h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Hi Stuart

I saw that you learnt to ski in Cyprus?

I went ski-ing in Cyprus in February, it was great fun - I had no idea that you could ski there until I went out for a holiday!

Here's a web page that my partner Mark wrote about our ski-ing trip -

http://www.moxon.net/cyprus/mt_olympos.html

and one about the Troodos mountains that might bring back some memories too!

http://www.moxon.net/cyprus/troodos.html

Hi Peta,

Glad you enjoyed your trip to Cyprus. It is a marvellous place of which I have many fond memories. Its one of the few places I have been that I have any great hankering to go back to.

I'll read your account later and let you know.

Best wishes

Stuart

Hi Peta,

Had a look at Mark’s website. It was very interesting. Cyprus in February does tend to be a bit drab, however, you would not have liked the Akamas Peninsula in the summer - it is hot, very hot, especially if you are running around doing things that soldiers do.

Its hard to think of Cyprus as a cold place. But on top of Mt Olympus it can get very cold. In the winter before we could wash and shave in the morning, we first had to thaw the water in the jerry-cans at it was frozen solid.

I did some SCUBA diving in Cyprus as well. Not my favourite place for diving. In places on the south coast between Larnaca and Cape Greco its like being in a swimming pool. Visibility for miles because the sea is devoid of any life. Move round to the west towards Paphos and it’s a lot better.

One good thing about diving near Larnaca is that after diving we retired to a local restaurant for a meal. The restaurant was in the middle of nowhere and all the cooking was done on an open charcoal grill round the back. It didn’t look very hygienic, but the end results were fantastic. With a few glasses of Keo brandy everything tasted great.

No mention of Aphrodite and her birthplace though. The Cyprus Tourist Board seem to make a big thing of that.

Note my spelling of Paphos. It’s the one I am familiar with, but then, I first went to Cyprus in 1964. Never heard of Lefkosia.

Regards

Stuart

Hi Stuart

Glad you liked the website.

Re the name changes;

http://www.moxon.net/cyprus/place_names_in_cyprus.html

Lefkosia, used to be known as Nicosia - although everyone still uses Nicosia - all the signposts are for Lefkosia, which to me seems rather daft. Apparently the changes were made in order to further differentiate the North and the South of the island, with any names based on a Turkish history being changed to a new Greek version or spelling, hence the similar change in Paphos to Pafos.

It'd be interesting to see the island during the summer too, when we were there it was lovely and green, I imagine that its totally different in the summer, it must get totally blasted by the heat...

I read earlyer you attended the army in Cyprus, was it difficult to addapt to the other troops who spoke Greek, or was it easy?

Stavros