Sunday, April 28th, Nicosia, Cyprus

Greetings!

Today (in the Eastern Gregorian Calendar) was Palm Sunday in Cyprus.  Just before we left the village of Arsos, we watched the town commemorate Christ's entry into Jerusalem.

We drove northeast through the rest of the Troodos Mountains to Nicosia, capital of the country.  For those unaware, Cyprus is divided by an illegal occupation by Turkey of the northern areas controlled by the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.  Our route stayed just south of the Green Line, named after the color of the pen used to define the separation in the agreement reached in 1964.

I wish I could say that our entry into Nicosia was a pleasant one.  Our apartment hosts (and most in Europe) assumed that we understand the use of WhatsApp, and that we could retrieve and utilize the room access instructions.  All afternoon, we struggled to gain the key and code to open up the apartment door.  It was the most frustrating apartment access we have ever had.   You would think that a simple email with instructions would be the procedure.  Not here.  Or a phone number one could call.  Since we have a European Holafly Esim, including a phone number we could call has been the usual process.  Not here.  We finally got the agency which handles the apartment to include our number in their WhatsApp contacts, after which their video explaining (barely) a very elaborate drop box and power switch process.  Whew.  All we could do when we finally obtained entry was to fall into the bed exhausted and frustrated.

To see the two other photos of the Palm Sunday procession in Arsos, click on Sunday, April 28th, Nicosia, Cyprus.  And we hope your Sunday was better than ours.