It was very impressive to enter Varosha. We were the only two people in the ghost town with our bikes as we went there early in the morning. Even being alone, the tension was present because there are security cameras everywhere in the city and it followed our every move.

It was impressive to see how everything remained frozen in time, only the houses were emptied and the shops looted. The signs are rusty but you can easily have a peek through the windows and see how everything is inside!

I focused my photographic point of view on rust and the remains of life in Varosha before its abandonment. The small details visible in my photos testify to the passing of time. I particularly focused on nature and its recovery from the work of man. The main street (the one set up by the army) was not what interested me the most. It was especially the small streets around where man did not take back the ground that was the center of my lens! For me, they tell more stories!

The first challenge was to cross the border, because normally with a rental car, we are not supposed to go to the north of the island. The contrast between the South and the North was impressive. The rental cars have red plates in Cyprus, which made us very visible even to the eyes of passers-by. The military was following our car with binoculars from the corridors.

We arrived early at the opening of the neighborhood and we were completely searched by police. Our passports were held during our visit. We later saw that these measures applied only to foreigners.

Once in the city, we were followed by police in civil clothes, by the army, and by UN soldiers who watched the area. Therefore, the photo taking was a little more complicated to be sure to have no military personnel in the photos (which is strictly forbidden).

There are no objects that belonged to the ancient inhabitants, the city having been completely emptied after the invasion. What is interesting to see is the bullet and missile impacts that are clearly visible on the buildings. The absence of anyone has not affected my compositions more than usual because it is rare for me to meet people in the places I visit.