Day 494, 19 Oct '15, Limassol & Kolossi Castle. In the words of Frank Sinatra... The time has come, the end is near... but we're not quite finished with Cyprus just yet. Last on our list in the Republic was a trip to Kolossi Castle and a free walking tour of Limassol with the tourist office. Even we get tired of tripping about eventually (who'da thunk it), so today was just a half day outing. We pointed The Beast towards Kolossi at 7.30 am and were officially first in the door when it opened at 8.30 am. There are ruins of the original castle from 1210 but the current castle is much newer and was built in 1454. (Yes. Only 561 years old.) The castle belonged to the Knights Templar between 1306 and 1308 - a very strong political power - right up until Pope Clement V abolished them in 1308 and it returned to the Knights Hospitalliers. There is a particularly interesting and decorative feature on the front of the current castle - a machicolation above the main entrance. Just above the entrance way that the drawbridge once went to. Designed for the convenient pouring of hot water / oil / rocks on the heads of unwelcome guests. Since we were the first through the doors, we had the luxury of having the whole castle to ourselves - bliss. Meandered up the stone spiral stairs to the roof, checked out the current installation art exhibition, scoped out the basement and finished in about 20 minutes. At which point two tour buses with about 80 people arrived. Perfect timing! Back in The Beast, we headed to Limassol. They were suffering major erosion of their coast a few years back and they reclaimed about 50 metres and built a sea wall to prevent future damage. This area is now an urban oasis Promenade with palm trees, walking areas and a sculpture park. Stunning. Mind you - we get very excited over anything green at the moment. It's been a long, hot summer for Cyprus. We joined up with the Monday Free Walking Tour at 10 am and had probably the best guide so far in Cyprus. Not a dawdler and hugely interesting - even took us to a coffee shop in Saripolu Square that was cheap and cheerful - only €3.50 for two Cyprus coffees and a large, fresh OJ. Walking tour accomplished, we took the coast road home. Lunch. Nap. 'Nuff said. Only packing and cleaning left to do before we hit the road for the Turkish part of Cyprus on Friday. When we can finally call a Cyprus Coffee a Turkish Coffee without fear of reprisals!