Why Cyprus – Why anywhere

I have recently celebrated two years of living on Malta and enjoyed the experience, especially making friends with some nice people. I have been a writer for years but never took it seriously until in my early forties. After marrying and living in the USA for a number of years I began to think about moving to a new home where the pace of life was slower and the weather was more agreeable. Not only that but somewhere where I could feel more comfortable and inspired to write. I am not a hugely successful writer but none-the-less a writer needs to be surrounded by whatever he or she considers an inspirational environment. The Malta experience has been interesting but the environment has not been what I am looking for.

It was while I was writing Isia’s Secret that I started remembering my visit to Cyprus in the seventies. Apart from all the troubles at the time, I did tour the whole island and loved it. I remember driving along the coast road to Paphos. There was hardly any traffic and I pulled off of the road at one point and drove straight onto the beach. There were and still are many deserted areas on Cyprus where the view might be trees or sea or a mountain view; places of scenic beauty and quiet isolation. Compared to the 122 square miles of Malta, Cyprus is 3571 square miles and that’s quite a difference especially if you are looking for a little nook to hide in. On Malta the population is expanding, and add to that the 4 million visitors each year it is hard to find a little nook. If you do it will not be quiet. I will put up with most things including many power cuts during the year but going without water for three days on an island that has no natural water resources is another irritation that has convinced me I need to move.

So next week I am off to Cyprus for three weeks to re-introduce myself and look for that certain Shangri-La where I can walk out of my small bungalow/villa and not hear a cacophony of car and truck horns spoiling my train of thought or a landscape of sandstone buildings without a tree in sight. A Maltese author who moved from here to Cyprus a few years ago posted a photo on FaceBook that showed a deserted road in Sliema in the thirties, a time when tourism was unheard of. ‘If only,’ I wrote. Trees are what I miss most of all and there are many on Cyprus including forests, one of which is set in and around the Troodos mountains. I look forward to being surrounded by them and feeling the isolation they create.

A very good friend of mine left Malta for a three month stay on Cyprus to get her visa sorted out. After living on Cyprus for a month she was convinced she had to move there. She fell in love with the island and the Greek people. The only draw-back is the Cypriots do not speak much English. Now that should be really interesting, and a challenge. Of course there are pros and cons wherever we choose to live but if we look hard enough there is a little spot somewhere with our name on it. We just have to be brave enough to go claim it. I have no idea where I am going to live on Cyprus but I have narrowed the search down to Paphos. I also know I will be moving there in the spring. Nothing will stop me.

Love you all, Ciao ciao.