Our walk of Saturday 31 January 2015 takes us to the city of Larnaca and its newly upgraded Sea Front. This is essentially an afternoon stroll, starting later than usual, at 14:00. The walk starts at the well-known Makenzy beach sea front and follows the coast north, past the Larnaca castle, up to Phinikoudes and its pier. We shall follow the same route back to Makenzy. The walk includes a cultural aspect, since we shall visit the (Ottoman) Castle and the church of Saint Lazaros.

We start outside Café Nero and Kitsios fish taverna, on Makenzy beach at 2:00 pm. Xenophon is leading this walk, which will go ahead even in light rain; if you need to, call 97613720. The walk will take about 2 hours, is on totally flat ground and is classified as very easy.

After the walk we shall sit down in one of the cafeterias at Makenzy, for a drink and a snack.

You have the choice of meeting the group at the walk start, if you are very familiar with the place, or meet at the designated meeting point in Nicosia, from which we shall drive in a convoy. Meeting in Nicosia offers two important advantages: we drive in full cars, leaving some cars behind; thus, we save in fuel and enjoy the trip in good company. The meeting point in Nicosia is the Handicrafts Centre (Kentro Heirotechnias) on Leoforos Athalassas (Athalassa Avenue), which offers ample parking space. The car trip starts at 1:00 pm. Please ensure you observe start times, for the benefit of the group.

How to get to the walk start:

Get to the main junction between Leoforos Lemesou/ Limassol Avenue and Leoforos Athalassas. Zero your odometer at this junction. Drive along the Nicosia-Limassol motorway, heading towards Larnaca. At the 34.6 km reading, you reach a major roundabout. Ignore the exit to the right, which leads to the airport. Ignore the exit to the left, which leads to Dhekelia and Agia Napa. Zero your odometer and continue straight, towards Larnaca city. You pass several traffic lights (at the 1.4, 3.1, 4.8 km readings), going straight. At the 4.8 km reading you pass a church on your left. You are on Griva Digeni Avenue. The next traffic lights come at the 5.4 km reading, where you see the Larnaca Fire Station on your left. Go straight, following signs towards the Airport. At the 6.4 km reading there are traffic lights where you turn right into Leonida Kioupi street. At the 6.7 km reading, you get to a roundabout, where you follow the signs to the right, towards the Airport. You are now on Artemidos Avenue. Drive along this and you will see the Salt Lake on your right. Follow the signs to Makenzy beach. At the 7.7 km reading do not turn left, continue straight. At the 9.2 km reading turn left. Immediately after, at the 9.3 km reading turn right. At the 9.8 km reading you reach a T-junction, where you turn left. Immediately after, at the 9.9 km reading you get to a roundabout where you go right to the Makenzy parking area. Park your car, buy a parking ticket at the vending machines and display the ticket inside your car. Walk to the front of the shops and meet the group between Café Nero and Kitsios fish taverna. We meet here.

How to get to the meeting point for the car trip, coming from the Hilton hotel area:

Get yourself on Makarios Avenue, heading out of town and set your odometer to zero as you drive past the Nicosia Hilton hotel. At the 0.1 km reading you reach traffic lights (with the Apoel club building on your right), go straight. At the 0.5 km reading you reach another set of traffic lights, go straight. Driving along, you pass a few more traffic lights, staying on this main road (named Leoforos Lemesou/ Limassol Avenue). At the 2.1 km reading, you reach a principal set of traffic lights. Set your odometer to zero again and turn right here. You are now in Leoforos Athalassas, a very busy avenue. At the 0.2 km reading you see a large empty space on your right and the Handicrafts Centre (a single-storey building) on your left. Park in the parking area. We meet here. The Handicrafts Centre is next to the church of St. Barnabas.

How to get to the meeting point for the car trip, coming from the Presidential Palace area:

Get to the round-about next to the Presidential Palace. From downtown Nicosia you reach this along the Kyriakou Matsi avenue or along the D. Severi avenue. Set your odometer to zero on the round-about and drive along the principal road towards Strovolos. At the 0.3 km reading you reach traffic lights. Go straight. At the 0.6 km reading you reach a 2^nd set of traffic lights. Set your odometer to zero again and turn left. You are now in Leoforos Athalassas, a very busy avenue full of shops. At the 2.6 km reading you see a large empty space on your left and the Handicrafts Centre (a single-storey building) on your right. Park here.

Google Maps: Here is a map for those coming from the Hilton area to the meeting place for the car trip http://tinyurl.com/phjc6s7

Google Maps: Here is a map for those coming from the Presidential Palace area to the meeting place for the car trip http://tinyurl.com/neo9duy

Google Maps: Here is a map taking you from the Fire Station in Larnaca to the Makenzy parking area, where we meet to start the walk http://tinyurl.com/l4nt6e5

About Phinikoudes: Bordering Larnaca’s central coastal promenade, Phinikoudes beach is one of the most popular in Cyprus. The coast takes its name from the line of palm trees decorating it. The palm trees were planted in 1922 and are, of course, fully grown, despite what the name “Phinikoudes” (meaning small palm trees) suggests. The beach has fine grey sand and is some 500 metres long.

About Saint Lazaros: He was a friend of Jesus; when he died, his two sisters, Martha and Maria called upon Jesus, who went to his burial place and resurrected Lazaros from the dead. Lazaros later sailed to the area of Larnaca, where he preached Christianity and became its first Bishop. He was buried in Larnaca and the church was built on the site. It is now a popular place of worship. A plaque outside claims the church was originally built in the 9^th century. Its wooden iconostasis dates back to the 18^th c. Its belfry was constructed in the 1850s.

Disclaimer: If you attend a Cyprus Strollers walk you do so entirely at your own risk. The Cyprus Strollers is a social club and neither the organizers nor the leader of the walk are responsible for the health and safety of those taking part.