We had a ship excursion here – Pafos and the Mosaics of Dionysos – and I would highly recommend it. We were here on “Ochi Day” which is a public holiday in Greece so a lot of shops and all schools were closed. There were lots of people at all the locations we stopped at.
We had an early start, on the bus by 7:30 and headed out of town. Our first stop was a short photo stop at the cliffs over the “birthplace of Aphrodite” who was born in the foam of the waves and carried by the waves to the city of Pafos. She is the goddess of love and fertility. Our guide invited us back to swim around the rocks on the full moon – she said something about you only just need to bring a towel! All of the Greek gods were worshipped in Cyprus.
.We continued on to our next stop, the underground Tombs of the Kings, although no kings were ever buried there. It is located at the Necropolis of Pafos and dates back to the 3rd century.
The highlight of the excursion was the Dionysos mosaics. These were on the floor of a Roman nobleman’s seaside villa that dates to the 3rd century AD. The area is an extensive complex of buildings that all had mosaic floors. The mosaics depict some Roman legends and characters but mostly represent scenes from Greek mythology. The pictures I took just don’t give them justice. They are so intricate and well preserved. Even the mosaics that were located outside were in near perfect condition.
Another stop at to taste (and the guide hoped we would buy) sweet treats. But the jewel was a 5 domes Byzantine Church of Agia Paraskevi which dates back to the 10th century. No pictures were allowed inside and there was a little old lady inside watching every move we made. I envisioned that if I dared sneak a picture and got caught that she would chase me out with an old broom! When we left and walked along the back of the church there was an open window. I was hopeful that I could get a picture of the beautiful ancient frescoes that adorned the ceiling and walls but when I lifted my phone camera up to the window the old lady was starring me down … I sheepishly dropped my phone down and left with only my memories.
The return to the ship took about 35 minutes and I think the majority of the people on the bus were napping, I know I was!
