the buses that were parked right up against the platform.

The journey was largely on motorway and as we passed Limassol along the way, I was surprised how large and high-risey it was.

After 2h, to the minute, we arrived in Paphos where the station was near the hilltop old town, Ktima Paphos.  It was a 20+ min walk to the Kissos Hotel in the hot sun.  It’s nearly November; I’d hate to be doing that in July or August!

My hotel turned out very nice.  It looks like a 1970s hotel, aimed at budget packaged holiday tourists.  Apart from some badly-stained hallway carpet, everything was immaculately maintained, both inside the rooms and outside (eg. pools and grounds).

When booking accommodation in Cyprus, I noticed that reviews were often scathing and scores low.  I wonder if they have a tough clientele in this country.

Tomb of the Kings

After a good seafood salad at the sports bar by the hotel I walked to Tomb of the Kings about 5 mins away, by the sea.  Despite the name, these were the tombs of the rich and famous of Nea Pafos during the Hellenistic and Roman times, from 3BC to 3AD.  The name was more due to the grandeur nature.

It was hot and I kinda rushed through the site, spending more time at those tombs that were more remarkable.  I was out in over half an hour.

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Sights near Lower Paphos

After a chilly swim in the hotel pool, I walked to Lower Paphos, the waterfront tourist town, making stops along the way for a few sights.

First up was Agia Solomoni & the Christian Catacomb.  This modest tomb was the burial site of seven brothers who were martyred around 174BC for leading a revolt against the emperor.

Nearby was also the Agios Lambrianos Rock-Cut Tomb.  I struggled to find anything of significance to see but I may have been at the wrong place.  However, I found a reconstructed amphitheatre which my old guidebook suggests was still being excavated.

Closer to town was Hrysopolitissa Basilica & St Paul’s Column.  The small 13^th Century Agia Kyriaki basilica standing at the site was closed for liturgy, but of more significance was the remains of the 4^th Century basilica in front of it.  Further in front was a pillar to which St Paul was supposedly tied and whipped 39 times before he converted his tormentor.

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Waterfront dinner

It felt like a hot walk and I was relieved to get to Paphos’ waterfront.  It wasn’t far but it must have been the combination of the visit to the Tomb and the walk from the bus station to the hotel.

On the waterfront, I walked to the far end with Paphos Castle.  The small building is all that remains from a Lusignan (French) fort build in 1391 only to be largely destroyed by Venetians a century later.  It was closed so I didn’t go in.  It would probably have offered a slightly elevated view of the surrounding area.

After stocking up on water at the supermarket, at a price one-third of that at shops near my hotel (EUR1 per 1.5 litre), I had dinner on the waterfront.  Competition must have kept prices low as it was cheaper than the taverna near my hotel.  A delicious three course meal cost EUR14.50 and the half pint of beer EUR1.60.  There was so much beef in my stifado I couldn’t finish it.