Went to Nicosia

Tuesday December 1

Today Jayne and I went with Yiannis to Nicosia. Another couple went with us, too. The guy is Irish and the woman is Philippine.

Yiannis suggest that we go to the British Embassy first. This the guy needed to go there and Jayne went there to have a paper certified that it is her signature. Well, this cost her 32 euros.
About the embassy, this is located in the middle of the DMZ it looks like, as there are barbed wire on both sides and there is just destruction on both sides form the 1974 war. Also the buildings are all old.

The British embassy is in the old Cypriot style. It's more like two small buildings with an outdoor appearance.

Nothing is modern there. There is an open space where you walk through a turn-style. Then when you are past there, you are still outside. This is for all those who are in the embassy. Then you go in the waiting room where there are the cashier windows. The whole appearance is all layed back, which is a nice change from other embassies.

Since you are not allowed to bring in your cell phones and other electronic equipement, there is a wooden letter box. Something you'd expect to see where postmen would put letters. Here, you put your cell phone.

This is outside, and there is no one to watch the box nor are there cameras. It's all based on the honor system. It's nice that there is still some country in the world that is like that. I don't know who long it will stay like that, but it's like that now.

There are no guards, security shake down, metal detectors, etc. yet, this is right next to the boarder where the Turks invaded.

There was one person, who look Russian, that brought her cell phone in and made a call from the woman's room. Well, she was caught and told to go out. It sounded like she spoke little English. She bought the phone in on purpose, as she can't claim ignorance since there is a picture of a 'no sign' with a cell phone. Anyhow, he had trouble finding her way out. When she went out and in again through the turn-style, she was told to go out again and put leave her phone out. She finally got it. I can imagine this is a shock for her, as something like this would never be done in Russia. (This would not be done in the US, UK, Ecuador and most countries of the world, either.)
The we went to the Philippine Consulate and the other couple had trouble there, too. They couldn't get the stamp that they wanted. It was something about for people getting married but they are already married.