Sven's had enough of the miserable weather in England, so he decided to head off and do a spot of exploring.
So he hopped on a plane and flew off to the island of Cyprus, which was one of Eric's favourite places.
Sven was staying in the town of Larnaca, which was somewhere Eric never made it to. Once he arrived Sven went out in search of cool stuff to be seen with, accompanied by his new friend Hamish.
As usual, Sven went off in search of evidence of the island's past. One of his first stops was the local Fort which had some impressive guns lying around. These range from the antique cannon shown above to the much newer German artillery piece that he couldn't resist being photographed with.
All the exploring could leave an Ostrich very hot, so Sven made sure that he took no chances. Sven wanted to try the local beer, just like Eric did a few years before.
Cyprus is an island steeped in history. One of the oldest sites in Larnaca is the ancient city of Kition. Archaeologists have uncovered large areas of the city, and also excavated loads of statues and other artefacts that are now in the district museum.
The various civilisations of the Mediterranean had a lot in common. Sven remembered seeing these horns somewhere else. The Minoans on Crete had a very similar type of sculpture. These 'horns' have been found on Crete as well as on Cyprus.
All over the island there are little signs of the history of the place. In the monastery at Agia Napa various re-used architectural bits and pieces have been included in the building.
This impressive marble pillar stands in the courtyard gardens of the monastery. The present buildings were built around the year 1500. Inside the church there is a cave which could indicate that the site of the monastery was chosen as it was somewhere which had a much older religious significance.
Outside the monastery there is a really impressive tree, which is thought to be over 600 years old. Beside this tree there is a really nice fish pond full of goldfish, not that an Ostrich is particularly interested in fish.
The monastery at Agia Napa is an impressive oasis in what is otherwise a very lively and popular tourist destination. Sven thinks that even if you're not into the usual 'tourist' thing the monastery makes Agia Napa worth visiting.
Sven found this really smart lions head which was built into a small well. It looks like it has been re-used from an earlier building. It is expertly carved from a block of solid marble.
