The Island of Aphrodite
Journey to Cyprus with Alex Veit
Alex Veit Tours Around The World
28 March -1 April 2012
Wednesday - Nicosia the divided capitol - Platres
mountain resort.
Early morning flight to Cyprus. Drive north to Nicosia. Tour
the divided capitol of Cyprus. Visit the Cyprus Museum, built in the
British colonial style, and which displays finds stretching from the stone age
to the time of the Roman Empire. We shall see the special Mycenaean ceramics
collection the tomb monuments and more. We shall drive along the Venetian walls
and moat in to the old city, where we shall see some the finest 18th century
homes in Cyprus built in the traditional domestic architecture. Visit the
restored house of the Dragoman Georghakis Kornesios. Next the
Byzantine museum, where we shall see the wonderful collection of Icons, some
of them date back to the 9th century. Drive to the Platres mountain resort - First class hotel.
Dinner at the hotel.
Thursday – Friday : Pitsilia mountain range,
churches and monasteries.
Two days of touring: The churches we shall see are listed by
Unesco for preservation as World Heritage sites. We drive east to the
remote district of Pitsilia, which is very different in nature from the
other areas of the Troodos mountain range, the landscape is quite Alpine in
nature, jagged mountain tops, steep slopes planted with vineyards, picturesque
villages and deep valleys. We shall visit the Church Panayia Tou Araka -
Mary of The Peas. It's frescoes are from the 12th century and are in late
Commenian style. Continue to
visit Church
of Ayiasmati – The Holy
Cross (15th Cent) with an interior
considered by some to be the finest example of the Post-Byzantine church on the
island. Return to the hotel.
Dinners at a local taverns. Both
nights return to the hotel.
Saturday - The Monastery of Kykko & Troodos
mountain range.
First stop for the day the Monastery of Kykko, which is
famous for being the richest in Cyprus, and the icon Mary "hand painted" by
Luke. We traverse through the villages of Prodromos and Pedhoulas
and continue through Cherry Groves in the Marathasa Valley. We
shall also explore the "Hidden Valleys".
Dinner at a local tavern
Sunday - Gods, Paphos and the Akamas peninsula.
Drive
down to the coast, stop for the view at Petra tou Romiou, legendry
birthplace of Aphrodite. Continue to Paphos, here we shall see the famous
"House of Dionysus" with its mosaics floors. Drive via the
Akamas peninsula's wild landscape, which is one of the last areas of Cyprus
to remain untouched by human hand. Enthusiasts describe it as the last really
Homeric landscape of the Hellenistic world. A short one hour hike a long the
coastal trail from the "Baths of Aphrodite" overlooking the bay of
Chrysokhou.
Drive to
Larnaca Airport, late evening flight to Tel Aviv.
Price of tour:
Based on per person in double room group of 20 pax and up:
Land
arrangements: €655 and Cyprus Airways
Group Air Fare: $300
USD not final!
-
Single supplement:
€90
Extra charge for small group
16-19pax: €50 Euro
Land arrangements include:
- Platres mountain
resort. - First Class Hotel - 4 nights
– Tips: €30 Euro
- 4 breakfasts - Buffet style. - 4
dinners including, some dinners at specially chosen "Cypriot Taverns"
- Luxury air conditioned coach transportation as
per itinerary - Escort Alex Veit*
- Guided tours by specially chosen English
speaking Cypriot guide.
- All entrance fees as mentioned in the
itinerary.
*
Please note: Tour is planned to cater both Israeli and English speaking
clientele. Tours are guided in English by specially chosen local guides )Alex
does not translate what is said in to Hebrew. (How ever Alex will be bilingual,
when it comes to his explanations which deal mainly with administrative aspects
of the tour.
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