Bitter Lemons in Bellapais By Shereena Lingiah At Isnare.com Ezine Articles

The beautiful village of Bellapais, located near to the resort town of Kyrenia was forever immortalised in the 1957 book ‘Bitter Lemons’. So why not pay a visit to the area on your Northern Cyprus holidays and discover a destination which has still managed to retain much of its haphazard Cypriot charm throughout the years.

If it weren’t for the book, the ruined abbey of Bellapais would have secured the village with enough visitors, but as it is the combination of the two elements makes the traditional Cypriot village the perfect destination in which to spend a couple of days meandering around on a holiday in Northern Cyprus.

Upon arriving in Bellapais, your first port of call should be the 12th century abbey. This is built upon a large rock escarpment, which looks out over the town. At night, the gothic monastery is illuminated and the lights provide a perfect backdrop to the promenade of palm trees which stand below. A 15th century Italian mural greets visitors in the entrance porch, whilst an intricately carved pulpit and Bishop’s throne are along some of the remaining interior decorations.

The abbey contains many notable buildings, including a beautifully decorated lavabo on the north side resplendent with lion’s heads and marbled stone. It was here that the monks performed ablutions and today the lavabo provides the perfect vantage point out over the surrounding area. To the southeast of the abbey is the square chapel house, with three intricately carved corbels that have lost sense of their meaning throughout time. One features a man carrying a double ladder, whilst another sees him sandwiched between two young maidens.

On your Northern Cyprus holiday you will discover many small bullet holes throughout the abbey, particularly in the refectory area. This results from the 1800s when the British Army rather barbarically used the abbey for target practice. Nowadays it seems that the monastery is much more appreciated, with the refectory being the venue of choice for classical music concerts and lectures.

Before you leave the abbey, take a visit to the mulberry tree, which stands to the main square and overshadows the coffee shop on the right. This is one of the two mulberry trees in Bellapais which claim to be the famous tree of idleness, Lawrence Durrell observed that one of the most popular past-times amongst the locals was to spend many hours in idle conservation under the said tree. The Tree of Idleness is also the name given to the adjacent restaurant, in which it is possible to get a reasonably priced meze dinner on your holiday in Northern Cyprus.

If you’ve read ‘Bitter Lemons’ you may want to take a trip to Lawrence Durrell’s famous house. The chapter in which he acquires the house is said to be easily the funniest in the book and if you enjoyed this section then it’s well worth visiting the house for yourself. A blue plaque commemorating the author is apparent on the stone wall and visitors have the option of taking a scenic route back to the town through olive presses and orchards. With the breathtaking views that you pass you’ll soon discover that a holiday in Northern Cyprus is anything but bitter lemons.

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