Larnaca, Cyprus
Dec 27, 2022
Lost baggage is apparently an unexpected bonus of post-pandemic travel, and I arrived in Larnaca minus my backpack.
“Yours is not the only one”, the agent told me snappily. We have lost more than twenty thousand bags. You have to wait”. Was this a point of pride, I wondered but I refrained from saying as much. And so, I spent a good part of my stay in Cyprus, in Larnaca. And saw more of it than I cared to.
A string of hotels line the beachfront with restaurants and cafes edging onto the road. Sandwich boards grace the sidewalk in the hopes of tempting passersby with meals, the offers a mishmash of burgers and hotdogs to pasta and kebabs. Mezzes and fish dishes feature in a limited number of restaurants. A constant stream of cars crawl along, disgorging tourists or entertaining the hapless with music played at ear-shattering decibels. Kiosks dot the beachward edge, boasting a mishmash of the usual tacky souvenirs, postcards, the eateries offering up ice creams, coffee, tea and sandwiches. Families complete with cranky children feature prominently among the tourists. This is a family vacation spot and comes with the requisite set of ferris wheels and merry-go-rounds at one end of the beach promenade.
Beware travelers who expect anything else! But transport connections are good and the company at the hostel was excellent. The three days passed easily enough wandering through the town, visiting the old fort, the church of St. Lazarus and over tall tales shared over good Cyprian wine.
ITCHY FEET TRAVELS 