Alix Norman

There’s a fantastic thread on the r/Cyprus subreddit. ‘What Are Your Hobbies?’ it asks. Some of the answers are hilariously tongue-in-cheek. ‘Dreaming of affordable property, cursing idiots who ...

Cyprus sleeps more than most! In the UK, people sleep an average of seven hours a night; in the UAE, it’s 6.8 hours. Albania sleeps the most (almost eight hours), ...

Today Sofia begins her pilgrimage. Over the next several weeks, she’ll cover 1,200 kilometres: tracing an ancient Japanese path through misty mountains, past weathered shrines, along the edge of the ...

A few weeks ago, we ran a news article on the worst-rated Cypriot food: shamishi! But who decided shamishi was bloody awful, and how? Why is it universally detested? And, ...

In Cyprus, we say that love passes through the stomach. That beauty is a gift from the gods. And that feelings of passion has no logic. But, according to the ...

Two hundred years ago, one job in Cyprus outnumbered all others – by miles! According to the Ottoman Property Survey of 1832, 50 people were registered as merchants, 36 were cobblers, and 26 gave their ...

Beyond Protaras lies a tiny harbour, faded boats bobbing in the waves. The surrounding cape curls north. But if you slip into the water and swim out – where the seabed ...

Are you a Blunt-Nosed Viper or a Cyprus Whip-snake? Perhaps you’re one of the island’s rarer species: the Coin Snake, Dwarf Snake, or Worm Snake (an elusive ophidian ...

Thirty per cent of Cyprus potentially has a health issue that can disrupt careers and destroy relationships. Fifteen per cent of us may be facing symptoms for the rest of ...

When it comes to work-related health problems, Cyprus is amongst Europe’s best! According to the most recent EU report, just four per cent of us have health issues that ...

The dreams began in Paphos. At first, they were small: whispered moments of hope; tiny flames in the dark. Over the months they grew, kindled by compassion and the quiet ...

“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 ...