Northern Cyprus: May 2015: Part 1

We are spending/have spent 12 days in Northern Cyprus, staying in a villa above Karmi (near Kyrenia) and being hosted by our once-upon-a-time neighbours back in Cornwall. As we have been very busy since we've been here, I haven't been able to blog on a regular basis but I'll try and catch-up with a number of post-dated entries so I've got some sort of record of our time here.

We flew into Larnaca airport in Southern Cyprus - the Greek half - and travelled north to cross the border into Northern Cyprus - the Turkish half. The politics of the island are complicated and I'll refer to them as and when relevant to whatever I touch on. We had a night's stay in a charming village in the Troodos mountains, before continuing on to our villa. Highlights of the first couple of days included a meal out at the Old Harbour in Kyrenia (now known as Girne) and a visit to the hill top Crusader castle of St Hilarion. An amazing location and an amazing feat of engineering. And, as you can tell from the photographs, the weather is pretty good! Hovering between the mid-twenties and mid-thirties or, to put it another way, hovering between the comfortable and uncomfortable. But we'll soon acclimatise. Or melt.

Where we stayed on our first night - Lofou in the Troodos Mountains, the highest range in (Southern) Cyprus.

A panorama of the Troodos Mountains, before dropping down onto the central plain and the border crossing into Northern Cyprus.

Kyrenia harbour at night.

Hummingbird Hawk Moth, just after it had fed as its proboscis is being 'rewound'. Amazingly busy little beasties and quite difficult to get a shot of them when they are relatively stationary.

Looking down onto Kyrenia as we climbed up the footpath to St Hilarion Castle.

We think this was a Cyprus Pied Wheatear, indigenous to the island.

Looking up to St Hilarion Castle. And, yes, it was a bit of a climb, made more 'interesting' by the high temperatures.

Another view of St Hilarion Castle

A thistle flower just about ready to open.

Dandelion - I liked the shape and the light shining through it.

A most welcome lemonade at a harbourside restaurant.

Gone fishing.

Swallowtail butterfly. Lots of them around at high elevations, flitting here, there and everywhere.

Same one as above. Try as I might I just could not get it to cooperate by alighting with its wings open and at the right angle.