Kelsey's Travel Blog!
I travel not to escape life, but to be sure that life will not escape me! Come join me!
Agia Napa, Cyprus
Agia Napa: a beautiful resort town located on the south western coast of the beautiful country of Cyprus. Although it is famous for its beautiful sandy beaches, it is more famous for its “party capital” title that it shares with the likes of Ibiza, Rimini, and Mykonos. This is a place where British and Scandinavian tourists alike swarm to for any and every special event that involves a heavy amount of alcohol, whether it’s a stag party or a high school graduation.
When Shelby and I decided to take a trip together during our “Spring Break” at University of Hamburg, we knew that we wanted the authentic European Spring Break. Unaware of what that actually meant, we did some research and came across Cyprus and some seriously cheap deals at hotel-apartments in Agia Napa. We knew nothing of Cyprus; the war torn history, the ongoing conflict between the Greeks and Turks, and we definitely didn’t know the reputation that Agia Napa has made for itself throughout Europe: Absolutely wild.
Agia Napa, for us, was not a place to be cultured. We had been doing enough of that in Germany. It was a place for us to use the skills we learned at college and apply them to the real world; drinking skills, that is. But even all of the training in the world could not have prepared Shelby and I for what we found in this resort town. Never in my life have I seen that shit-show that was Agia Napa at night. You think Punta Cana and Cabo are crazy? They don’t even begin to compare with this place. The moment the sun goes down the alcohol comes out, and as do the high heels and even higher hemlines, the slicked back Swedish hair, the club promoters tempting you with two for one drink specials—and ten free cocktail shots. I don’t know a single person who needs 10 cocktail shots in addition to two of the strongest drinks I’ve ever ordered, but this is the life in Agia Napa.
The Republic of Cyprus is located in the south eastern part of the Mediterranean. The country has seen countless government over-throws and coups, intercommunal violence between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, and occupation of just about every remotely significant dynasty, nomadic group, war community and their moms: the Assyrians, the Egyptians, and the Persians, Alexander the Great, the Roman Empire, the Byzantines, the French, the Venetians, the Ottomans (who controlled it for about three centuries), and finally, the British. It is currently both a member of the Commonwealth, as well as a member of the European Union, but it is a country that has been divided in two: The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (only recognized by Turkey) and the Republic of Cyprus in the south. According to our cab drivers, the Turks are illegally occupying the north, and yet no one has done anything about it, but I digress.
The most surprising thing that Shelby and I found? The number of Scandinavians who were there at the same time as us was outrageous. There were even a number of bars that had menus written in Swedish and Norwegian. We often were mistaken for being Swedish, until our heavy American accents were revealed and we became even more of a commodity. I am convinced we were the only Americans in the town for the week we were there. Also, it was nearly impossible to find beer in any of the establishments in this town, so it goes without saying, the hangovers were nasty. We learned to nurse them the way everyone else would: with a good walk to the beach, a bit of sun, and quick ocean dips every hour.
Most of our time throughout the week was spent either nursing a hangover or curing one, but we still had a great time wandering the streets, going out for coffee and dinner, and doing typical resort activities like parasailing, etc. Finally, as the week wrapped up, we looked back on our party experience in Agia Napa. Would I ever come back? Absolutely! Do I remember the nights in Napa? Vaguely, but we really had that party spring break experiences that we were looking for. So, if anyone is looking for a place where the drinks are cold, the people are hot, the mornings are full of mystery from the night before, and the evenings will challenge even the most skilled of college drinkers, this is the place for you.
Agia Napa, 2012… you got the best of me this time, but I’ll be back.