It is all too easy to get stuck into a routine and forget what a beautiful island we live on. This has been brought home to us recently when we have seen how much it will cost John's sister and family to come out and visit us for just two weeks. With this in mind we are trying to make sure that along with continuing the Work Life Balance days with Lou and H (likely to be less as they have a new car to fund!!!) we have one day out a month, or part of day, with Diana and Rob to rediscover parts of the island we have not seen in ages and to discover new parts. If nothing else this will help add to the itinerary when we have visitors to entertain!!!
February has been spectacular so far and the countryside is fabulous, lush and green in places, vibrant and yellow in others where Colza is growing in vast quantities - Colza is a traditional rapeseed oil apparently and is grown in vast quantities all over Europe - used as an ingredient for biodiesel fuels and to calm choppy waters amongst other things!!!
Our route took us past the Orites Wind Farm near Kouklia - I know there are mixed views on the aesthetics and efficiency of these farms but personally I think they are magnificent structures - a 21st Century equivalent to the wonder that is Stonehenge. These turbines are massive and it is hard to imagine how they were erected - whether they will stand the test of time is anyone's guess but maybe in the future someone will happen across the remains of a wind farm and wonder at its purpose and construction!
We stopped en route to take in the majesty of the surroundings and to capture them on camera or, in John's case, Ipad! It is clear that the Romans never built the roads in this area as they twist and turn even then they are not negotiating a mountain side!!!
We had, earlier on, overtaken this man and tractor but he shot past us when we were being tourists and carried on his way before disappearing over the horizon. Even though the tractor was the modern sort and the road has a barrier along its side this view has probably not changed an awful lot from a time when the farmer might have made the journey on donkey or motorised rotavator!!
I had managed to convince John that apart from getting Rob to the Beer Seller before it closed at 5.00pm in Geriskipou this afternoon the rest of the day was to be a go with the flow kind of day which offends his military sense of time-keeping but he was good and stopped for photographs to be taken, detours to be made, coffee to be drunk and food to be eaten!!
One of the unscheduled stops was in Archimandrita where we saw an interesting sign for the Cave of the 318 Fathers which turned out to be the Priory of the 318 Holy Fathers located down a very picturesque set of steps with a fabulous view.
We found the priory which is located in a mountain cave. The 318 Fathers were the participants of the first Ecumenical Council which lay the foundations of the fight for pure faith and the freedom of church teaching from heresy (apparently!) All members of the council were beatified by the church and the priory was consecrated in honour of them.
Within the cave there is a whitewashed dome with niches hollowed out where candles, incense and coal are placed and a few 14th century frescoes are preserved here. We found the waxen heads and the skulls staring out from behind the wooden slats slightly disturbing!!
From there we continued climbing up heading towards the Troodos and hopefully some snow - it can still be seen lying patchily on the lower slopes but we were hopeful there would be more right up the top.
We followed the same route through Vasa that we had done with Debra a couple of year's previously and took the old road to Omodos which prompted a second unscheduled stop when we found a nature trail which took the walker across some rickety old stepping stones where water was running underneath to a small church which was only accessible by going across the water. Not entire sure how any of the old people in the vicinity manage should they wish to worship in the winter as I had to cling on to the wall to prevent getting my feet wet and my shoes muddy but it had to be done to satisfy my curiosity!!!
Just before we got to Omodos we passed by a house that had clearly been ravaged by a fire. It was a sobering sight - someone's dreams had gone up in smoke. The roof was destroyed and windows gone and whilst we have no idea what happened to it we could but speculate as to why it was not being protected or rebuilt - perhaps it had been uninsured? It was such a shame as it was in a beautiful spot and looked to have been quite an impressive building.
We stopped at Omodos for refreshments in what Brendan from Road Trip might refer to as a comfort break! Not everywhere was open - a bit too early in the season and it has been a long winter but there were plenty of places to grab our attention and we had a quick wander around the streets and a chat with the glass man before purchasing some nuts and settling down for a coffee.
It was glorious in Omodos - the skies were blue and the sun was shining and we sat outside peeling off our layers enjoying a coffee and a sticky which tasted far far better than it had looked in the chiller - by the time we returned to the car it was showing 26 degrees!!!!!
The excitement mounted as we left Platres and began to see snow nestling between the fir trees and by the time we made our way up to the very top and the golf ball there was lots of snow to be seen and people were ski-ing - there was way more snow than when we had visited with Deb and that had been in February too. All the rain in December must have fallen as snow on the Mountains and where it had been ploughed into banks was compacted and still very much frozen.
It was beautiful and although beginning to look a bit dirty in places it was easy enough to just move off of the main road and find an area where the snow was still pretty pristine and untouched so that we could, once we had managed to get the camera sorted with the self timer, take a picture of the four of us.
I am so glad we bothered to make the time to go and see the snow because it was really lovely. As we started the leave the clouds were banking up above us and we wondered whether there might be a flurry of snow coming. We left it behind us and took the road back to Paphos which runs parallel to the one which we had taken up. This was so we could have some lunch at the Extreme View at Prastio.
Selfie time at the Extreme View with me and Mrs V before lunch was served. I hope Di and Rob enjoyed it - I had the best chicken kebab I have had in a long time - succulent chicken with peppers, onions and mushrooms in between and some hand cut chips and salad and then Mrs V and I shared a piece of carrot cake which was pretty yummy too. Marios made us very welcome as he always does and had it not been for the call of the Beer Seller I could have quite easily sat in the warm conservatory for a couple of hours just chatting.
The contrast in the scenery and the temperatures down in the valley couldn't have been greater- it was warm and springlike and the journey back to Gerouskipou was lovely. We made it to the Beer Seller in plenty of time for Bobby and John to get their beer fix and to browse and to chat and discuss with Athos the merits of one bottle over another.
We decided to round off our day with a quick stop at home to feed the cats and then a brisk walk into the village meeting the Veasey's en route so that we could share a carafe of red in the Hotel.
What a fabulous day - thanks for joining us Mr and Mrs V xx
February has been spectacular so far and the countryside is fabulous, lush and green in places, vibrant and yellow in others where Colza is growing in vast quantities - Colza is a traditional rapeseed oil apparently and is grown in vast quantities all over Europe - used as an ingredient for biodiesel fuels and to calm choppy waters amongst other things!!!
Our route took us past the Orites Wind Farm near Kouklia - I know there are mixed views on the aesthetics and efficiency of these farms but personally I think they are magnificent structures - a 21st Century equivalent to the wonder that is Stonehenge. These turbines are massive and it is hard to imagine how they were erected - whether they will stand the test of time is anyone's guess but maybe in the future someone will happen across the remains of a wind farm and wonder at its purpose and construction!
We stopped en route to take in the majesty of the surroundings and to capture them on camera or, in John's case, Ipad! It is clear that the Romans never built the roads in this area as they twist and turn even then they are not negotiating a mountain side!!!We had, earlier on, overtaken this man and tractor but he shot past us when we were being tourists and carried on his way before disappearing over the horizon. Even though the tractor was the modern sort and the road has a barrier along its side this view has probably not changed an awful lot from a time when the farmer might have made the journey on donkey or motorised rotavator!!
I had managed to convince John that apart from getting Rob to the Beer Seller before it closed at 5.00pm in Geriskipou this afternoon the rest of the day was to be a go with the flow kind of day which offends his military sense of time-keeping but he was good and stopped for photographs to be taken, detours to be made, coffee to be drunk and food to be eaten!!
One of the unscheduled stops was in Archimandrita where we saw an interesting sign for the Cave of the 318 Fathers which turned out to be the Priory of the 318 Holy Fathers located down a very picturesque set of steps with a fabulous view.We found the priory which is located in a mountain cave. The 318 Fathers were the participants of the first Ecumenical Council which lay the foundations of the fight for pure faith and the freedom of church teaching from heresy (apparently!) All members of the council were beatified by the church and the priory was consecrated in honour of them.
Within the cave there is a whitewashed dome with niches hollowed out where candles, incense and coal are placed and a few 14th century frescoes are preserved here. We found the waxen heads and the skulls staring out from behind the wooden slats slightly disturbing!!
From there we continued climbing up heading towards the Troodos and hopefully some snow - it can still be seen lying patchily on the lower slopes but we were hopeful there would be more right up the top.
We followed the same route through Vasa that we had done with Debra a couple of year's previously and took the old road to Omodos which prompted a second unscheduled stop when we found a nature trail which took the walker across some rickety old stepping stones where water was running underneath to a small church which was only accessible by going across the water. Not entire sure how any of the old people in the vicinity manage should they wish to worship in the winter as I had to cling on to the wall to prevent getting my feet wet and my shoes muddy but it had to be done to satisfy my curiosity!!!
Just before we got to Omodos we passed by a house that had clearly been ravaged by a fire. It was a sobering sight - someone's dreams had gone up in smoke. The roof was destroyed and windows gone and whilst we have no idea what happened to it we could but speculate as to why it was not being protected or rebuilt - perhaps it had been uninsured? It was such a shame as it was in a beautiful spot and looked to have been quite an impressive building.
We stopped at Omodos for refreshments in what Brendan from Road Trip might refer to as a comfort break! Not everywhere was open - a bit too early in the season and it has been a long winter but there were plenty of places to grab our attention and we had a quick wander around the streets and a chat with the glass man before purchasing some nuts and settling down for a coffee.
It was glorious in Omodos - the skies were blue and the sun was shining and we sat outside peeling off our layers enjoying a coffee and a sticky which tasted far far better than it had looked in the chiller - by the time we returned to the car it was showing 26 degrees!!!!!
The excitement mounted as we left Platres and began to see snow nestling between the fir trees and by the time we made our way up to the very top and the golf ball there was lots of snow to be seen and people were ski-ing - there was way more snow than when we had visited with Deb and that had been in February too. All the rain in December must have fallen as snow on the Mountains and where it had been ploughed into banks was compacted and still very much frozen. It was beautiful and although beginning to look a bit dirty in places it was easy enough to just move off of the main road and find an area where the snow was still pretty pristine and untouched so that we could, once we had managed to get the camera sorted with the self timer, take a picture of the four of us.
I am so glad we bothered to make the time to go and see the snow because it was really lovely. As we started the leave the clouds were banking up above us and we wondered whether there might be a flurry of snow coming. We left it behind us and took the road back to Paphos which runs parallel to the one which we had taken up. This was so we could have some lunch at the Extreme View at Prastio.
Selfie time at the Extreme View with me and Mrs V before lunch was served. I hope Di and Rob enjoyed it - I had the best chicken kebab I have had in a long time - succulent chicken with peppers, onions and mushrooms in between and some hand cut chips and salad and then Mrs V and I shared a piece of carrot cake which was pretty yummy too. Marios made us very welcome as he always does and had it not been for the call of the Beer Seller I could have quite easily sat in the warm conservatory for a couple of hours just chatting.
The contrast in the scenery and the temperatures down in the valley couldn't have been greater- it was warm and springlike and the journey back to Gerouskipou was lovely. We made it to the Beer Seller in plenty of time for Bobby and John to get their beer fix and to browse and to chat and discuss with Athos the merits of one bottle over another.
We decided to round off our day with a quick stop at home to feed the cats and then a brisk walk into the village meeting the Veasey's en route so that we could share a carafe of red in the Hotel.
What a fabulous day - thanks for joining us Mr and Mrs V xx
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