For many households up and down the country this is reason alone to move abroad and start a new life in the sun, but where? The island of Cyprus just off the Turkish coast is a popular destination for ex-pats to set up home, but what should you consider before making the move?

Cyprus by NASA

Check Out the Island First

When planning for a move abroad it is essential that you do your homework on the prospective destination. You can find out a lot of information via the internet and by speaking to other Brits who have moved out there, but without doubt the best thing to do is to book a week or two in the country in which you can really discover all you need to know.

If you’re planning a move to Cyprus it may be that you have a particular place in mind, and if so you will want to research the town or city thoroughly. If you’ve got a young family then you will need to investigate the schooling options for example, while you may also need to look into employment opportunities if you aren’t going to have a job waiting for you.

Learn the Language?

Cyprus has two official languages – Greek and Turkish – however with an estimated 76% of the population speaking English the emphasis on learning the language is not quite the same as in other foreign destinations.

Despite this, it always helps you to integrate into the culture more effectively if you know the local lingo, so you should give serious consideration to learning the language that is most widely spoken in the region you’ve moving to.

The Cost of Living

When a British family moves abroad permanently it is often the case that they will enjoy a lower cost of living than in the UK. However, Cyprus is the exception to this rule, and you may be surprised to learn that many everyday goods are significantly more expensive than in Britain.

White electronic goods are one example of this in particular, and with this in mind it is essential that you do a full appraisal of your income and expected outgoings to ensure you will be able to afford the cost of living.

Taking Your Car?

One consequence of this higher cost of living is that you will have to consider how many of your possessions you wish to take with you. It may be that after analysing the cost of living in detail that you need to take more with you than you originally planned, but can you take your vehicle with you?

Car shipping by Kirsten

This is actually a lot simpler than you might think, as there are a number of companies who can provide reliable car shipping services to ensure you don’t have to buy new transport once you’ve made the move. Roll-on/roll-off car shipping is one particularly efficient method, where your car is simply driven into the hold of a ship, strapped securely in place and transported to its destination. It is then driven straight off again without the need for any additional packaging or preparation.

Starting a new life in Cyprus is an exciting time for any family and a dream come true for many. To ensure it doesn’t turn into a nightmare prepare as fully as possible by following the above advice.

This guest blog was written by John Rooney on behalf of Auto Shippers, providers of reliable roll-on/roll-off car shipping services.

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The river Arno flows through Florence and the bridges connect its banks in the narrowest point probably since Etruscan times. In ancient times Florence was situated on an important route the Via Cassia connecting Rome with the main cities of the north. Bridges were the only way to get across the river Arno. However due to flooding they had to be frequently renewed, but did not survive anyway and were torn down by floods completely. The present bridge was built in 1345 and Florentines gave it the name of the Ponte Vecchio, which means “old bridge”. They wanted to distinguish it from another one – Ponte alla Carraio. Although this bridge is much older (built in 1218), they already called it the Ponte Nuovo, the “new bridge”.

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Ponte Vecchio was built by an architect Neri di Fioravante, who created an elegant building with three arches. Today, the Ponte Vecchio is also known as “The bridge of jewelers” because on its both sides you can find plenty of shops and boutiques, mostly jewelry. The first shops were open here in the 13th century, but originally there were fish traders, tanners and butchers. The river served them as an excellent dump. Above the second arch, in the middle of the bridge was therefore a small space available, through which they could throw garbage straight into the river. Fortunately this free space does not serve to its original purpose any more, but it allows a nice view of the river and other neighbouring bridges.

In 1593 Grand Duke Ferdinando I. kicked all the existing traders off the bridge and replaced them with jewellers and goldsmiths. About 50 of them settled in wooden shops and thanks to them the bridge got its distinctive character. Above the shops there is a Vasari Corridor which was built in 1564 by order of Grand Duke Cosimo I, who wanted to have sheltered and safe walkway from Palazzo Vecchio square to Palazzo Pitti. In the middle of the bridge you can see a bust of one of the most famous Florentine goldsmith, Benvenuto Cellini (1500 – 1571), created in 1900 by sculptor Raffaello Romanelli.

Ponte Vecchio can boast the title of one of the most famous symbols of Florence or the most beautiful bridge in the world.

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Storforsen rapids are located at the River Pite. The rapids area is approx. 5 km in length and decreasing by 82 meters. The most interesting point is that at the last 600 m, the water is falling 50 meters down. During the biggest flows in the spring there are 1000 m3 of water passing per second. During the floods in 1995, it was 1200 m3 of water per second.

The history of Storforsen rapids is quite long – several thousands years. Approx. 8500 years ago there was the sea, but it gradually receded and 7000 years ago it grew into massive mouth, which created the Storforsen rapids.

More than 150 000 people visit Storforsen rapids each year.

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