St Hilarion. Ruined castle in the mountains above our hotel. A lookout that oversees not only Kyrenia and the surrounding area but well out to sea. When the skies are clear you can see Turkey. And during the Arab raids of the 7th to 10th century the castle was a valuable lookout to spot approaching Arab ships. Byzantine, but there seems to be some confusion about actual construction date, although given the difficulties of hauling chisels and such up the rough stone mountainside (730 metres above sea level), the construction "date" is likely to have been a longish period. We turn off the Nicosia motorway and drive up the narrow mountainous road, much of it fenced off military land with signs instructing us not to stop the car or take photographs. There are spectacular views up to the castle and down to the port but the camera doesn't do them justice, as tends to be the case with the commercial photos as well. We stop for coffee at the parking lot but forgo the steep climb to the castle ruins themselves. Another time. We've timed this well - we leave and the clouds return to the mountain peaks.
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