Cyprus

Greetings from some internet cafe in Cyprus. It would perhaps sound too much like a Mark Steyn article if I suggested that everyone should journey to the Turkish side of Nicosia, where one can see a soaring Gothic cathedral that is now a mosque, if only to condition themselves for their next trip to England... so I won't say it. Instead I'll ask two questions intended to make everyone in the room uncomfortable.

1. In this sweet age of pluralism, is a mosque in the shell of a Gothic church a multicultural cocktail to be savored, or an imperialistic seizure to be mourned (i.e., under which academic fashion should such structures be filed, multi-culty or colonial)?

2. Why does that same cathedral-now-mosque bear such an uncanny resemblance to the Reformed churches of Amsterdam?

At any rate, this place is well worth a visit, most especially if you're into painted churches. Pumping gas in the homeland was perfect conditioning for the exchange rate.

More, much more, to come.