Paphos Local Customs

A game of backgammon is very popular in the (kafenio) cafes where older people meet for a chat and time of relaxation.

You will see friends gathered around the small table where their friends play ....sometimes the game can get serious, and the friends who participate bet who is going to win and this is fun.

Sometimes at these cafes or Kafenia as they are called in Cyprus you can find friends playing cards but they are not playing for money. Just for fun and it can be a favourite passtime.

Cyprus also has rich musical and dance traditions quite distinctive from those of Greece. Instruments that typically accompany folk dances are the violin and laouto, a lute with four double strings played with the quill of an eagle or vulture. Many Cyprus dances are performed face-to-face and as a suite. Both men and women are very nimble-footed and the dances often allude to village courtship rituals - and are therefore most popular at wedding ceremonies in Cyprus.

Hardly a week goes by in Cyprus without a celebration of some sort, whether it is a colourful festival or homage to a saint on one of the numerous 'name' days. The 'Panigiri', a traditional open-air fete, takes place mainly in the Cyprus villages on the occasion of a saint's name day.

Electricity in Cyprus has 220 Volt, but the plug might be different from the one that you use in your homecountry and so it will be the best to take an adaptor-plug with you, because even the big hotels obviously dont have a single plug in the rooms for the ordinary plugs of Europe.
Charging you batteries etc. will only be possible when you have the right adaptor like in my photo !

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This is what you will see on the beach of Petra tou Romiou, that is also called "the birthplace of Aphrodite" Hundreds of hearts arranged by lovers can be seen there,it is fun to walk through there and take a look at these great works of art !
Petra tou Romiou is about 30 min to drive to from Paphos, it is situated east of Pafos.

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There is also a Hamam in the very centre of Paphos. A Hamham is the turkish steam-bath, that includes massages as well. I have not done it yet, but some day I will try it out for sure.
You ill find the hamam about 100 meters from the elevator that takes you from the large carpark to the upper part of town.

Stray cats are all over Cyprus and in the hotel Akteon they had mainly been on the lower terraces but thank-heavens neighter around the pool nor inthe restaurants etc.
In case that you are allergic against them (like I am) you should ask for a room on 1st floor, because the cats normally cannot reach these balconies.
----------------------------------------From personal experiences in the various hotels where I was working I know that you can teach any cat to avoid going to any area, where you dont want to have them. You just have to be nice to them in other places and push them away from certain other areas, where they should not go.
And they will remember very well, that they are not accepted there, when Michael is on duty,and will stay away. And when the boss came, kitty knew, she is accepted also at the reception even when Michael is on duty. And in such an occasion she did take a seat on top of the reception-bar and take a look at me like smiling and saying "Ha, Michael, NOW that the boss is around, you certainly wont mind that I have a seat here ! " ;-)))

Be aware that Banks close around 1 p.m. on a Friday and all day on Saturdays and Sundays. Although there are a number of kiosks which will change currencey, it's advisable to make sure that you have enough funds to cover you for the weekend.

This is a more important event in the Greek Orthodox Church than is Christmas. In Paphos, as all over Greece and Cyprus, it is the biggest celebration of the year. It is definitely worth the effort to visit Paphos at this time of year. There are atmospheric candle-lit processions, firework displays and feasting. The date of the celebration is different each year, but you can work it out, as it is 50 days after the first Sunday in Lent, which incidentally is occasion for a carnival of its own. You have to book early for the Easter celebrations as they attract many visitors from Europe.