A trip to visit the Green Line in Nicosia had long been on our list. Therefore understandably Niké and I were excitedly looking forward to our special tour along the buffer zone in Nicosia. We met the lovely Eleni, our guide from Walk Talk Cyprus near a café, a short distance away from the checkpoint that we were going to cross briefly.
The bullet ridden building that towered above us was the Ledra Palace Hotel. It is now located inside the buffer zone, so unsurprisingly it doesn't get many holidaymakers any more. However we were surprised to hear from our guide that some individuals are trying to be really funny and leave actual reviews on certain websites, usually complaining about the (non existing) services.
The Green Line
The Green Line was haphazardly drawn up to mark the area where the UN controlled buffer zone was going to go through. It slices the city of Nicosia (Lefkosia) and the rest of the island in two, stretching for about 180km. The width of the buffer zone varies along the Green Line, as some stretches are quite narrow, where Turkish and Greek lines are literally only a few metres apart. Along other parts, outside the city where all the agricultural fields are located, it can be as wide as 7km.
Green Line walking tour
Eleni regularly lead various themed walks in Cyprus, but the most special one is her Green Line walking tour. Our walk was focusing on the Green Line and was more than 3 hours, but the time went quickly. There was no rush though, all questions were answered and even had time for a lovely Cypriot coffee at Büyük Han, the biggest caravanserai in North Nicosia, while the insightful conversation went on.
One thing makes this tour special; that you can meet local people who lived through the troubles of 1974 (and the decade before) and you can listen to their stories from the past. I am not going into details as these are best heard from these individuals themselves. Thousands of Cypriots were displaced from both sides of the Green Line, some were allocated temporary accommodation elsewhere, and many families found refuge in another country. Countless 'temporary' accommodations have become permanent homes, but often it was uncertain whether the occupants had to move again or not.
Many families – like Eleni’s – managed to return to Cyprus and have started a 'new' life in their own country, even if the country has changed massively. But it is their country after all...
Walk Talk Cyprus
Eleni has started Walk Talk Cyprus to share her knowledge, passion and experience with others and tell her and other Cypriots’ stories while walking through time on the streets on Nicosia.
If you are in Cyprus next time you shouldn’t miss out this unique opportunity to learn more about Nicosia. Take my advice and book the Green Line tour with Eleni as this will be one of the best tours you will ever do.
