The easternmost island in the Mediterranean, Cyprus is sometimes mistakenly referred to as “one of the Greek Islands”. Not so. Although very Greek indeed, the Republic of Cyprus is a separate country, and member of the European Union.
Research on Cyprus indicated an annual abundance of sunshine, mild winters/hot dry summers, low crime rate, moderate cost of living, clear sea, and official 2nd language is English! Bill’s E.U. passport permits employment/residence—no more temporary tourist visas!
With Cyprus as next adventure, departed Penang, Malayasia with a stopover week in Athens. Arrived in Larnaca, Cyprus at night; our pre-ordered transfer drove us an hour north towards Nicosia in total darkness! Next day, obtained a rental car and went to the capital city Nicosia, looking for Immigration to officiate residence! Learned we needed to do that back in Larnaca where we had landed. Cruised around city but did not stay…the sea was calling to us (as the sea does with every island we’ve been to).
Settled into moderately priced (off season) MacKenzie beachfront hotel, marveling at how clear the sea was. A hotel employee introduced us to a property manager from whom we rented a downtown apartment for 3 months. We had to move due to an extremely noisy neighbor amidst the noisy city centre. A real estate agent showed us a MacKenzie Beach flat where only the weekends were packed, lively, and extremely noisy.
The upper flat in a small building was 3 blocks from the beach. With view of the sea and Larnaca airport which we came to enjoy immensely watching the multitude of airlines or military planes. Upon arrival at the flat, Covid also arrived in Cyprus. Severe restriction of outdoor activity and shutdowns gave an eerie atmosphere to deserted streets and apprehension of future events or a return to normalcy.
