The Anciant Ruins at Salamis

Clearly the weather Gods need to go back to Met college as it's still not raining here. At 6am I was kitted up to ride out to Golden beach and back. By 6.15 am I was fast asleep going nowhere. The prospect of a another dose of heat stroke wasnt appealing, so I elected to do something completely different. Today wasnt going to be about the ride, it would be about the destination. I had decided to bring a little culture into my Cypriot experience and visit the anciant ruins at Salamis.
 

Salamis is right on my doorstep here, no need for an endurance ride or a car to get there either. Knowing the standard of the smaller paths off the main roads here I selected a different weapon of choice for this mornings ride, the Marin Hybrid was duely dusted off and dragged kicking and screaming out from it's cool dark lock up into the blazing sun. Riding in simply shorts and a t shirt to avoid looking a total plank in team lycra on a hybrid bike I pointed Marin towards the south west and hit the road.

  

 Salamis is only about 20 minutes ride along the beach road, and it is all totally flat, so this ride would be perfect for anybody not used to riding a bicycle, looking for an easy flat ride with something interesting to see. Turning off the main road the smaller road is less well surfaced but rideable nevertheless.

 





Access to the ruins is behind the beach bar. The ruins themselves cost 9TL (Turkish Lira) per ticket and it is worth it. These ruins ar amazing. Apparently this was the main city here over a thousand years ago with a population of some 150,000 people. It reminded me a lot of old Roman ruins. There is an ampitheatre and a lot of baths. In the ampitheatre I climbed to the top of the 'cheap seats' and sat down watching a group of German tourists with silly size cameras being preached to by a Cypriot guide. Last night I had been watching Gladiator on TV, I looked around but could see no lions or tigers. As one tourist looked up at me I gave her my best Julius Caesar thumbs down, although the joke was lost on her.

   

 I continued walking through the old city. Clearly public baths were all the rage here. The pools must have been amazing, filled with cool water brought in via aquaduct, and surrounded by marble floors and pillars, and that was just the goat pool.

  

 I could just imagine these streets full of people, the ampitheatre sacrifices before each play, and the baths full of beautiful anciant mermaids! Although fat mercants was probaby more likely if Cyclops had had anything to do with it.

 

 I took a little walk along the beach in front of the ruins, its ne of the nicer sandy beaches around here, quieter than long beach if you walk a little away from the beach bar. Then it was time to get out of the mid day sun. I short ride back and I was lunching next to the pool. No point in over doing it eh!