History, culture and birds

Another amazing day on this trip, with the focus jointly on history, culture and migrant birds. 

We headed south to Paphos, stopping for a while at the wonderfully peaceful and atmospheric Agios Neophytos monastery whichwas founded by Neophytos. After being jailed for pursuing an ascetic life, he fled into the hills of Cyprus and found a small natural cave in 1159. Months passed while he made sure the area was deserted and quiet. He slowly excavated the opening further to encompass his hermitage cell, a small chapel, and his eventual tomb. While it began as a hermitage for Neophytos alone, he eventually gained a small following and the Engleistra, as it was also called, became a quiet monastic community in 1170 when the Bishop of Paphos convinced him to take a pupil. 

From there we headed to the Tombs of the Kings and then to the Paphos Headland. I'd visited the former in 2015, but the Roman mosaics at the latter site were stunningly well-preserved and remarkably beautiful. I particularly enjoyed a hunting scene that included many of the species that were present in Cyprus during that time, including Leopard and Wild Boar.

Both the archaeological sites also had many interesting plants, and good numbers of migrant birds including Orphean, Rüppell's and Eastern Subalpine Warblers, four species of wheatear, Stone Curlew & herons coming in-off the sea (two groups each of Purple and Night Herons and a solitary Squacco at Paphos Harbour).