I’m at home in Cyprus today in our picturesque village of Tseri. It is good to be home for a few days. I thought I would write about Cyprus today in my location notes but I really don’t want to write in my normal fashion about the current culture of the place. Instead, I wanted to write a little more eclectically about Cyprus in general.
I like Cyprus for many reasons that are easy to understand. First, Cyprus’ weather is mild throughout the year and the country typically experiences more than 300 days of sunshine per year. Second, the country is wealthy and lacks most social problems that affect other places. Thus, Cyprus is safe and a good place to raise a family. Third, because it is in Europe, Cyprus is convenient yet it is close to Asia and has its own special character. All of these advantages make Cyprus a nice place to live but do not make the island endearing. For me, however, Cyprus is endearing. I like the island and I enjoy living here – albeit, I don’t spend that much time here.
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| The Troodos Mountains can be seen from our home |
One of the main reasons why Cyprus is endearing to me is its long history. Cyprus is mostly a bystander in history instead of a willing participant. The place is entirely too laid back to be a leader. In my experience, most places on the earth were, at one time or another, a significant world power. Consider the evidence. Japan, China, Thailand, India, Russia, Persia (Iran), Arabia (centred in both Bagdad and Mecca), Turkey (the Ottomans), Egypt, Greece, Italy (Roman Empire), the Balkans (during the time of Attila the Hun), North Africa (Tripoli, Tangiers, Casablanca and other locations), most of the European mainland (including Spain, France, Germany, Scandinavia and The Netherlands), The United Kingdom, Sub-Saharan Africa, The USA, Central America (under the Aztecs, Mayans, etc.) and even South America (the Incas) were at one time (or are today) the most important power within their region. Little Cyprus, however, has mostly been a possession.
Throughout its known history, Cyprus has been under the control of the Phoenicians, the Mycenaean Greeks, the Hittites, the Assyrians, the Persians, the Hellenes (ruled by the Ptolemaic empire based in Alexandria, Egypt), the Romans, the Byzantines, the Arabs, the Crusaders (Richard I of England captured Cyprus and then sold it to the Knights Templar who promptly resold the island to the Venetians), the Venetians, the Ottomans and finally the British before gaining independence less than fifty years ago. Each successive culture has left its mark on Cyprus and has made the natives of Cyprus a potent mix of characteristics that have resulted in a unique identity.
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| Hittite Cuneiform found in Dhali |
Because geographically, Cyprus is more a part of Asia than Europe and specifically because it is close to the Levant, the true natives would be expected to show the characteristic genetic haplogroup of the region: J1. Haplogroup J1 includes Arabia, North Africa, Southern Europe and most of the Levant. Indeed, haplogroup J1 is the largest represented haplogroup amongst native Cypriots but it still only represents 6.2% of the population. That means the largest single genetic grouping on an island of barely 1.2 Million people encompasses less than 10% of the population! The genetic makeup of Cyprus is therefore one of the most diverse in the world and demonstrates conclusively that Cyprus has almost always been a stopover for peoples that were headed elsewhere. Since the visitors left genetic material, however, we know that Cyprus has pretty much always been a “friendly” place!
Culturally, southern Cyprus has been Greek since the Byzantine era but the marks of other cultures are all around. Less than ten kilometres (about six miles) from our home is the Hittite site of ancient Dhali. Most of the discovered treasures of Dhali are actually in the British Museum in London but there is still a huge unexcavated site. Rosa and I visited Dhali last year and were surprised by many different things. First, the site was not open even though it was the height of the tourist season. Second, the site is situated on a rather obvious tor that shows that probably less than 5% of the site has been excavated. This became very apparent to us when we walked in the fields beside the site looking in at the partially covered excavations. The entire field was littered with fragments of statues and building blocks. The farmer of the fields had conveniently stacked the fragments into little piles for the archaeologists to examine but I suspect that the fragments are still in the place where they were piled. Rosa and I considered taking our pick of the nicer pieces but resisted the temptation since we might have looted something important. Dhali is just one unassuming site in a smallish village in the middle of the island. There must be hundreds of other sites throughout the country that have yet to be discovered. Who knows what treasures are left to be uncovered.
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| Ancient Tomb of the Kings |
I once parked in Nicosia in order to meet a friend for coffee at Starbucks. The primary Starbucks in Nicosia is at a busy intersection at the edge of downtown and my friends and I affectionately call this location our “Cyprus Office”. Upon returning to my car, I noticed that I had parked next to the ancient Roman city which grew to become Nicosia that has been partially excavated. There was a small sign indicating the nature of the location and that this is an “active archaeological site” so admittance was prohibited by a two meter (six foot) fence. I didn’t even know that the site was in this location! The site was completely overgrown with grass and weeds so that only walls and some arches poked out of the ground surrounded by rubble, so I’m not convinced of the “active” appellation on the sign. This sort of site can be seen in the middle of cities or villages, in the middle of fields, besides dried streambeds and on the tops of hills throughout the island. In fact, it is hard to avoid contact with the remains of human habitation in Cyprus. I have it from reliable sources that when certain hotels were being constructed in Paphos near the UNESCO Heritage Site of the “Tomb of the Kings” several important artefacts were found during building. Since Cypriot laws require that archaeologists be called in immediately when such a find occurs and because this would have seriously slowed down work, at night the owners employed manual labour to move the remains by several hundred feet over to the known site.
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| Paphos Castle |
In my opinion, this constant mix of cultures and peoples has produced a uniquely laidback attitude amongst the Cypriots. Cypriots enjoy life and want ease and comfort but they don’t want to sacrifice their free time in order to gain these advantages. Of course, the Cypriots are conservative but this is to be expected in a place where the Church is the largest single landowner. Even though the place is conservative, it is open to outsiders and quickly assimilates new peoples, ideas and practices. In this way, Rosa and I are just part of the latest wave of “invaders” from Europe who find Cyprus to be a great place to live.
In ancient times, the allure of Cyprus was more than just its beautiful beaches and calm ports. Cyprus was a critical place during the Bronze Age because it was the largest source of copper in the ancient world. Bronze is the hard allow of copper and tin. The use of bronze to make tools and weapons gave the name to an entire age of human development: the “Bronze Age”. While not as hard as iron and certainly not as hard as steel, bronze can be made at a lower temperature which means that it was an important technology link between the Stone Age and the Iron Age. The Trojan War was fought during the Bronze Age and the entire Minoan and Mycenaean cultures of Crete and mainland Greece flourished during the Bronze Age. The sources of tin in ancient times were mostly in southern England – primarily in Cornwall, but the source of copper was almost entirely Cyprus. In fact, the English word “copper” comes from the Latin name for Cyprus. “Copper” is a word derived from the Latin word “Cuprum” and its atomic element symbol is “Cu”. Cuprum is the later Latin name which is derived from “Cyprium” the ancient Latin word for copper and “Cyprium” is translated to mean “the metal of Cyprus”. Copper was important to ancient people even before the invention of bronze because of its colour. Copper, gold and osmium are the only three metals that are not grey or silver in colour. Therefore, copper was prized as a gift of the gods and was associated with Aphrodite who was supposedly born in Cyprus. Copper was probably the second metal to be refined by the ancients after gold. So, Cyprus was an important place even if it was unassuming and this is still the case.
I could write a lot more about Cyprus and perhaps I will another time. I started this blog entry, however, yesterday afternoon and still have not finished it although the sun has risen and I am looking over the olive orchard toward another beautiful day here. I did not write straight through, of course, but this blog is long enough so I will leave further discussion of the island for another day.
Where to Party: In Nicosia, Sfinakia has the longevity and is still the best. Aperitivo is for drinks in the earlier evening. Plato’s Bar in Nicosia old town was once ranked in the top 10 bars in the world – although I’m not sure that it is THAT good. Still Plato’s is fun and the area of the old town is stunning. In Larnaca, I like Ammos on McKenzie beach – a cool chill-out beach bar during the day that changes to dance music later in the evening. Visitors should remember that most beaches in Cyprus are topless but it is mostly the tourists that partake, so teenage boys should be given sunglasses so that no one can see them staring.
Where to Shop: Cyprus isn’t big for shopping unless the shopping is for local souvenirs. Lefkara is known for its lace and silverwork but I find it expensive and the shop-owners are pushy. Some fashion shopping is available on Markrios Avenue in Nicosia. My favourite shopping in Cyprus, however, is duty free at the airport. Specifically, I like the Casa de Habano in Larnaca Airport ... it is not as inexpensive as Beirut’s Casa de Habano nor does it have as large of a selection, but it is friendly and convenient.
Travel Plans:
Being the weekend, there have not been very many changes since my posting on Friday:
* Monday, 13 September 2010: Working from Home in Tseri and meeting the arriving teams in the evening for the EMEA Sales meeting
* Tuesday, 14 September 2010: Larnaca, Cyprus for the EMEA Sales meeting
* Wednesday, 15 September 2010: Larnaca, Cyprus for the EMEA Sales meeting then leaving in the evening for Dubai in route to Sydney.
* Thursday, 16 September 2010: Dubai – Sydney
* Friday, 17 September 2010: Sydney
* Saturday, 18 September 2010: Sydney - Taipei
* Sunday, 19 September 2010: Taipei – just chillin’ at the Novotel
* Monday, 20 September 2010: Taipei for meetings then Bangkok in the evening
* Tuesday, 21 September 2010: Bangkok – Abu Dhabi check into the Shang
* Wednesday, 22 September 2010: Abu Dhabi during the day then Rome in the evening
* Thursday, 23 September 2010: Rome – the Eternal City
* Friday, 24 September 2010: Rome – London – New York
* Saturday, 25 September 2010: New York attending a wedding reception
* Sunday, 26 September 2010: New York then flying to Dallas.
As usual, these plans are subject to change…
Rant:
I travel almost exclusively for business but I do realize that a lot of travellers are on vacation or visiting friends and family. Since these travellers do not fly several times a month, I can understand that they are not always prepared. It is inevitable that parents will fly with infants or toddlers but can they plan ahead a little to ensure that their “little darlings” do not bother all of the other passengers?
For some reason which I do not fully understand, many airlines will seat their most frequent travellers in the back row of business class. On some airlines, like British Airways, this makes sense because the rear row in Business Class is more private and I don’t have to climb over someone in order to vacate my seat. I am not sure, however, why Singapore Airlines, American Airlines and many other carriers have this policy. The back row of Business Class may be desirable for some hidden reason of which I am not aware, but it has one distinct disadvantage for long flights: the front row of economy includes “bassinet” seats so parents with infants or toddlers are almost always seated in the first row of economy. For most airlines, the “bulkhead” between Business Class and Economy Class is a paper thin barrier that has the thickness and tensile strength of dried pasta. This barrier will certainly not block noise and is not even a reasonable barrier for smell.
So, many times I am seated in the rear of Business Class with a screaming infant or toddler within a few inches of my ears. I don’t look upon this as the fault of the children. After all, babies cry and this is to be expected, but I do think that parents – particularly inexperienced traveller parents – make these situations worse. The parents generally fall into two categories. The first category includes the “Shushers”. These parents are generally worried about disturbing other passengers so they constantly “shush” their fussing children. The sound of “shush” is almost the same sound that a “suction” lavatory makes on an aircraft and is generally just as annoying to me as the screaming child. By the way, I don’t know why parents think that this sound is soothing to their infants. In my experience, “shushing” does nothing but picking up a child will most often cause the child to calm. The “Shushers” are also the ones that think that distracting their child with the inevitable squeaking toy is the best way to calm the fuss. So, the “Shushers” make three mistakes as far as I am concerned: they let their children scream, they make an irritating sound themselves and they use mechanical devices (the toys) in order to produce even more irritating sounds. Keep in mind, that these are the types of parents that I actually prefer because they are taking some action. I sometimes want to scream, “Pick up your child and cuddle it you cretin!”
The second type of parent with a screaming child, I call the “Enraptured”. The Enraptured parents are so in love with their children that the sound of their screams is like a finely tuned symphony that should be enjoyed by everyone. As a sideline, Wagner does sound like screaming babies to me ... or screeching cats. My Dad always used to say, “Do you want to hear a symphony by Wagner? Tie the tails of two cats together and throw them over a clothes line ... They will produce a perfect copy of Wagner’s music!” The “Enraptured” generally do nothing to calm their children when they scream. In fact, these types of parents will proudly say to each other, “He will have strong lungs! This exercise is so good for him ...” In addition, one or the other parent is liable to say, “If she screams long enough, she will tire herself out and then he will sleep ...” Of course, these parents should know their children better. Ignoring a screaming toddler will enrage “princess” who will scream even louder and generally begin to throw anything close at hand.
I wish parents would do a little research and prepare just a little for a long flight. First of all, if junior has a head cold or is teething, don’t fly. Children with head colds and who are teething will experience pain from pressurization and depressurization. This is not the time to fly, obviously (or at least obvious to anyone who is not a parent of a small child). If a parent with a moderately ill child must travel, they should ensure that they are supplied with Children’s Calpol or similar medicine. By the way, Rosa swears by Children’s Calpol – even if the child is not ill. I’m morally against drugging children to keep them quiet, but Rosa clearly is NOT! Second, the parents should remain calm before, during and after the flights. Young children are sensitive to the moods of their parents. Parents who are excited or anxious will pass on these feelings to their children. The calm demeanour of the parents will help keep the children from screaming. Third, please, please, please have silent toys, snacks, activities, bottles and plenty of nappies (diapers) available. Although, please, please, please do not change your child’s nappy in the bassinet as the smell will linger for hours! I don’t care how much a parent loves their child the parent should not fool themselves with the belief that their child’s dirty nappy is as sweet smelling to the surrounding passengers as it may be to them! I have thought before, “Something crawled up that child’s ass and died!” Finally, if “junior” or “princess” is enraged, please take the child to the lavatory until the child is calm. High pitched sounds don’t travel far but they are piercing when in close proximity. Removing the child to the lavatory will ensure that other passengers are not annoyed – or at least do not stay annoyed.
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| Don't Change it in the Bassinet! |
I use earplugs or high-end noise cancellation headphones, but I can almost always hear a screaming child, a shushing parent or a squeaky toy through my ear-armour. Is it too much to ask for a little common courtesy in this regard?
Humour Section:
In honour of my rant, I’ll tell a children’s joke today...
The third grade teacher told her class, “For your homework, I want you to learn to spell a big word tonight. The word should have at least eight letters and you should be prepared to use it in a proper sentence tomorrow.” The children earnestly wrote down their assignment.
The next morning, “Billy”, always the first child to volunteer (and also the child that is bullied the most) spoke up, “Miss, my word is ‘beautiful’. B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L. And my sentence is, ‘Miss Lake, you are beautiful.’” The teacher acknowledged the praise and then asked for another volunteer. Little Linda volunteered next, “Teacher, my word is ‘gorgeous’. G-O-R-G-E-O-U-S. And my sentence is , ‘Miss Lake, you are gorgeous.’” Again, the teacher acknowledged the praise. Joey, in the back of the room, had not prepared his homework but he saw that he needed to praise his teacher as all of the other little kiss-ass children were doing so. When Miss Lake finally asked Joey for his homework assignment, Joey replied, “Miss Lake, my word is ‘urinate’. U-R-A-N-E-I-G-H-T.” Miss Lake scolded him, “That is not how you spell that word, Joey... Anyway, can you use it in a sentence?” Joey put on a large fake smile and said, “My Dad says urinate, but I think you’re a ten!”
Last Blast:
One of my favourite stories about Cyprus is how Richard I of England disposed of the island. I think that this speaks volumes to my earlier statement about how Cyprus is generally a bystander in history. I must say in the beginning that I have never been a big fan of Richard the Lionhearted. He was more French than English and, in fact, tried to sell England a few times. Despite this, he is considered a “good king” whereas his father is mostly remembered for causing the death of St. Thomas Becket. Also, I have always admired Henry II, his father, whom Richard rebelled against several times. In my opinion, Richard was little better than a murderer and lacked the chivalry of his greatest opponent Saladin. Anyway, I find the story of how he disposed of Cyprus interesting and I hope that my readers do as well.
Richard was very anxious to “take the cross” in order to became a crusader. He was a ruffian and loved combat – especially as there was little chance of Richard losing his life since he was an extremely high-valued captive. Richard left England within six months of taking the crown in order to go on Crusade – he only stayed that long to raise as much money as he could. In route to the Holy Land, Richard fought his nominal Christian allies in Sicily and then insisted on taking his fiancée with him on Crusade. His fiancée at the time (later the Queen of England) was Berengaria, the daughter of the King and Queen of Navarre and Castile. At the time, it was much safer to travel by sea than by land – although sea voyages had their perils.
Berengaria set off from Sicily for the Holy Land but was close to Cyprus when a storm wrecked her flotilla. She made it to Limassol but she was promptly taken captive by the rebel governor of the island, Isaac Komnenos. Isaac then sent word of the ransom demand to Richard. Since Cyprus was part of the Byzantine Empire and the Empire was actually responsible for starting the Crusades, Richard was pretty inflamed about having to a pay ransom to one of his allies. So, he mounted an assault on Limassol and quickly captured the port city. Isaac was quickly abandoned by his nobles and decided to negotiate with Richard. At the last moment, however, Isaac reneged on his commitments and Richard promptly captured the entire island. Apparently, the island capitulated in the matter of a few weeks.
Once the island was under his control, Richard gallantly offered the island to Berengaria as a wedding gift, but before she accepted he instead decided to sell Cyprus to the Knights Templar in order to provide funds for his Crusade. The Knights Templar wanted the island as a Christian outpost, but they didn’t want to garrison the island, so they just as promptly turned a profit by selling Cyprus on to Guy de Lusignan who wanted a kingdom of his own and had become wealthy from the spoils of the Crusade. Guy de Lusignan was the King-consort of the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem through marriage to Sybilla, the daughter of Baldwin the previous King of Jerusalem. When Guy was defeated by Saladin and deposed from Jerusalem, Guy took possession of the throne in Cyprus. Guy was succeeded to the throne of Cyprus by his brother Amalric and Amalric’s descendants ruled the island for the next three hundred years until 1489 when the last Latin Queen of Cyprus, Catherine Cornaro sold her kingdom to the Venetians to whom she owed vast debts (probably for shopping).
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| Coat of Arms for the Lusignan Family |
So, basically, Cyprus was a possession to be bought and sold to the highest bidder. Under the Latin kings, the nobility were part of the Catholic Church, but the countryside residents were all part of the Byzantine Greek Orthodox Church as they were for centuries before and are still today. Apparently, there was no substantial uprising amongst the feudal peasants in Cyprus during the rule of the Latin kings because the natives didn’t seem to give much thought to their leaders. So, to some extent, when the British took possession of Cyprus in 1878 as part of the Empire, it was simply reclaiming a possession that it had sold seven hundred years before.
I hope you all are happy and healthy until we meet again...
I like Cyprus for many reasons that are easy to understand.All of these advantages make Cyprus a nice place to live but do not make the island endearing. For me, however, Shane Sees the World is endearing and very good description
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