Green Monday Celeberations in Cyprus
The day after the Big carnival parade is the Green Monday, the first day of lent. The Cypriots are deeply religious and young or old, most fast during the forty day period. They go vegetarian for the duration. Green Monday is the first day of fasting. The many picnic sites are full of people eating, drinking, enjoying with friends and family and flying kites. Yes that is the tradition; the sky is full of colourful kites of all sizes. We never miss Green Monday invitations from Cypriot friends. They are really fun days out in the open countryside and weather at this time of the year is just beautiful. And the table is laden with variety of salads, pickles, olives, breads and delightful traditional vegetarian and sea food preparations. All washed down with the famous Cypriot wines.

Anthestiria (Flower Festival) in Cyprus
"The flower festival comes in May and originates from the Greek word Anthos meaning flower. It celebrates spring and the splendour of Nature. It is believed to have started as a tribute to Dionysus, the divine protector of theatre. All over the cities, especially in Limassol and Paphos, there are floats decorated with flowers and plants, big flower arrangement displays by the various municipalities and little children dressed in flowers."

Curium/Kolossi Castle
"Ancient Curium and the castle at Kolossi are both in the Limassol area and can be visited together in a day. They are just two examples of the wealth of history to be found in Cyprus - the Curium sites dating from the second century AD and Kolossi from the thirteenth century.
The ruins at Curium are to be found in breathtaking scenery overlooking the sea - this is probably the most spectacular archaeological site in Cyprus. There are actually two sites, the old city of Kolossi and the sanctuary of Apollo Hylates - they are a few kilometres apart. There is also a museum in the nearby village of Episkopi. As it is one of Cyprus' most popular tourist attractions, it's worth arriving early in high season.
Kolossi castle was the commanderie of the Knights Hospitallers - the name later given to the Commanderia dessert wine. Despite changing owners a number of times, the castle is inextricably linked with both the Hospitallers and wine making.
Both Curium and Kolossi are signposted from the Limassol-Paphos highway. Curium is close to Episkopi village, Kolossi to the village of the same name."

Larnaca Salt Lake and Hala Sultan Tekke
"For those of you arriving at Larnaca airport, one of Cyprus' most impressive places to visit is right under your noses! As you turn left out of the airport you will find the road running along a causeway. On either side you will either see two lakes, or two salt flats, depending on the time of year - this is the Larnaca Salt Lake and site of the mosque or Tekke of Hala Sultan. Salt has been extracted from the lake since ancient times and this continues, on a small scale, to this day. If you are visiting Cyprus in late winter or early spring, look out for the visiting flamingos and other migratory birds. Another salt lake can be found further along the coast of Akrotiri."

Ayia Napa and Protaras
"If you like entertainment of the non-stop variety, then Ayia Napa should be top of your list. It was once a small fishing village, but not any more. It boasts some of the best beaches on the island, lots of opportunities for watersports and is a popular destination for package tours. Arrive on a summer's morning and you will find a quiet, almost eerie place - but only because most of the visitors are sleeping off the excesses of the night before! This is Cyprus, however, and in the midst of all the fun and noise in the very heart of the town, you can find peace and tranquility in the monastery with its fountain, flowers and quiet cloisters.
Nicosia 'within the walls' and the House of Hadigeorgakis Kornesios
Look at any map of Nicosia and you will see the distinctive shape of the walls of the old city. The walls and their eleven bastions were built by the Venetians in the 1570's - most of the historic monuments of Nicosia can be found in the winding streets within the walls. It is also the site of the famous tourist quarter, Laiki Yitoniak, which is full of gift shops and restaurants. The best way to see what is on offer is on foot - for a bird's eye view of the city old and new go to the Ledra Museum and Observatory on the eleventh floor of the Shakolas Tower (next door to Woolworths on the corner of Ledra Street and Arsinois Street).
One of the most beautiful buildings in the old city is the house of Hadigeorgakis Kornesios - also known as the House of the Dragoman - built in the fifteenth century. It is a wonderful example of a combination of Venetian and Ottoman building styles. The position of dragoman was a powerful one - he served as translator to the Turkish governor and liaised between the Ottoman authorities and the Orthodox Christians. He was an immensely powerful man and, as was common for such people in those days, was beheaded in 1808. The house can be found at 20 Patriarchou Grigoriou near the Omeriye mosque."

Cedar Valley
"A must for nature lovers, Cedar Valley in Tilliryan Troodos is aptly named. However, the cedars in this secluded valley are no ordinary trees, but the indigenous Cyprus cedar, Cedrus brevifolia, a close relative of the famous cedars of Lebanon. There are thousands of them in Cedar Valley. It's not the easiest of places to find, but for that reason you are almost guaranteed peace and quiet when you get there. It can be reached via a winding unpaved road from Pano Panagia on the Paphos side of the mountains, or from the Kykkos side along a signposed (unpaved) road along the route from Kykkos to Stavros tis Psokas."

Panayia tou Araka
"It is almost impossible to pick just one of the painted churches of the Troodos - they are all little gems of craftsmanship set in breathtaking scenery. Panayia tou Araka - the church of Our Lady of the Pea - is a superb example and one of ten painted churches on the UNESCO World Heritage Site list. It is to be found on a terrace near the village of Lagoudera, surrounded by trees and wild peas from which it takes its name, with a superb view down the valley. The church itself is tiny, and is dwarfed by its snow-proof roof and the wooden trellis that surrounds it. However, when you walk inside, the vibrant colours and the number of the frescoes take your breath away. They date from the twelfth century and are brilliantly clear, having been cleaned relatively recently."

Choirokitia
"To go right back to Cyprus' earliest history, you need to visit the remains of stone-age settlements at Choirokitia, better preserved than most other Neolithic sites in the eastern Mediterranean. The settlement dates back to the sixth or seventh centuries BC - although the site was discovered in 1936, serious excavation did not get underway until the 1970's. It is perhaps one of the earliest human settlements on the island and is a UNESCO World Heritage site. The people of Choirokitia lived in beehive-shaped one storey houses - more that sixty such houses can be seen at the site, as well as the original streets and lanes and a larger chieftain's mansion.
This site can be found approximately half way between Larnaca and Limassol, signposted off the highway."

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The languages spoken in Cyprus are Greek, Turkish and English