Well, I wish I had bothered to look up the Turkish equivalent of Bellepaix, the lovely medieval monastery, before setting off to the north. Alas, I didn't...and who knows, if I had, I may never have gone to the village of Okanjoy or its Elvis bar. I enjoyed my visit to Bellepaix so much in the December that I wanted to go back while it was still green in the spring. So, I set off and stopped at St. Hilarion's castle. Well, while trying to find Bellepaix, I ended up driving to the village of Okanjoy. In Okanjoy, I stopped for directions and unwittingly popped into an Elvis bar. It looked normal enough until I noticed the Elvis decor. And then the proprieter himself-- he had a pompadour! It was unreal-- a slice of Americana in the middle of the north! Even his car had a photo of Elvis silkscreened on the hood. He was very kind and hospitable, and sent me on my way to Bellepaix, otherwise known as, Beylerbeyi. Most places in Cyprus have a Greek, Turkish and British name, which can be quite confusing...to say the least. When I finally arrived in Beylerbeyi/ Bellepaix, I trekked through town and found the house where Lawrence Durrell, the author of classic Bitter Lemons, resided during his stay in Cyprus.
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Just thought I would mention, Happy Garden, the Elvis restaurant/bar/general store is in Ozanköy and not Okanjoy, makes it easier to find the place.
Which reminds me Bellepaix is a spelling that is most obscure and certainly not in common use. Laurence Durrell is to blame there and was the one who tried to change the spelling. It was always known as Bellapais before and that is the most widely accepted spelling of the village now, North, South, worldwide. Beylerbeyi is a more recent Turkish spelling adopted for the village and only really used in the North.
Incidentally Laurence Durrell is probably the most famous owner of the house at the top of Acı Limon Sokak in Bellapais, but not the most famous resident. For instance his brother Gerald Durrell lived there for quite some time filming, writing and collecting wildlife specimens, he is just the start. That house has quite an interesting history.
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