wrath of Aphrodite

Last weekend, Socs and I decided to head back to Paphos and the Baths of Aphrodite. We were a bit late leaving Nicosia, good thing was that I was getting used to driving on the motorway so we gained a bit of a time. Our first stop was supposedly the Sanctuary of Aphrodite, but we passed by Aphrodite’s Rock on the way there and saw a few people over at the beach. We decided to stop by the tourist center to get some maps (we still had no idea where to go in Paphos) and try to get to the beach and take some pictures.

From the limited knowledge I have of Greek mythology (I haven’t Googled it yet), Aphrodite was supposedly born from the foam of the ocean so naturally I wanted to take a picture of it. My mind raced on how to get that perfect picture in my mind as I went up and down the beach looking for a good spot. I saw a huge rock, which gave me a good vantage point of the forming foam and somewhat protected me from the surge of the ocean. Socs got a great picture of a wave crashing on my spot which almost took my camera out, luckily I only got a few sprinkles of water. I did manage to get a shot of the foam, but I wasn’t completely satisfied.

whoa!


Aphrodite's birth


Then at Aphrodite’s rock itself, I saw more waves crashing through and making lots of sea foam… I couldn’t resist. I went closer, and got close to the ground. This time I wasn’t so lucky. I didn’t think the wave would reach me but it did, and it actually went further than I imagined. I couldn’t do anything, jumping up and down didn’t help… I was ankle deep in sea water… cold sea water.

guess what happens next


Leaving the beach, I took off my socks and shoes to dry them. Fortunately the car came equipped with a heater so I directed the heat towards where my socks where. We arrived at the sanctuary minutes later (with my feet still wet), again taking pictures of the place and visiting the museum showing stuff they dug up during the excavation. It wasn’t as grand as the Temple of Apollo or the Ruins of Kurion, but it wasn’t too bad at all. I was just freezing my toes off that’s all.

as per Socs' request


So off we went again towards Paphos (after taking my shoes and socks off again to dry), to the Tombs of the Kings. This place rivals the Ruins of Kurion in size, with a whole lot of tombs and niches and what have yous. Again, we spent a whole lot of time exploring the place and had no time left to explore the rest of the town.

tombs




life in the midst of death


the only pic in Paphos


We decided to stay over at one of the hotels in Paphos so that we can explore the Baths of Aphrodite the next day. A sumptuous dinner (baked lamb… yummy) and a couple of beers later we threw in the towel and got some sleep.

But again, we woke up later than we initially planned so we rushed towards Polis and the baths. We had brunch near the baths, and we were pretty much satisfied to stay at the restaurant for the rest of the day. Good food and a great view of the crystal blue waters of the Mediterranean… what more can you ask for?

the view


Reluctantly we headed off to see Aphrodite’s bath, which was just a few seconds walk away hehehe. Once we got there, I wanted to take a picture of the water that would make it look like flowing silk. After much playing around with the settings of my camera, I got nothing… except for a scratch on my finger from the rocks by the pool. That’s the second time in that trip I got a “gift” from Aphrodite…

the bath