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Locked down but not out in Italy

Singing from the balconies! One nice thing about this crisis ... solidarity! “Guess you’re not living like a tourist anymore,” was the funny, truthful and somewhat gut-wrenching message of a friend the day the lockdown in Italy began. Today is day 6. My beloved Italia has been hit hard with the COVID19 epidemic. With the second largest elderly population in the world, the epidemic has meant a disproportionate amount of deaths in the country. So though I haven’t been worried about contracting it myself, this isn’t about me or someone like me who, if contracted it would probably have a sucky couple of weeks and then recover. It is about if someone like me contracted it and then spread it to a person with a complicated health history or an elderly person with a weakened immune system. Eerily orderly: Lines for the grocery store, each person one meter apart In a country with no concept (and no physical room really) for personal space, and in a city with reproachable hygie
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Postcard from Cyprus!


Why is a trip to Paphos, Cyprus a must?

Paphos is the legendary birthplace of Aphrodite, goddess of love. In fact, the name of this capital city in southwest Cyprus is actually the name of the love child of the goddess of love. Myth has it that Pygmalion, a devote follower of Aphrodite's cult, stole her statue to keep it in his home. Apparently pleased by this, Aphrodite's spirit embodied the statue and she bore Pygmalion two children, a son, Paphos and a daughter, Metharme.

A temple to Aphrodite was built in Paphos by the Myceneans in the 12th Century BC. However, only the foundations remain. Yet, Paphos is still known for its gorgeous mosaics, which is in part the reason for its status as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

As is true in life, however, along with love comes conflict, as the history of Cyprus reflects. The island is still currently split between Greek Cypriots in the south and Turkish Cypriots in the north. Greek-Cyprus entered the EU in 2004 and even adopted the Euro in January 2008, while Turkish-Cyprus is independent of the EU and uses the Turkish Lira. However, perhaps like all good love stories, one day there will be a reconciliation.

Where are you?

Send me a postcard! Just take a digital photo, write a 2-3 line message and send it to touristliving(at)gmail(dot)com! I'll turn your photo into a postcard and post it on my blog to share your experience of living like a tourist in your own city.
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