Finally a weekend in Dipkarpaz

Last February I delivered some kitchen units to Dipkarpaz to a couple whom I'd never met before and when I arrived, I was treated to lunch and hospitality that was above and beyond the 'call of duty.' Boysie was with me of course and got more than his fair share of attention as well. After a pleasant afternoon chatting, it was soon time to make the long journey back to the 'metropolis' that was Girne and my hosts told me to come back soon for a weekend to sample the tranquillity of the Karpaz. Well, eventually last weekend, I actually made it and I can heartily recommend it. People think Girne is a laid-back place to be, but I can tell you the Karpaz beats it hands down.

Of course I took loads of photos in and around Dipkarpaz and here they all are.

Here is David and Eva's traditional Turkish built house. It was extensively renovated before they moved in about ten years ago. All the trees, shrubbery and flowers were added by Eva’s own hands. She has green fingers for sure. The plot covers nearly two donum’s (One donum is 1338 square metre's)

I took this photo from a vantage point near the edge of Dipkarpaz. Dave and Eva's house is exactly in the middle. The white building sitting behind the main house is an old cow shed that was converted into living accomodation for when guests like me come to stay.

There is an abundance of flower bearing bushes that attract all kinds of different butterflies in Eva's garden. This example is a Painted Lady (Vanessa Cardui)

This is a Swallowtail (Papillo Machaon) For some reason these beauties do not stay still long enough to be able to get in for a close-up; hence I had to crop extensively and is not as sharp as it could be.

There was an abundance of these as well, which look like Cabbage Whites. Very similar to the ones we get back in the UK but are much larger.

This little beauty of a Dragonfly (Sympetrum Fonscolombii) just happened to be close enough and in the right place at the right time for me to take several snap-shots.

These two little close buddies had one hell of a shock after I took this picture. They became as one; no they didn't even get engaged, as the fly swatter in my hand made them flatter than a pancake. Cruel I know but hey, the little blighters were biting me all weekend, so it was pay-back time.

This friendly little Falcon is a permanent reisdent at The Oasis restuarant we visted for a meal on on my first evening. Aparently he turned up one day injured and the restuarant owner looked after him and he never left. He even let me stroke him under his chin.

The following day, I went for a tour around the Karpaz and this was as far as I could go.

The ruins of Agios Philon Church sat right next door to the Oasis Restaurant. It was constructed on ruins dating from the Hellenistic and Roman periods. It is said Philon was a saint who converted the people of Karpaz to Christianity in the 4th century.

Another view looking at where I presume the alter must have stood.

Here is the view from the Oasis Restaurant overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, just after sunset

Aphendrika was a Byzantine settlement and a major city in the 2nd century BC. The area covers a large area of dwellings and cut tombs. There are three ruined churches, all within a close distance of each other. This is the first (Ayios Georgios) one on the left of the approach road and was built around the 10th centuary AD.

Here is Boysie posing in front of the Ayios Georgios.

Here is a view of the alter area and if one looks carefully one can see candles in the two alcoves, so it would seem it is still used as a place of worship.

Boysie was again posing but decided to do a runner just as I fired the shutter. Perhaps he saw a ghost or felt a bad vibe, as no way would he enter the building again.

This was the largest of the churches showing the only outside wall remaining that was fully intact. I tried to get closer to the ruins but as I only had on a pair of shorts and flip-flops, I thought better of it, as them there shrubs and bushes have sharp thorns guarding them!

This was the remains of the third church and looked as though it had been the smallest of the three.

This massive rock formation just on the edge of the settlement is named Red Rock ('Magic Rock' on my tourist map) for some strange reason?

On my second evening in Dipkarpaz, we went for dinner at the Damla Restaurant run by Paize (Bottom left) and her husband Buoent (Bottom right) They are good friends with Eva and David, standing behind. Paize and Buoent also run the popular Tractor Safari days out, which sound rather fun. They can accommodate up to ten people at a time and take them to places of interest that normally are inaccessible by other means. They even provide the food and if it is anything to go by, the food we had in the restaurant was scrumptious.

I almost forgot about this picture! If one looks carefully at the centre of this photo, one should be able to make out one of the local residents of Ayios Georgios Church. It's a rather large lizard, pretending to be part of the rock it perched on momentarily before it scampered away.

Eva purchased this rather mean looking leaf blower and she asked me to pose for her. Guess what I was saying as she took the picture? Yep, you guessed it. All that's missing is Arnie's muscles and of course his millions of dollar's.

Here is David standing below the Damla Restaurant and Tractor Safari signs

Here is me knocking out a few tunes in the Damla Restaurant

This was the salad we had with our meal. Don't know what happened to the main course?