Alix Norman

“January always shocks Cyprus. It springs itself on us,” says Limassolian Christos Damianos. “We’ve just had all the jollity of Christmas, and then – bang! Suddenly it’s cold, we’...

It began with a theft.   The theft itself wasn’t unusual – Cyprus is all too used to its artefacts being plundered. In our time, we’ve lost the Kanakaria mosaics, ...

No heat, no light, no water. That was my Christmas. Okay. I wasn’t stuck in a freezing Ukrainian subway, and I could both find and afford food. I’m ...

This is the highest hotel in Cyprus, 1,757 metres above sea level. It’s almost the oldest, and has been around for close on 100 years. And it’s definitely among the ...

Cyprus is about as angry as Britain. And France. It’s less angry than Greece, Spain, and (understandably) the Ukraine. Unless, that is, you look at our nation as a ...

At the very end of 2012, Google did something it had never done before. And has never done since. It launched a New Year map. The idea was that people all ...

We have snow. We have fir trees. And we have Christmas markets – which are so overwhelmingly popular that Fikardou often ends up gridlocked every weekend in December! But is that ...

You’ve got Facebook, right? Of course you have – Cyprus has one of the highest user rates in the world. As of November 2024, reports suggest the island had 1,282,100 Facebook users. ...

Once upon a time, Christmas wasn’t this way. Especially in Cyprus. Granted, Easter has always been the biggest celebration in this part of the world. And winter is all ...

If you found a frog on your bread, what would you do? Well, if the bread you were looking at was Ploumisto Psomi, the frog would be a good omen. ...

In September 2023, Tala Cat Park was struggling. Dawn Foote, the founder of the feline rescue centre, had suffered a debilitating stroke. The facilities for the roughly 800 cats under her care ...

In the middle of No Man’s Land, there stands a lonely fig tree. Each summer, its fruit ripens. But nobody comes to share it; years of fear and division ...

Do you think you actually chose your job? In Cyprus, chances are you didn’t. Men are safe – they usually have the freedom to pursue the career they choose. But ...

Decades ago, market day meant catching the Bedford. Yes, larger villages had occasional markets, and there was always a panayiri. But the weekly shop down in the town (hair-raising hairpin ...

According to 2020 research, Cyprus has by far the highest level of urban noise pollution in Europe. Almost half of us are being exposed to constant noise! And by constant, we ...

“Everywhere changes,” says Sarah Harrison. “But Cyprus changed in ways I could never have imagined: by the time I left, it felt like the island I fell in love with ...

This year, almost half the world will vote! Cyprus won’t: our presidential elections took place last year. But 28 other nations will. And together, their citizens make up 50 per cent ...

In 1976, Stamatis Moraitis was given six months to live. His cancer had advanced; the doctors suggested he get his affairs in order, because the end was nigh. So he packed ...

“We don’t like risks in Cyprus, do we?” asks Loui. “I reckon we tend to sit where we land. Why take a chance when you believe your path is ...

In Cyprus, legend tells of a warrior so mighty that his strength reshaped the very land… Digenis Akritas is our hero: a mythical figure who saved Cyprus from the invading ...

How many of these can you NOT afford with ease? 1. Your rent, mortgage, or utility bills 2. Keeping your home warm or cool 3. An unexpected expense e.g. car or home ...

When Cyprus’ cats are in the news, it’s usually Not Good. Search Google news for ‘cats’ and ‘Cyprus’, and you get a slew of poisonings, abuse, and contentious laws, ...

There’s just one functioning method of public transport on the island of Cyprus. But those of us with vehicles of our own rarely use it. Why would we, when ...

Cyprus’ doesn’t really care for walking. It was different a century ago. The first petrol car (a Peugeot Type 69 Bebe, should you be interested) arrived on the island in 1907, ...