Everything Turns Blue In Napa's Daylight And Pink In The Night.

Our last weekend was dedicated to Ayia Napa as I never experienced it in daylight and because Phil still gets excited by the prospect of free shots, bar crawls and laughing gas. So we made a deal. He will struggle in the heat and follow me and my camera around Napa and I will put on my party make-up, disregard the images of the next day hangover and follow him around the bars.

So here's what happened...

We set off as early as we could and drove through to Protaras. Cape Greco was our starting point even though we were foolish enough not to take swimsuits with us. The sun was still burning, the air was humid but the sea was crystal clear and azure blue. Last minute tourists were enjoying the boat trips and roasting themselves on the rocks. After a 20 minutes walk we were already boiling and I was more than tempted to jump into the water even with clothes on but the ides of a dripping wet dress for the rest of the day stopped me from doing that.

Visiting Agioi Anargyroi church however was a bliss once we discovered the sea cave underneath it and could sit in the shade for a bit, watching brave kids jumping off the cliffs.

Our next stop was going to be the Agios Saranta Cave Church but we took a wrong turn and ended up driving back to Napa and the Sculpture park which was a crucial point for Philip.

He is just not built for this heat and was melting away.

The open air sculpture park opened in 2014 on the rocky slopes and still expanding year by year, featuring the works of international artists. Absolutely worth to visit, perhaps not in the middle of summer.

The entrance is free, the park is overlooking the Mediterranean and you can have a peaceful walk along the gravel path and sometime rather strange sculptures.

Needless to say I was very much enjoying myself there, walking up and down the hill, taking photos and trying to comprehend the ideas behind the arts but half way through the park Phil already gave up and was begging for some shade.

I did have a mercy on him eventually, a few more clicks later we ventured back to our car.

And a few more...

They say never do grocery shopping when you're hungry and they are very right about it. We were so thirsty and dehydrated that we pretty much bought a monthly supply of drinks in Lidl as soon as we got there. Now, we could have had our second chance to visit the Agios Saranta Cave since as it was very close to Protaras but as I mentioned a couple of times, my Philip was not coping well with the climate so we decided to find our hotel, check in and chill.

We only had a 5 minutes stop on the way there at the lovers bridge. Locking love is always a must for us.

Our accommodation was right in the center of Napa, above a night club which obviously turned out to be disastrous later on but for now we just wanted to a little rest and enjoy every sips of the cold drinks.

An hour and half later we summoned enough energy to have another walk around the harbour in the sunset and have a bite.

It really was the first time I saw the city in daylight and I was surprised how different it looked. So pretty.. and blue. The night owls still didn't hit the streets, the bars were empty and down the marina the view reminded me more of a Greek island than the noisy party town I was used to. The Pirate boat was already docked and the Yellow Submarine was on its way back too with the last round of tourists.

The taverns were getting ready for dinner service and the mermaid was enjoying the last rays of the setting sun.

My town trip time was about to end once the street lights were on and Mr P's fun time was about to start. At least he thought so...

We picked up a couple of gyros on the way and as soon as we got back to the hotel gin and tonic was on the menu too.

The area became significantly louder which worried me a tiny bit ( I was already thinking about my sleeping deprivation) but after few glasses it didn't matter anymore. After 11pm our sleepless night began. We started the bar crawl in Ambassaden bar with their usual one plus one cocktail offer which always worked out well so far.

I'm not allowed to mention the laughing gas incident here so I won't do it...

We had a bit of dance in the bar then continued our way through other clubs like Encore and Pirate inn, passing by Igloo bar and a really naughty corner shop.

As it was the season closing weekend most of the party people already disappeared from Napa which I didn't mind at all. We didn't need to push through drunk crowds and could dance all over the dance floor.

I'm no longer used to night life so around 1 o'clock we called it a night and returned to our hotel, hoping for few hours sleep. Well that didn't happen.

We had to book the hotel in a rush and somehow managed to miss the line in the description where they mention that the rooms are above a popular nightclub with an indoor swimming pool that stays open until the early hours of the morning. Early hours....7AM

I can still recall memories from my early 20's when I could fall asleep literally anywhere but it was not the case anymore. The noise was so tremendous and constant that after a few hours we gave up and decided to drive back home. People were still just arriving to the club when we crawled out of the hotel, dragging the bags and dreaming of our bed which was still an hour away from us.

We arrived home safe around 7 o'clock and I felt like I never want to get up anymore. Ayia Napa is a great place but I will need a time machine built before I return again.