On November 15th, I took 9:45pm flight to Heathrow, London, where I changed planes (after a layover, of course) to Larnaca, Cyprus. I was joining a friend (who I met at the Larnaca airport) to attend a Global Woman Conference. The conference focused on The Power of Positivity and was organized by Elisabeth Villiger Toufexis, regional director of Global Woman Cyprus. Global Woman is an international organization celebrating women entrepreneurs across the globe with over 30 chapters in 30 countries.
Before I speak more about Global Woman Cyprus, note that I am a member of the International Page Turners, a book club of 5 women (within the Global Woman community) who met digitally during Covid and were now to meet for the first time. Three members live in Cyprus, Maggie from Scotland and myself from New York. What a great idea!
After traveling for 20 hours, here are who greeted me at the airport in Larnaca. I thought I was going to meet a driver holding my name up, but instead, the 3 Page Turners who live in Cyprus completely surprised me.
A Cyprus welcoming. Photo credit Sora Vernikoff
So after this amazing surprise, it was off to a great hotel Maggie had selected.
We stayed at a small hotel named Chrielka. It boasts a great location near the beach and Old City and is lovely, fair priced, and with an attentive, excellent staff. The Mediterranean can be seen across the seat from the hotel.
Cyprus Chrielka hotel Photo credit Sora Vernikoff
Cyprus View of Mediterranean. Photo credit Sora Vernikoff
I’m so in love with Cyprus that I completely forgot to give you some information about the place.
Cyprus is the third-largest and third-most populated island in the Mediterranean. It’s located south of Turkey, east of Greece, north of Egypt, and west of Syria. Its capital is Nicosia, and Cyprus is the product of volcanic activity under the sea -from over 90 million years ago. Cyprus provides a massive source of copper and is famous for halloumi, its unique cheese!
Other than that! Let’s return to some of my favorite images I will hold in my heart forever…
On the 17th (I got to Cyprus the evening of the 16th), Maggie and I took a walk to the Old Town, where we shopped and had lunch (a healthy grilled chicken salad as shown below, the likes that I have never experienced and miss already!).
Cyprus outdoor cafes. Photo credit Sora Vernikoff
Cyprus Fresh Salad. Photo credit Sora Vernikoff
That evening, Elisabeth arranged for dinner at a Greek Taverna for the women who had flown in for the conference from all over the world. It was amazing!
Cyprus Greek Taverna. Photo credit Sora Vernikoff
The next day was the conference celebrating the 3rd birthday of Global Woman Cyprus, which was fabulous.
Cyprus Global Woman’s event. Photo credit Sora Vernikoff
Cyprus Global Woman contingency. Photo credit Sora Vernikoff
After a full day, Elizabeth organized a bus tour on the 19th to visit the Archaeological Site of Kourion. According to the ancient historian Herodotus, the ancient city-kingdom of Kourion was founded by the Argives, inhabitants of ancient Aros in the Peloponnese. It’s only later that writers associated the place name with the name of the founder, Koureas, son of the mythical King Kinyras.
Cyprus Archaeological Site of Kourion. Photo credit Sora Vernikoff
Cyprus Lourian and view of the Mediterranean. Photo credit Sora Vernikoff
Then, it was off to the Village of Omodos, a small village located in the Troodos Mountains of Cyprus in the Limassol District. We walked the Village and shared a group lunch at Katoi Restaurant. Amazing!
Cyprus Katoi restaurant. Photo credit Sora Vernikoff
Cyprus Outdoor Seating in Omodos. Photo credit Sora Vernikoff
Cyprus Katoi seating. Photo credit Sora Vernikoff
On our last day in Limassol, Maggie and I walked to the Marina and met our other International Page Turners, Rebecca, Anna-Maria, and Anna, for our last lunch together.
Cyprus Marina in Limassol. Photo credit Sora Vernikoff
Cyprus Global woman zoom mates. Photo credit anon.
What a week it was! New friendships and Zoom mates becoming real mates. Cyprus — I will be returning, and I can’t say enough great things about Global Woman and Elisabeth Villager Toufexis. Here’s a special shout-out to the 4 International Pages Turners! May we all turn pages together for a long time!
Readers may also enjoy our reviews of a Nashville Food Tour, Weekend in Vermont, Thousand Islands and Erie Canal, and Best Travel Companions.
