Riding in Cyprus – The Baths of Aphrodite…

Once down in Polis, we headed for Aphrodites Baths...

We rode down into Polis in the bright sunshine of late afternoon… The seaside town sits in the very bottom of the spoon-shaped, Bay of Chrysochou… Large smooth boulders litter the shore in places, reminding me of Simonstown in False Bay…

It had been a steep descent from the highlands behind us, the road running straight through the villages of Lysos, Peristerona, Steni and Isidoros… It curved around the walls of the houses, over little bridges and cut through village squares, exiting through Olive groves and fields planted with maize…

It was all very peaceful, except when the roar of the Big Fella’s engine was reverberating off the walls of houses which crowded down onto the roadside… In some places it sounded as though we were riding through a tunnel…!!

I was surprised to see how bust the stretch of road between Polis and Lakki were… A constant stream of cars and buses cruised along this little coastal road, and on the shores of the Mediterranean, row after row of modern townhouse complexes stood…

This was one of those places that attracted retirees from all over Europe, mostly from Britain… I was told that out here, their pensions were not taxed as heavily as they were back home, and while the cost of living was no lower than the rest of Europe, the tax breaks they received made the move worthwhile… And then of course, there was the great weather…!!

I cannot remember who recommended that I ride out to visit the Baths of Aphrodite, but when I finally recall who it was, I might very well give them a mild throttling…!!

Perhaps I should have asked for more information on this ancient site… I expected to find Greco-Roman type ruins, marble pillars and such-like…

Surely every man should make the effort pay homage to the Goddess of Babes...!!

Aphrodite, (for those Philistines among you who did not know…!!) was the Goddess of Love and Beauty, and was born right here in Cyprus, on the coast midway between Pafos and Limassol… As a man who appreciates such things, I felt duty bound to visit a few of the places she is said to have frequented, and give thanks on behalf of all the men I know…

You owe me big time, Guys…!!

When I parked at the entrance and saw the number of people entering and exiting the neatly laid out gardens and footpaths that led towards a sheer faced hill beyond, I felt the usual thrill I get from standing on the site where the ancients had walked and lived…

When I finally arrived at the pool where Aphrodite was said to have bathed, I looked around in confusion…!! Where were the “baths”…?? All I could see was a small shallow pool, no deeper than a foot or so, which received its water from the dripping rock face above it… A small dark grotto extended to the rear of the pool, and a few clumps of ferns and other foliage ringed the edges of the pool…

Not what I had expected...!! A small shallow pool against a cliff face...!!

An elderly lady sat propped on the bench in front of the pool… She did not move a muscle in all the time I stood there, and I briefly considered checking her carotid artery to see if she was alive or not…!! Then her lips moved…!!

“It’s not very impressive, is it…??” she said, “I assume it must have been a lot deeper in her days…!!”

“Yes,” I agreed, “Unless it was an ankle bath where she came to wash her feet…!! I cannot imagine that she had to take all her kit off to bathe here…!!”

She smiled widely at that, and then lapsed into silence again…

Haven't seen a single one of the critters since arriving here...!!

I was not disappointed by the great views over the little bay however, where sailboats scudded across the water, and far in the distance, a bright blue para-sail was being towed behind a speedboat… It was clearly a popular area to visit, the long white beaches littered with umbrellas and sun loungers…

Further along the peninsular, a camping spot attracted backpackers and those that prefer to rough it… With sun almost touching the water in the west, I had no time to ride along the dirt road to see more of the beautiful bay, and reluctantly turned to make my way down towards Pafos, which lies about 50 km to the south…

We rode into Pathos, and on a whim, I turned down the road that led to a monastery close to the coast… I figured I could squeeze in one more “visit” before I hit the highway back to Larnaca…

As I cruised down the narrow road which was deep in shadow, I began noticing an alarming number of cats sitting on the verge… I slowed down when I saw a parking area ahead, intending to ride back to see what so many cats were doing in such a small area…

Cyprus has a seriously problem with our feline friends… There are a huge number of postcards which feature cats in every nook and cranny, and if you dine in any outdoor restaurant, you can be sure that you will be surrounded by them in minutes…

Out of respect for those who love cats, I will not go into the methods employed by the local hotels and eateries to control the number of these hairy visitors that frequent their premises…

I turned into the parking area and almost fell off the bike in amazement at the scene in front of me…

Over the next few minutes I counted sixty seven cats from where I sat astride the bike…!!

"Stop encouraging them...!!" The Big Fella holds them off while I snap away...!!

Feral cats have the time of their lives here, and every one of them is in perfect condition...!!

The owner of the Cafeteria Platonos clearly had no problems with the cats, and had even put up signs in areas where the cats could be fed…

They even sell cat food there, so that visitors can feed the multitude of animals that have now become a fixture of the area…

Every one of the cats was in excellent condition, and as tame as any you may have come across… They hardly moved when I rode up, and walked amongst them to take a few photos…

In fact a number of them ran behind me, all “meeowing” loudly, assuming I had food to give them…

They rubbed up against my legs while I tickled and stroked them… I noticed that they all got on well together, despite their vast numbers… There was no aggressive behavior at all, and I wondered how this could be…

In Turkey, I had watched many a cat-fight between big Toms who were protecting their particular corner of the block… A number of them took place on and around the Big Fella, and on one particular occasion, I had to clean blood and fur off my seat before I could load the bike…!!

Thoughts of the visit to the monastery nearby evaporated, as I sat watching the cats around me… I would have liked to meet the person who was feeding rather killing all these cats… I wondered what similar establishments must think of their kindness and generosity…

"Get me outta here...!! These things are gonna be all over me in a minute...!!"

Darkness was almost upon us when I finally stood up from the low wall I had been sitting on, carefully stepping over and around the many cats gathered around me…

The Big Fella seemed relieved to be away from the creatures that often spent their nights snuggled up under his cover…

As the Golden Orb begins its fall into the Mediterranean, we begin our 150 km ride back to Larnaca...

The temperature feel quickly once the sun had gone down, and I regretted not having another windbreaker to put on under my jacket… Traffic was heavy around Limassol, but once clear of this, we got the revs up nicely and zoomed through the dark…

My headlights have been set to compensate for the heavy load at the back, but with all the gear off the bike, the lights now threw their beams barely five metres in front of the bike… On the highway, this was not a problem, but on the quieter roads close to Larnaca, it felt as though I was riding without lights…!!

Lucky, the owner of the hotel, was waiting outside when I pulled up, and watched as I got off the bike, stretching the stiffness out of my legs and lower back…

“Long Ride…?” he asked…

“Yeah… I think 465 km qualifies as a “long ride” here in Cyprus…!!”

He whistled through his teeth and than said, “The American is waiting for you…!!”

“Oh, hell…!! Tell him the bike came back without me…!! I need a early night…!!”

It had been a great day out in the country, and later, I planned a few more rides on the island, but limited the mileage to nearer 200 km a day, to give me time to enjoy the places I planned to visit, and get home while the sun was still up…!!

©GBWT 2010