A trip to Cyprus

In a blink of an eye, the week-long trip to Cyprus is over, and it seems that the first day of the driver's pick-up is just around the corner. As soon as I got off the plane, the pick-up driver clapped his hands and greeted everyone enthusiastically with a full English accent. The car we took was also very different, and there was a small trailer behind the car to put our luggage. This driver comes from Scotland and has lived here for more than ten years because he likes the climate in Cyprus. Along the way, we were introduced to the history of Cyprus, which used to be a British colony. In 1974, Turkey invaded Cyprus (the locals called it an invasion). Now Cyprus is divided into two parts, one part belongs to Greece and the other part belongs to Turkey. He told us that the local people don't obey the traffic rules, and sometimes even the red light will run, so be careful when crossing the road, even on the sidewalk. Later, every time we crossed the road, we were like frightened birds, yelling and reminding each other. Cyprus is extremely dry, and the driver says it hasn't rained here for five months. But they will have large and small reservoirs in case of emergency. Then where did their vegetables come from? The driver said there was an irrigation system, and local vegetables and fruits were produced. But I'm still puzzled. If it doesn't rain for several months, the stored water will be used up soon. The scenery along the way is all gray, and only some green embellishments will be seen from time to time.

After that, I experienced the local drought in the desert. We drove a mountain bike, and the tour guide gave everyone a pair of dustproof glasses and a "dustproof" scarf. At that time, I didn't understand what this did. I didn't understand the importance of this pair of glasses and scarf until the barren mountain area where almost all the plants died and the loess flew all the way. What is particularly amazing is that in the area where all the surrounding plants are yellow, a green tree will occasionally appear. I don't know how such a tree gets water. Is the root of this tree particularly deep and can be nourished from the depths? At this time, I remembered a sentence that Nietzsche said, "People are like trees. The more they yearn for the light in the high places, the more their roots will extend to the dark underground." On the extremely arid loess, these vibrant trees reflect those dead plants and seem to interpret Nietzsche's sentence.

In running all the way, loess gravel is lifted along the way, and sometimes the mountain road is rugged, and there is a cliff below, and some people are afraid. The last stop was a waterfall. When we saw it, everyone was a little disappointed. That famous waterfall, in fact, is at most a small mountain spring flowing down from a height. But if you think about such a desolate mountain area, you can see the mountain spring, which is already very precious. This mountain spring comes from the melting snow water on the mountain. The local family also built a mill through this mountain spring, which has a history of hundreds of years. Now you can also see the big millstone, kerosene lamp, clothes at that time, old photos of that family and the introduction of family history. The mill didn't stop using until 1957. Because of this mountain spring, people gathered nearby to form a village with a history of hundreds of years. In arid areas, where there is water, people will settle down and form villages. The history of mankind is closely related to water.

The "desert trip" ended, and on the way back, I didn't expect to encounter a heavy rain. The speed of mountain bikes is not low, and there is no windshield. The people sitting in front are screaming with pain from the rain, and the people sitting in the back are laughing hysterically. Finally arrived at the garage, we all looked flustered, our hair was messy, and the people sitting in front were all soaked through. But we are all excited. We have experienced the heavy rain that we haven't seen in the local area for five months.

Paphos, where we live, is listed as a world historical heritage by UNESCO. A huge local archaeological park and the king's tomb really make this title worthy of the name. The most regrettable thing in Paphos is the lack of professional tour guides. Paphos is rich in tourism resources, with a crystal clear Mediterranean, historical sites of 2, years or more, and a well-preserved town with a history of hundreds of years, but there are no storytellers. If there is no story in history, this history is dead and no longer energetic. However, even if I didn't find a guide, after reading the brief introduction, I imagined myself going back to two thousand years ago and walking through the wonderful mosaic, the grand theater and the cemeteries built like houses, and my heart was filled with a magical yearning. How many people have walked through this land, farmers, nobles, invaders, monks, and the disciple of the Bible-Paul. From the original indigenous people who migrated from Greece to the occupation of it by various empires, Greece and Cyprus are hostile to Turks until now.

A particularly friendly and enthusiastic staff member of the hotel also regretted that there was no professional guide to show us around. Before we went to the Archaeological Park and the King's Mausoleum, she volunteered to take the time to give us a short history lesson. When we asked her the difference between Turkish Cyprus and Greek Cyprus. Before she heard us out, she interrupted us, "There is no Turkish Cyprus here, they are invaders, and the local residents of Cyprus are all from Greece, so we all speak Greek." She also talked about how her grandparents were forced to leave their hometown because of the Turkish aggression. Later, a local driver also said that Greece and Cyprus would not import vegetables from Turkey even if they were in short supply. There are many foreign investors in Cyprus, including many investors from China, who can see Chinese billboards to attract investment from time to time. But Greece and Cyprus will never accept Turkish investment.

Cyprus's special geographical position has made this small island wrapped in the torrent of history. I am curious about how the local people have survived through several empires in the past thousands of years.

On the last day of the trip, eight people were sitting in a small jeep. There are two long benches facing each other in the back. Without this day's trip, all my impressions of Cyprus would be desolation and drought. This time I entered the mountains, but it was unexpectedly green. Of course, this green color can't compare with Luo's green color at all. When I had the opportunity, I reached out and picked the pomegranate on the roadside. It looked green, but I didn't expect it to be full of water and sweet. It was the best pomegranate I had ever eaten in my life. There are mangoes, which are not eaten because of allergies. Others are full of praise after eating them. Along the way, almost everyone felt a little carsick and wanted to return to the hotel early. But the driver is very conscientious and doesn't skip a scenic spot. It will also give us a little surprise, stop the car, pull out a handful of weeds, and let us guess what plants. Unexpectedly, this is the most important condiment in the Indian meal we ate the other day, curry. The museum in the monastery is also surprise gift, many donations from Russian Orthodox Church, and even cultural relics from five or six thousand years ago. Because time doesn't allow, it takes only half an hour to feel the way through a small town with hundreds of years. It's a pity that the stone road there has experienced the vicissitudes of history at first glance. The last stop is three stones, about the story of the god of love in Greek mythology. It is said that when the moon is full, you can stay young by swimming naked for three times. Instead of swimming, we found the stones in the sea very beautiful and picked them up wholeheartedly. I sat on the stone beach and picked it up. Others rolled up their trouser legs, took off their shoes and went to the sea to pick it up. They also screamed from time to time, and the stones under their feet were too pricking. However, I found a particularly beautiful stone, so I don't hesitate to stab people again.

I have to make up for my trip by boat. I was in the sun all the way, and it was beautiful. Most of the boats are British. Interestingly, many people have tattoos. Cyprus used to be a British colony, so it is also a traditional holiday resort for the British. When the ship approached the port, the host on board also took everyone to dance the traditional Greek dance.

this week, the time was completely filled, and we laughed and laughed all the way, like a day in a week. I once felt that time was lengthened, but this time it was shortened. Although lengthening and shortening the surface are opposite directions, they are probably different representations of the same thing in the deepest part.