Jogging with a passport

One of the quirks of Nicosia is the option to carry a passport when you go for a run.    Our house is close to one of the border crossings between the north and the south. This morning I went for a run that involved crossing the border near our house and then running along the 'green line' or UN buffer zone and into the old city in North Nicosia, before crossing back into the south at a different border point.  Somewhat surreal to jog up to a border checkpoint, have my passport and visa stamped, and then proceed across no man's land to the other side.  When you cross into the north, there is nothing subtle about the change of national focus.  Soon after the crossing you pass under an enormous sign stating 'happy and proud to be a Turk'.  

North Nicosia provides an interesting contrast to the southern part of the city where we live.  Many aspects of the architecture are similar.  For example the beautiful old framed doorways, stately limestone block houses and cobbled streets and squares in the old town.  There are a number of contrasts also, with a strong Turkish character to the food, cafes, shops and of course the mosques.   Houses along the green line remain derelict, largely unchanged from when the war finished in 1974.  The buffer zone has a eerie atmosphere, and it's hard to not think about the lives of the many families who used to live there.  

We've been reading a lot over the last few months about the history of the island, and the conflict over the past 50 years.  Of course each side has their own story and aportions blame to the other but the core fact is that the partition of the island has had tragic consequences for many people on both sides of the divide.  The conflict is long dormant, but the newspapers on both sides trade a war of words on a daily basis.  The current UN Special Envoy to Cyprus is none other than Alexander Downer(!).  His mandate is to work with leaders on both sides of the island and seek to broker some sort of resolution, with a push towards possible reunification.  It seems that this goal is a long way off.  Just quietly, I'm not sure that Downer, A. is the best man for the job to bring these two sides together.......!

You can see the emotion in signs at various war memorials

It's been interesting for us to meet more families from both sides of the island.  A number of students at the kid's school come are Turkish Cypriot, and they cross the border each day to go to school.  Certainly an eye opener for our kids to have school friends from such diverse backgrounds.  


Things are starting to warm up here, which means many more tourists around.  I flew in last weekend, and was amazed at the number of Russian and English charter flights on the tarmac at Larnaca.  We're feeling more settled now, although still working at building some community.  Sarah and I are taking a few Greek lessons each week, and we're also trying to get some more balance and normality into our lives by getting out for dinner together on a regular basis.  Small things about life here continue to surprise.  Even a trip to the local butchers last week.  When we asked for some lamb chops, the butcher went out the back and returned with a full carcass, asking which particular cuts we wanted.  Nothing like getting close to the source!


A few recent pics of the family are included below.

Anna's 2nd birthday