Inside Limassol's Turkish Quarter

This weekend we didn't hit the road, I just couldn't bear this heat but I still managed to convince Philip to take an early morning walk in the old town.

In the last few years Limassol has changed a lot - for the better - lots of modern buildings were built, the Marina has opened but doesn't seem like anyone cares to restore the old historical part of the town. So before most part of the Turkish Cypriot quarter disappears for good or will be covered by graffiti, I wanted to wander around a bit and take it all in.

We started our little adventure in Feyzi Pasa street. There is a tiny round about and as far as I remember there was an old, abandoned building by the corner I wanted to take a photo of. Although the house was still there, the ground floor was now occupied by some wall deco store, so I was a bit disappointed because the white window frames have ruined the view - for me at least.

Opposite of this building we found another run-down house which is now a residence of the pigeons. Some of the windows were shattered, the shades have fallen down, but the structure still seems stable so we decided to check it out. There were chains on the doors but we could peek in through a glasses and see the waste. It must have been a great big family home back in the time but by now the ceiling and floors were all in really bad condition, dust was covering everything, there was no sign of life anymore.

After the sneaky peek we continued walking down to the Turkish mosque and turned into Ankara street. It really felt like we traveled back in time. More and more houses demolished by time appeared with stairs leading nowhere, small barber and tailor shops were nestled between them, still seeking for old fashion clientele.

The closer we got to the castle area the more lively the street became though.

Coffe shops, wine bars and taverns brought some colors and broke the silence. As it was Sunday morning they were still closed after a busy Saturday night and only the early bird cleaners were busy sweeping the fronts.

For my biggest surprise i found Frida on the wall too. Alone in the middle of the city, waiting for some recognition.

Whilst I was staring at Frida my otter half found his interest too, a rubber ducky shop. He did cry out in surprise so I made my way up there. I must say this was the most entertaining rubber ducky store - not that I've seen any other so far. We saw Harry Potter ducky, a whole Star wars collection, Sherlock, the Queen, Einstein, Mick Jagger, you name it.

Turning right from the ducky shop we reached the medieval castle of Limassol, built during the Ottoman rule. According to the tradition this is where Richard the Lionheart married Berengaria before he set off to Jerusalem on a crusade. Between the massive walls they display many artifacts, tombstones and weapons of war.

Although it's not the prettiest or biggest castle ever it can be worth a visit if you fancy the knights or just had enough of the burning sun.

From the heart of the old town you can walk into quite a few narrow side streets and we chose the one that lead to the Great mosque, Turkish bath and and many newly opened cozy looking bars. The hamam is still functional and it's located opposite of the Kebir (Great mosque). The mosque itself is also still operational today and is one of the most important places for the Muslims of Limassol.

As a big contrast behind the walls youngsters can worship the night life and visit Mason bar or any other popular places. I personally find this street very colorful and fun and really glad that the old walls didn't get totally destroyed yet.

We took a u turn at the end, walked passed the Mosque again and cafe Juego with it's trendy colored umbrellas.

Turned into Eleftherias street and headed back to our car. In the middle of the street stands an empty, forgotten villa that always fascinated me. It's just beautiful despite the garages and mechanic shops that took over the ground floor. There was no information I could find about this house, so I can only rely on my imagination when I say the life within these walls must have been beautiful, posh and shiny, sort of great Gatsby kind. Through the grand balcony glass door all I could see was an art nouveau style chandelier but no furniture or other decoration was visible from my angle.

The main entrance and garden was approachable from the different street, but every gates were locked down. Unbreakable, wild lianas grew over the rusty iron gate and the once prominent villa was left behind to rot.

A phone number was placed on a small "for rent" sign which gave me the idea of how to have a cheeky look inside one day. That would be worth a shot I think...