LA in the Mediterranean

What do you expect from Cyprus?
Overall, nothing special really, it's an island in the Mediterranean. It used to be a British colony, then Greeks and Turks argued for a long time over who would declare independence, and in the end they split it equally. The southern part is like Greece, but it's an independent state with its own football team, economy, and even its own Eurovision artist (yes, there was such a contest), where Cyprus never placed higher than second. The northern part is like Turkey, but it's an independent state called Northern Cyprus (Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, officially), which, in the best traditions of the Western world, is only recognized by Turkey.

It turns out that Cyprus is pretty cool. There's a quiet coastline with rocky shores, vaguely reminiscent of southern Italy (I haven't been there, but from videos that's exactly how it looks), and the party capital Anapa Ayia Napa, and the economic capital — the city of Limassol.
Today I'm writing my memories about it, and there's plenty to remember. Actually, this city reminded me of Los Angeles on a budget (I haven't been there either, but I sincerely think that's how it is). A wide, nice promenade along the Mediterranean coast. Separate bike lanes designed so that nobody walks on them (!). The water is as blue as you can imagine, or as you can tweak with filters in photos. The promenade is so well-equipped that even after all the Moscow improvements, it seems cool. And there's this vibe of lightness, everyone is walking or running, nobody bothers anyone. Nearby cafes are completely packed with locals who came out for breakfast. In short, total slow life, like in that playlist YouTube recommends with a beautiful picture and lo-fi music on Saturday morning.

When evening falls on the city, you want to dive into the small center and get lost in the warm streets lined with restaurants and bars. You can have dinner for the standard Cypriot 20 euros, and find a place to dance with absolutely any music. Lots of Russians who moved here not just recently, but a few years ago.

By the way, the city has as many as 4 skyscrapers, and Cyprus itself is considered the offshore capital of Europe. Many wealthy Russians used to hang out here, but a lot has changed since then, and now more and more Brits are coming to avoid the recently increased taxes in England.

It's surprising that just 4 years ago you could fly here without a pre-arranged visa on a direct flight from Moscow. Now you can't, so there are many people from all over Europe here, but I'll write about that somewhere else later.
The ticket from Yerevan, by the way, cost about 30 euros (round trip!), yes, almost free.
How we got to Yerevan, got the visa, and how much the trip cost, I'll also write about sometime later. Probably.. Write if you're interested.

That's the deal. I'm off to write about the quiet village and the party capital.

* The photos here are from all over Cyprus, not just Limassol