A really lovely day - an off-road trip and then dinner at the Waltons...

Today John and I had a lovely day together and decided we would revisit the 'Where does that Road go?' experience that we did so regularly when we first moved over here.  Somehow we seem to have less and less time to just kick our heels but the weather today was very breezy and the wind was freezing up in Droushia - not a day for doing DIY or gardening as worse weather is due tomorrow so we got organised - got the cameras and jumped into the car and headed out towards Fitos on the back roads sussing out exactly how much on-road walking we would need to do if a group of us decided to walk there one day for lunch.  The trip took us near the white horse at Arodes who was being blown around but at least has plenty to eat and a big old shelter if needed.

We crossed the main road to come in at the back of Fitos - it must be the time when the vines need cutting back - hard and backbreaking work for what seems little reward.  It is lovely to see these traditional ways continuing.  We got a cheery wave from the woman even though she must have been freezing.

We then decided to drive down the road which goes past Vasillikon Winery and follow it to the end.  We have been along there before but never to the end - we think the road conditions must have been too bad last time for us to keep going and so we turned back and we would have been in the CRV so they must have been pretty bad.

En route you pass by a big sheep/goat farm which is a bit spooky - this is where we encountered the boots spiked on the fence - they were next to a couple of skulls!!!  As we continued on our journey the weather began to improve so we did get some sunshine and it was reasonably pleasant.

The countryside here is beautiful and everything is very green at the moment - in the distance you can see the coast and Lara Bay.  It was a Wednesday and although there was a lot of evidence of shooting having taken place previously (although this is supposed to be a non-hunting designated area) we didn't actually encounter anyone today - perhaps it was too cold!!

There were loads of goats around and although there seemed to be a lot of green for them to eat they preferred to eat the leaves from the trees which proved to be a bit of a challenge for the shorter ones!

Everything was going swimmingly until we came across some standing water and we had to get out to check to see if little Kenny Kembara could make it through.  We had come so far that we really didn't want to turn round and go all the way back.

I am very grateful that John did a proper 4x4 driving course as part of his resettlement because he has some idea about what the car can and cannot do and after a brief inspection he was happy that we would make it and not get stuck and he was right.

The standing water was the least of our worries as further on the road was not really a road at all just a sort of track with massive ruts and huge stones - we began to wonder whether this road didn't actually end anywhere until we encountered the one and only other vehicle we saw on that route coming towards us.  We assumed he must have come from somewhere and hadn't just got so far and turned round - at least we hoped so!!!

Shaken but not stirred we realised that we were heading down towards St George's island and we had thought that we might have emerged nearer Lara!!!

All of a sudden we could see in the distance a beautiful little church.  We guessed you must be able to reach it from the main coast road and not just from the track we had traversed as there was a very low slung saloon car outside. We did not go inside because some people had come to worship and we felt we would be intruding.  The is the church of Agia Matrona.  Agia Matrona is a Russian saint for the blind. 


We made our way down to the coast and realised exactly where we were going to meet the main road.  We passed some really exclusive houses where there was a windmill outside.

We would never have realised that the little church was so close to the main road if we had not encountered it from the track.

We got down to the main St George's road at the Junction where NAMOS bar is on the corner.  Who knew that if you took the right hand road up you would come across the church?

We decided to make our way back home via the Peyia forest main road as we had had enough off road excitement for one day and the car needed to have all the mud washed off of it as the tyres were probably about two inches higher than they would be normally!!!  Good old Kenny he had done us proud and it was lovely to go somewhere different and find new places.

We spent a quiet afternoon and had our fingers crossed that Elena would perk up - she had arranged to have a group of us round for a meal - we weren't bothered as to whether we ate or not we just wanted her to feel better.  We always have fabulous food at her house and really enjoy her and her family's company and when she adds in some of her friends to the mix it is always a great night but that just wasn't important today - her blood pressure was.

We got a text late afternoon that the evening was on - the blood pressure monitor's batteries had run out so Elena had no idea what her readings were so decided to carry on regardless.  We had a fabulous evening, Elena, Bassam, Amoura, Rabia and Lola hosting Tanith and Trish (sadly Daddy Messenger was feeling under the weather), Diana and Rob, John and I and then a school friend who has known Elena forever and turns out to be one of my blog stalkers, Victoria and Loda (I think that was her partner's name) and I wouldn't have argued with him as he was one big guy!!

Fabulous food, fabulous company and too much wine all made for a great night/early morning and Elena doing the washing up was the very least we could do for you - thank you from the bottom of our hearts for such a fabulous evening when you had been feeling under the weather - you are an angel.