"The politicians are not able to decide, they are holding it up," he said. "The people want unity now." Hadjipavlou agreed.
Most Cypriots I met were ready to end the deadlock. But those willing to talk to foreigners may be a self-selecting group. Farther along the Green Line, watched over by armed Greek Cypriot soldiers, a message was painted across one of the roadblocks: "Nothing is gained without sacrifice and freedom without blood." One Turkish man spit on the ground when I told him I was staying with Greek Cypriots.
We were through the checkpoint quickly. Depending on whom you ask, we were entering the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, the illegally occupied territories, or the future partner in a united Cyprus.
Although the area around the new opening has built up fast, crossing still feels like entering another region - from the developed to the not-quite-developed world. Northern Cyprus is not recognized by the international community and has suffered the economic consequences. Moving south to north, Ledra Street's designer boutiques give way to cramped stores selling polyester clothing.
Once on the Turkish side we followed the tourist route, stopping for coffee in the Great Inn and taking our shoes off to pad through the Selimiye Mosque. The mosque was completed as a Gothic church in 1326. Ottomans added the two enormous minarets and changed the name in 1570. (Many old buildings in Nicosia are composites. Omeriye Hamam, a recently renovated working public bath on the Greek side, had two former lives: as an Augustinian church and an Ottoman mosque.)
The sand-colored buildings are more rundown in the occupied areas but recognizably the same style as those on the Greek side. Locally made grilled haloumi cheese, a mix of goat and sheep milk, and soutjoukoi, strings of nuts sweetened with grape juice, are available all over Nicosia. I experienced the same kindnesses, small and large, on both sides: People offered me directions, advice, water, and rides - if only around in circles to cool me off.
On my last day in Nicosia, my hosts were at work and I headed to the Turkish side alone. I stopped for a Turkish Cypriot coffee and a seat in front of a fan. The coffee shop owner asked where I was staying and what I was doing. When I explained she said, "You should have come here. We would have taken you in, too."
Rachel Nolan can be reached at rachel.b.nolan@gmail.com.
