Israel & Cyprus

Israel to Cyprus

Sea Fever Journal

By Wendy Catlin                                    

Pathos, Cyprus

Upon approach to Israel, security is very tight as you can well imagine. We have to check in by radio with the Israeli Navy when we are within twenty-seven miles of the coastline. Even so, a heavily armed Navy police boat approaches us, wanting all of our details. They decide not to board us, then went tearing off in another direction. We arrive mid morning on a Saturday at Ashkelon Marina. I see children participating in all kinds of water sports, running around in bathing suits, adults looking like they are on vacation. We are back in western society! Something just hits me and I break down and cry my eyes out. I think I am truly relieved to be here and truly overwhelmed at what we have accomplished this far. After many hugs from Rob, I settle down. Suddenly friends who have arrived before us are greeting us. They all look so relaxed and clean!!!! We are allowed visits on shore, but no one can come on board until we have officially entered the country. We spend the rest of the day washing the dust, dirt and salt off the decks, hatch covers, winches etc. I can tell this is only superficial and the beginning of a long process. This is going to be a major cleaning effort to get Sea Fever back in shape. Fortunately, there is plenty of water here. This luxury of water (at no extra cost!) is why most yachts coming from the Red Sea stop in on the way to exploring the Mediterranean. We work very hard to get everything perfect as we have a good friend joining us in a few days. We also have the opportunity to catch up on the "yachtie circuit" at a BBQ someone has organized in the common area. We meet new people as well as catch up with old friends. On the day our guest, Penny is to arrive, Sea Fever is suddenly clean and very together. We cannot help but invite friends over for dinner to help us enjoy it. Not sure what exact time Penny is to arrive, so I keep checking outside if there is anyone wandering looking for us. Then lo and behold, I see a flashlight that looks like it is lugging a suitcase. I call out and sure enough, she has arrived!! Great hugs and greetings! I am so happy to see someone from home, a good friend. Right away, Penny is introduced to several of our friends and gets taken in the fold. She immediately gets the feeling of the community we are now part of. She is excited as I am as to the adventures we hope to have while she is here with us.

After a day of getting settled, Rob, Penny and I planned out an itinerary for the next few days. The old city of Jerusalem was high on the list and off we went. We decided to take the bus which gave us the flexibility we wanted. On the way, we were able to get a feeling for the countryside as well as a good look at the suburbs of the city. The white stone (limestone?) landscape lends itself to terracing and this is what we saw along the way, both natural and man made. We get off the bus and head for the old walled city. As we pass through an ancient gate, it is like entering another world. Carrying our overnight bags, we were suddenly in the center of a busy bazaar. The address of the hostel brought us onto an even narrower and more crowded narrow cobblestone "street" . It was great. So much life and activity around us it was almost overwhelming. This city is the Mecca for Jewish, Muslim and Christian faiths, this is where much of the religion we know today began.

The history of Jerusalem has influenced us all whether we are religious or not. Even though there are many tourists, it is fascinating to walk on the age-old cobblestone streets feeling the antiquity around us. After we checked into our rooms and having a fabulous lunch, Rob, Penny and I decided we needed a bit of background. We start with the museum. Good decision. Beautifully done in the citadel, sometimes called the Tower of David. What we saw and learned laid the groundwork for the rest of our visit to this ancient city.

The next morning, after taking care of business, such as post office and bank, we walked around the top of the wall of the city. This gave us a fantastic view of the Armenian and Jewish Quarters of the city. Continuing our exploration, we went to the City of David. We were looking for a secret water tunnel that Penny wanted to explore. In early times and to protect the city water supply from invaders, a secret waterway was built hidden under ground. Penny really wanted to walk through it so she and Rob went, taking a flashlight with them. Me being a bit claustrophobic met them at the other end at Gihon Spring. When they came out, both were a bit wet and seemed exhilarated from the experience.

Our next stop was to the Wailing Wall. This wall is a sacred place for those of the Jewish faith. People come to pray at the wall, reading or singing prayers, bowing or rocking of bodies while doing it. Many leave notes in the wall, hoping for quicker answers to their prayers. Women are in one section of the wall, and the men in another.

The next important site we visited was the Dome of the Rock in the Al-Aqsa Mosque. The area comprises one-sixth of the old city and dates back 1400 years. It is one of the three most sacred places on earth for Islam. At its center is the Dome of the Rock (built in 685 AD) which is one of the world's most beautiful and enduring architectural treasures. It covers the rock that Mohammed was on when he ascended to the heavens from earth.

As I entered this magnificent building, I felt a complete and utter quiet and peacefulness. I was in awe of the beauty inside. Magnificent marble columns combined with the most intricate and elaborate script paintings and tiled motifs. Under my bare feet, I feel the luxury of a thick, richly colored Oriental rug. Above, the gold dome stretches twenty meters across, rising to thirty-five meters. If one has never felt holy before, you cannot help but feel a little bit of it here in this place.

We left the mosque area, entering the city through a large gate entering a city street with a high arched ceiling. It seemed very dark and mysterious and very fitting after our experience in the Dome of the Rock. We stopped here to have some tea and take a breath before moving on to get our bags and catch the bus back to Ashkelon.

CYPRUS

On 4 June, we depart Ashkelon for Cyprus. We have a quick stop in Tel Aviv to pick up a part then we are on our way! It takes us two nights to reach Larnaca, Cyprus. We had some very good sailing as well as having to use the engine part of the time. Penny was excited as it was her first time at sea with out land in sight and also to experience an overnight journey. We arrive at the marina at 0700, greeted by our friends on SV Tradition who helped us in.

This was our first time coming in "stern to" (stern or bow to dock) which means you tie up to a wall or dock from your stern rather than going along side the dock. . ie: in a car, parallel parking versus parking lot parking. This is the Mediterranean system so more boats can squeeze into a docking area. Rob and I are both going to have to practice this method, as we will have to do it a lot here in this part of the world. Lots of fenders on the side of the boat is a good thing to have!! After checking in, we had a rest, then walked around town a bit to see what Larnaca is all about. Southern Cyprus is mainly Greek speaking Cypriots and Greek Orthodox Christian. The northern part of the island has been taken over by Turkey and is mainly Muslim. Nicosia, the capitol is a divided city, similar to Berlin when the wall was up. Along the waterfront we find lots of Greek restaurants and international holidaymakers. It is a Sunday and booths are being set up for evening markets. We try to visit the local castle, but it is closed. Just a block or two from the waterfront, we find the real town of Larnaca. Lovely stone buildings and Cypriots going about their daily lives. This is the part we like best about the places we visit.

The next day, we take a rented car to explore the island for a couple of days. We head inland to the mountains passing through valleys of olive groves, citrus trees and cherry orchards. We pass through small villages with older Greek men sitting in cafes drinking coffee. We decided to stop in one of these villages for a look around. As we are sitting in a café, an older man comes to our table. He speaks no English, but keeps saying "Stravos". We think it is his name. After a bit, he indicates for us to follow him. He takes us through the village and soon we arrive at this beautiful little church situated on a ridge overlooking the valley. It was first built in the sixth century and repaired and rebuilt in thirteenth century. A sign tells us that this church is a world heritage site making it quite an important piece of architecture. The old man has the key and took us inside. The walls are covered with old but brilliantly colored frescos of all the saints as well as many religious stories. We feel very happy to be brought to such a special place. Another man joined us, giving us fresh cherries and half dozen eggs fresh from tree and nest!

We continue to travel admiring the scenery. There are many monasteries throughout the mountains and we are looking for one to visit. Also, we find we are in wine country!! Penny and I are happy about this!!! So while looking for a monastery, we find a winery. We are welcomed by the keeper and invited below to the cellars and tasting room. There are several cellars with of hundreds of bottles of wine in each. Tasting was a delight, as the wine was excellent. We left with a case!

As we travel through the villages, we notice that many of the stores are closed and that there are no young people. A conversation with a local postmistress tells us that the young people work in the city and come back in the evening. Hence, most stores are open only in early morning and in the evenings. As we continue up the mountains, we come to the Trodos area. This is the highest part of Cyprus (Mount Olympos 1952 meters). There are many pine trees and the air is quite crisp. This geology of this area is important in that scientists come here to study how the ocean's crust was formed 90 million years ago. We pick the least touristy restaurant to enjoy a leisurely lunch. While we are eating, it starts to pour down with rain. What a treat after all this time without rain! On our return to the coast, we find a monastery to visit. It was a peaceful place, perfectly situated in the mountains to receive water from the hills above and looking out a valley to the sea below. After this pleasant stop, we continue down the mountains through villages, stopping for a little shopping for local crafts. Embroidery and lace is the thing here and Penny found a lovely tablecloth to take home.

We arrive in the upper city of Pathos, a favorite place of Aphrodite, Goddess of love. We find accommodation for the night in a nice hotel overlooking the city and the sea. We are planning a good long walk tomorrow and get to bed fairly early.

The next day we drive to the westernmost part of Cyprus. We are headed to the area of Akamas to see the baths of Aphrodite and to enjoy a nature walk and picnic lunch.

Penny and I were looking forward to jumping into the baths of Aphrodite to make us young and virginal again. But it is only a small grotto and no one is allowed to go in the water. Oh well…we just stay the wonderful way we are!! After donning our hiking gear, hats, and picnic lunch we head off on a 7.5 kilometer trail which takes us high above the coast of this beautiful island.

We enjoy if for quite some time, but Penny and I start to feel the heat of the day, getting pretty tired. But just about then we find a shady spot for lunch and we revive quite well. When we return to the car, we are pretty tired, but satisfied with ourselves for getting some good exercise. After a long drive back to Larnaca, we are once again aboard Sea Fever. We are tired and it feels good to be back home on the boat. We depart for just before dark for an overnight sail to Pathos. We had very little wind, so we had to motor most of the way.

We arrive at Pathos Harbour at 1130 in the morning on Penny's birthday!

Beautiful day, beautiful small harbour with a small fort. Pathos was at one time an important Phoenician trading post. It is thought that the harbour in which we are anchored is built on the remains of a Phoenician harbour. The fort was originally built by Lusignan kings, and later modified by the Turks. Penny wanted a swim in the Med, so Rob took us by dingy to the beach. It was not the most glamorous of beaches, but the water was nice and the exercise good. After the swim we did a bit of shopping. That evening we celebrated Penny's birthday having a lovely dinner on board and enjoying some fine wine Penny brought from Israel

The next day we visited the nearby ruins of an ancient city. We go through the houses of Dionysos, Theseus and Alon. These houses have the Mosaics of Pathos which are mosaic floors that look like great carpets. Tiny tiles have been put together to make impeccable geometric designs, and scenes which depict portraits, animals, and story telling. As we continue to walk around this ancient place, we find an amphitheater, caves, which may have been tombs.

This is Penny's last day with us. The time has been too short. She leaves us in the afternoon. We will miss her.

Rob and I set sail for Rhodes 10 June 1999.