THE WISHING TREE
I am just returned from a holiday in Cyprus, staying just outside the city of Paphos, in a beautiful and typically Mediterranean area of the coast. It is loosely divided into old and new Paphos, with the old town being the original capital and the centre of the cult of Aphrodite since the Homeric era. Paphos has more than its fair share of ancient relics and archaeological treasures, many of which are easily accessible. Due to its prominence in the Hellenic era and later during Roman occupation, there are a lot of fine and well preserved sites nearby, including the Tomb of the Kings and several roman villas. Whilst classical era archaeology doesn't really interest me, as I much prefer the neolithic and earlier periods, there are some quite remarkable treasures to be found in Paphos. Near to the new shopping mall in Nea Paphos is a large area of what appears to be sandstone bluffs, weathered and pockmarked and punctuated by small caves. On previous visits to the h...