Of rocks of love, walls of hate and magical hills…

His watchful eyes gaze past my ignorant ones as he stands guard wielding his intimidating weapon in the narrow labyrinth of streets. The intensity of the moment is broken by the chimes of Church bells and the prayers from a mosque, both of which co-exist within yards of each other.

The guard was a part of the UN peacekeeping forces in the enchanting city of Lefkosia in Cyprus, which lives up to its clichéd title of “the last divided capital” of the world. Lefkosia embodies the spirit of Cyprus- a beautiful contradiction between the cultures and traditions of the west and east, between invaluable archaeological remains and symbols of modern day human conflict.

Cyprus is divided between the Republican south occupied by Greek Cypriots and the north occupied by Turkish Cypriots along the “ Green Line”. The images of this divide at the capital city of Lefkosia are still clear in my mind- the harsh graffiti on the walls of the torn down buildings, pictures of missing people from the times of the conflict and suspicious looks from guards or locals passing by. Having spent the earlier couple of days lazing on the sun-kissed beaches of Lemesos and Agia Napa, I barely felt I was still in the same country.

Walking southward along Lefkosia’s dusty streets, the place seemed nothing like the city I just saw. The broken buildings were replaced by upscale ones and the conservative dresses by high-end designer couture. I reflected on what I had just seen as I sipped my Starbucks Coffee Frapuccino…finally something felt familiar and comforting.

The narrow meandering roads of Lefkosia reminded me of those in Dhrousia in Western Cyprus where I went to experience the ‘Magic Road’, which occurs a few yards away from a kiosk ironically called Phenomenon. I switched off the engine on the ascent up the slope. Riding gently along, defying gravity, the car ascended to the top of the hill! It was something one had to try again and I did. The scientific explanation was underground water magnetism but to me it was simply mysterious.

On the last day, as I drove past the picturesque south-western coast, I stopped at the beach of Petra Tou Rominou or Aphrodite’s rock and beach. It is one of the most famous and mythical beaches of Cyprus. Legend has it that Aphrodite, the ancient patron Goddess of Cyprus arose from here. Suddenly, the image of the glistening white rock arising out of the azure sea told me that this is the Cyprus I would remember, the image of magnetic beauty dominating a landscape of complexities.

I left Lefkosia reminiscing about my journey through Cyprus, feeling there was lot more to explore, yet there was so much this place had taught me- most significantly that contradictions could co-exist so beautifully and magically. I believe Cyprus has left an indelible mark on the spirit of vagabonds, such as myself.