Kyrenia The Jewel Of Northern Cyprus

W ith 340 days of sunshine       harbour which is lined with        a year and the perfect        waterfront restaurants where       Mediterranean climate         you'll be able to while away a     it's no wonder thousands of           lazy afternoon watching the        visitors flock to Cyprus every        fishing and sailing boats going    year to escape the sometimes less     about their business.              forgiving Northern European                                              climate.                              Anyone lucky enough to enjoy a                                           stay in North Cyprus should never  Northern Cyprus has all of the        miss the opportunity to see        prerequisites for the perfect         Kyrenia harbour at night.          summer break: sun...lots of!          Hundreds of candles gently light   Beautiful sandy beaches, warm         the waterside restaurants and      turquoise blue waters to bathe in     flicker and dance off the water's  and a sumptuous mix of the best       edge creating the most perfect     of Eastern and Western cuisine.       ambience in which to dine          And Northern Cyprus is able to        anywhere in the world. If you're   offer its many visitors far more      a lover of freshly cooked seafood  than a perfect climate and fine       you'll be spoilt by the huge       food; one of the highlights of a      array of seafood dishes on offer   visit to Northern Cyprus is a         at the specialty fish restaurants  trip to the ancient and beautiful     which are the pride of Kyrenia's   harbour town of Kyrenia (or           harbour.                           Girne).                                                                                                        To the side of the old harbour     The town of Kyrenia, or Girne as      sits the magnificent Byzantine     it's called in Turkish, is the        Kyrenia castle, once used during   jewel in the North's crown; a         colonial times as a prison by the  fine old harbour town with a          British it's now the home of the   beautiful horseshoe shaped            Kyrenia shipwreck museum which     houses one of the oldest trading      designer clothes for a fraction    shipwrecks in the world. The ship     of the price that they would have  sailed the Mediterranean at the       cost you back home.                time of Alexandra the Great and                                          it sank around 300BC when it was      If you plan to stay a while in     already of quite an age! Many of      Kyrenia then you'll be pleased to  the objects the ship carried on       know that accommodation is         its voyage over 2300 years ago        available to suit all budgets:     are now also on display at the        from simple bed and breakfast to   shipwreck museum including            grand 5 star luxury in hotels      perfectly preserved almonds which     like The Rocks or The Colony,      were stored in around 9000 jars       each able to offer luxury that     held under the sea until the ship     will satisfy the demands of the    was recovered in 1969.                most discerning guests. The                                              Colony will take you for a tour    The central shopping area of          of the old town in a beautiful     Kyrenia lies just behind the old      horse drawn carriage and if you    harbour. It is well preserved and     prefer a little Hollywood living   quaint with plenty of twisty          then a luxury stretched limo can   narrow streets to explore each        be waiting to take you to a        with their own unique character       beachside restaurant of your       and charm. For those who like a       choice.                            bit of retail therapy, be it for                                         gifts to take back to loved ones      Northern Cyprus is blessed with    or for the latest high street         natural beauty and the charmed     fashions, you won't be                and historic old town of Kyrenia   disappointed. Kyrenia is the          is truly the jewel in the crown.   perfect shopping location for the     There is literally something for   savvy shopper where you'll be         everyone to see and do - whether   able to pick up high quality          it's to taste the fine seafood,    to step back thousands of years       the most beautiful locations the   in history or to simply relax and     Mediterranean has to offer.        watch the world go by in one of        About the Author: Rhiannon Williamson is a freelance writer whose articles about international travel and living in North Cyprus have appeared in many travel and expatriate publications throughout the world. You can find more of her articles at: - http://www.aboutnorthcyprus.com/ Source: www.isnare.com