Tuesday 14 March - Lemithou, Troodos Mountains

Friday 10 March - Pafos
The Easyjet flight from Luton was as bad as I remember Easyjet being from the last time we flew with them. Luton Airport is chaotic with all the redevelopment work going on and it is possible that may not have helped. The main complaint is that despite knowing that the aircraft we were due to fly out on was delayed in its arrival at the Airport, we were still herded into a tiny room in preparation for boarding, and held there for nearly an hour. Through the windows we could see the passengers still disembarking from the aircrafts previous flight. We could have waited in some degree of comfort in the main concourse. One passenger said that by holding us at the Gate they did not have to report a delay. The actual flight was fine, about four and a half hours. I managed to watch four one-hour episodes of a TV series I had downloaded through BBC iPlayer and the time sped away.
Pafos Airport was very quiet, we are definitely in the off-season period. We picked up the hire-car without queuing and very efficiently. It is a nice Mazda automatic. The only problem with it is that we can't find an instruction manual and the on-board computer screen and the accompanying information is all in Japanese, which we are unable to change. Fortunately John has brought his own SatNav. It was an enormous help in getting us to the apartment in the Pafos suburbs in the dark, quite an achievement.
We booked the apartment in Pafos through Trip Advisor and it is well equipped with everything we could want. It's a bit stark and very much a holiday rental in a holiday rental complex, so not the usual sort of place we would choose to stay. The complex is in blocks of apartments around a central pool, fortunately at this time of the year very few of the apartments are occupied and none at all near us. I should think that in the summer months it all gets a bit overpowering and noisy. But Hey! For £30 a night it is more than adequate with absolutely everything we need.
We stopped at a small mini-market/corner store on the way here in the car last night and bought some sliced meat, cheese, crisps, and wine and beer, which made a very acceptable evening meal. This morning we unpacked the travel luggage and re-packed into more manageable bags, as well as customising the car.
We went to the archaeological site of The Tombs of the Kings, which isn't really tombs of kings at all, but tombs of high-up administrators and civil servants and their families. Despite the lack of a Royal connection, it was still very interesting. It covers a vast area, only partially excavated. Unfortunately it was extensively looted and vandalised in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, many of the artefacts sold to overseas museums. It is still an impressive site, underground chambers and tunnels, burial sites but also evidence of occupation. The sun was warm and welcome. Slowly we shed some of the layers we had dressed in before we left the apartment.
We stopped at a Lidl supermarket and did some essential shopping, including some more beer and wine before returning to the apartment and leaving the car. We walked down to Kato Pafos and along beside the port until we came to the Archaeological Site which includes the Roman Mosaics. These are magnificent, quite the best I have ever seen. Many are covered over to protect them from the elements, but the most intricate are in the House of Dionysus beneath an enclosure. They are truly remarkable, both in their complete preservation, but also in the intricate nature of the artwork.
We retraced our route beside the port and found a restaurant where we had a very passable late lunch in true Greek style. I had sardines and John had kalamari. My sardines were small and very sweet, nicely grilled. The salads were good and the olives very good. So it has been a good first day in Cyprus. The weather forecast is not good for the next two days, lots of rain, and this evening is cool, too cold to sit outside. It's good to have the apartment and our own space.

Saturday 11 March Pafos
The rain came last evening, accompanied by bolts of lightning and rumbles of thunder. It continued into the night, in torrents. I woke to hear it hammering against the shutters and it was still raining when we got up this morning. We had a leisurely start, coffee, shower, breakfast, and still the rain came down. At one time it seemed to clear so we started to make some plans. Our intention had been to walk to Ktima Pafos, the older part of the town and wander round the old Turkish quarter and the markets there, and maybe find a more traditional taverna for lunch. The skies were leaden and it would have been two kms each way.Instead we decided to drive to the site of Ancient Pafos, Palaiapafos, about sixteen kilometres back on the road towards Limassol. As we got in the car it began to rain heavily again and we almost aborted.
Thank goodness we didn’t, as we drove the heavy clouds began to lift and there were glimpses of the sun.
The archaeological site of Palaipafos was disappointing. All that remains now are some stub walls and a few mosaics, all exposed to the elements. The best mosaic, of Leda and the Swan,  has been excavated and moved into the Museum.The signposting is poor and there is scanty information on a few boards. Last night’s heavy rainfall had left large areas flooded and we tread cautiously. However if the site was disappointing the Museum certainly was not. It is housed in the Manor House, or Cavocle which was built originally in the 13C to administer locl sugar cane production. After the Ottoman Conquest it was adapted as a residence for the local Turkish landowner. It is small but amazingly well stocked and unlike the actual archaeological site, the items are all individually labelled with good information. We saw some beautiful pieces, I particularly loved a small statuette from the Iron Age of a woman clasping her breasts. The lines of the shape and the markings were exquisite. There were also some nice pieces of glass work from the Roman era. The Mosaic of Leda and the Swan has also been excavated and moved there. All in all it was one of the finest archaeological museums I have visited, and so small and so remote, and almost deserted.
We were also lucky to find an art installation in the large room beneath the Museum. The Cypriot artist, Mary Plant, had two major installations there, celebrating Aphrodite and her connection with the area. One was laid out across a large part of the floor and consisted of tissue paper squares painted and folded to resemble the sea, the waves, and the foam, from which Aphrodite ascended. The centre piece on each square was a pebble from the beach in a shape resembling the large aniconic stone of Aphrodite. The other installation was a large bed of sand embedded with shells, open and closed, again celebrating the ascension of Aphrodite. I thought the finest work was the collection of books, again fashioned from sheets of tissue paper, comprising Aphrodite’s library. They were beautifully made and depicted stages from her life. We were also lucky in that Mary Plant herself was there. She had come to check that nothing had been damaged by the previous night’s heavy rain and winds, the building has large, unglazed windows. Maybe due to the bad weather we were the only people there and she was happy to personally talk us through the exhibits. She is a warm and gentle woman, dedicated to her work and study. We appreciated her time and the opportunity to meet her.
The rain had stopped completely as we walked back to the car and we decided to drive to Ktima Pafos and continue with our original plan of exploring the old Turkish quarter and it’s covered markets. Drawing close to the old town our way was blocked by road works so we followed a diversion, left the car in a designated parking area and climbed some temporary steps up the steep slope. A tremendous disappointment. Everywhere is a vast building site. It looks as if the old Turkish alleys are being totally upgraded. We walked along pedestrianised streets, newly paved, bordered by posh new shop fronts. The entire area is cordoned off, but through the barriers we could glimpse further work going on, to pave the narrower alleys and re-decorate the shop fronts. Everywhere was shut down, no shops, cafes or tavernas open. What an absolute travesty. We were expecting at worst something like the Spice Market in Istanbul, which has undergone some modernisation, and at best the souks of Fes, which when we were there seemed to have survived over-enthusiastic sanitisation.
As we had climbed the steps from the car park we saw two eating places which seemed to be operating. One looked very plush with padded chairs and table cloths. The other looked more to our taking so we went inside. It immediately had the feel of a Greek taverna and things got better as a few mezedes appeared on the table before we ordered. We were given a sliced avocado doused in olive oil, some celery slices pickled in a light wine vinegar, a bowl of excellent black olives, plump and juicy, and some green chili peppers even John couldn’t manage. John ordered Koukia (butter beans) with Chard and I had Stifado. His beans were fine and to his liking. My Stifado was excellent, melt in the mouth stewed beef, lots of onions, in a thick sauce, one of the best I have had. We shared a Village Salad, with firm ripe tomatoes, fresh lettuce, sliced onions and cucumber, moist and crumbly feta and more of those delicious olives. So even though the trip to Old Pafos was a disappointment, we enjoyed an excellent lunch.
Then back to the apartment for an afternoon of Rugby. The weather had closed in again and the skies were threatening so we stayed at the apartment and used the ‘Ex-Pats’ TV package which came with the booking to watch ITV live and both the games.

Sunday 12 March - Polis
It rained in the night, and it was raining when we woke up this morning. We cleared up the apartment and left about 10.00. Our first stop was at the Archaeological site of Lempa, said to be the oldest village in Cyprus. It was deserted and completely shut down for 'restoration work'. Through the fence we could see the round mud and stone buildings dating back to 3500 BC, many of which are modern reconstructions. Unfortunately as we couldn't get acess we didn't see any of the archaeological remains.
We continued to the Monastery of Ayios Neofytos, a steady uphill climb. The Monastery is built on the site of two caves excavated by Saint Neofytos, a 12C ascete. He made the first one as a sanctuary to live as a hermit, but so many people came to visit him that he built another one above it and once he was installed he pulled up the ladder. The second cave has three sections to it, a nave and a chapel as well as the cell where he lived. The walls are covered with vivid frescoes, a great use of blue pigment, many of them painted by the Saint himself. They are very detailed and the faces show much more expression than I have seen in other religious frescoes and icons. He was quite an artist. His sarcophagus was also there, although the bones have been removed to the church built nearby in the Monastery comlex. A small Museum houses a collection of religious artifacts. We were particularly fascinated by the display of maps, dating back many hundreds of years, and drawn by the various occupying forces of Cyprus. The Lusigans occupied the island from the 12th-15thC. They were Franks from the Poitiers regions of France, so some of the earliest maps had been produced in Paris. Next came the Venetians from 15th-16thC, so there are some beautifully drawn Italian maps. The Ottomans followed from 16th-19thC, and then the British from 1878 until Independence in 1960. It was interesting to compare and contrast the style and content of the maps.
Then on to Polis, and by now the rain was coming down in torrents. It was amazing that not only did we complete all we had wanted and were able to do today without getting wet, but we also managed to get from the car into the apartment before it really hammered down. Bay View apartments are way out of town, but are by virtue quiet, not that there is much going on in Polis in the rain in March. We have a nice roof-top apartment with views out over the bay, except that visibility is nil at the moment. It is very, very clean. As far as we can make out the complex is managed by a young couple from the Philippines who must work extremely hard. The apartment is sparse, not as cozy as the one in Paphos, but still quite adequate for our needs.
There was a respite from the rain around 17.00 so we decided to take the car back into Polis to get something to eat. We had a problem finding anywhere open at that time on a Sunday, but found a taverna near the square which was quite 'original'. In fact it reminded us of some Greek tavernas 20 years ago, very basic, no heating and a limited menu. John had Saganaki, which was not like the versions he had eaten in Karistos but very enjoyable. I had Loukanika, and they were very good, reminded me of all those Christmas Eves with Andreas and Koula. In the old house at Palaia Xora, the wood fire blazing, rembetika music on the tape-player, supplies of little cakes and wine, as we stuffed the pigs intestines with the minced pork, the herbs and the spices. Oh Happy days, I am missing Karystos and our lovely Greek family there.

Monday 13 March - Polis
I am amazed that we have managed it, but another day and we didn't get wet. To be honest the rain has not been so bad today. It often seemed to be raining around us but not on us. We left the apartment reasonably early this morning and went to Aphrodites Pool. A natural spring feeds a small pool in a rocky enclave, where mythology has it that Aphrodite frolicked with Adonis. There was a group of Germans there when we arrived, but they were huddled together their guide so we were able to see the pool unhindered. It was pleasant and quite atmospheric. It was also full of water, we gather that there is much less in the summer. There are many hiking trails around this part of the Akamas peninsular but neither of us are capable of hill walking these days, so we have to make the most of our capabilities. We made a 2.5 km circular walk, the first part of it steeply uphill over rocks. Once on the plateau there was evidence of the recent heavy rain, and soon the weight of our walking shoes was increased by the thick layers of mud which stuck to them. It was slippery in places and we were pleased that common sense had prevailed and we had not been foolhardy enough to attempt a longer walk over even more difficult terrain. There were lots of wild flowers, identical to those which I would have expected to find in the mountains of Greece at this time of the year. The sun came out and the views over the bay and the sea were beautiful.
Back in the car we retraced our route through Polis and out in the opposite direction. We followed the coast all the way to the furthest point that we could before we met the Kokkina Enclave. This is a small area occupied by the Turkish Army within the Greek controlled southern zone. Turkey invaded the area in 1964 to protect many Turks who were living there. Jets flew overhead using napalm to clear town and villages. Full scale war almost broke out and a U.N. Peacekeeping Force was sent to monitor the situation, and it remains there to this day.
The coastal stretch was much more developed than I had expected, in fact one seaside village merged into another. However at the moment there doesn't seem to be over development, small clusters of purpose built apartments and villas, either as second homes or for holiday rental. The sun shone, the sea was Aegean turquoise in places and it was a lovely trip. We drove inland around the electric fencing encircling the Turkish occupied area and decided we had time to take the road to Kato Pyrgos, a fishing port sandwiched between the Kokkina Enclave and the Northern Turkish Occupied zone. It had the feel of a very nice low-key resort, but this time of the year nowhere is busy. I do think that Kato Pyrgos is so isolated it probably never reaches full throttle as must happen to the other coastal resorts. I think of Yarmouth in the winter and how a pleasant walk along the sea front bears no resemblance to the hullaballoo of mid summer.
We took the road back through the Tilliria, the largest forest wilderness area in Cyprus. It was a continuation of the mountainous road to Kato Pyrgos. John was driving for at least three hours of tight hairpin bends at over 1,000 metres. It made our hill driving around Karystos feel like a walk in the park. Pine forest, followed pine forest, in every direction there was pine forest. The weather closed down, the sun disappeared behind leaden clouds and on occasions there was a misty rain. We made a stop at Stavros tis Psokas Forest Station where we got an ice-cream from the cafe and stretched our legs. Then back in the car, through lower foothills, and several small villages, back into Polis.
Our attempts to find an alternative eating place were totally thwarted. It was 16.40 and although so many places are still shut for the winter it was possible that one or two might be intending to open up later in the evening. However after such a long day we didn't want to go back to the apartment and then come out again later, the evenings are just not warm enough. So we ate at the same place as yesterday. There was hardly any food to choose from, so I had Loukanika again as I had enjoyed them so much, and John had some grilled prawns.
Tomorrow we head off to The Troodos Mountains. I think I will need all my layers of thermal underwear.

Tuesday 14 March - Lemithou, Troodos Mountains
We woke this morning to warm sunshine flooding in through the bedroom windows. Still a few clouds in the sky, but a much improved outlook. We packed up to leave, but took a short while sitting out on the balcony soaking up the welcome solar gain. Once on the road we intended to make our first stop the Kouyiouka Watermill. It proved very difficult to find and we made several diversions on narrow country roads before spotting a rather obscure sign off the main road. Once again the entire place was deserted and shut up. We walked around the exterior and it was very interesting, laid out on so many levels. It does seem to have been absorbed into a large restaurant, so presumably is only accessible when the restaurant is open. By coming at an out-of-season time we have escaped the hoards of tourist and all the package holiday people. On the other hand most places seem to be closed down until Easter. I suppose we didn't think this one through, which is rather short-sighted. We know quite well that the tourist dependent parts of Greece, that is most of the islands, take a winter break and close down, opening again for Easter. In the good old days it was when people involved in tourism took their holidays, usually to the U.S., or even South Africa or Australia, to go and stay with the diaspora, family who had emigrated to make new lives for themselves elsewhere. I doubt that they can afford that luxury now. Obviously a similar situation exists in tourist-dependent Cyprus.
Our next stop was more rewarding, the medieval bridge at Skarfos. We parked our car by a dirt road which had been badly affected by the heavy rains, deep furrows running through. The bridge was picturesque in a nice setting. The river had been diverted to a new course past the bridge and we were able to walk right down to it and all around. The sun shone and the birds sang. We were the only people there. Our final planned stop was at the Monastery of Panagia Chrysorrogiatissa. Same thing, say no more. But we were able to look inside the church, famous for its icons, and there were a great many of them. We found someone working there who allowed us into a small vestibule where we were able to buy a couple of bottles of wine, one red and one white, made by the monks.
We had hoped to be able to take back roads into the Troodos Massive, but we found that they were dirt roads and we have a small low car and there was the possibility that parts of them could have been washed away with the rains. We decided that our best option was to take a much longer route and travel south, almost back to Pafos and then pick up another road to travel north again. We made one more stop, at a high mountain village, narrow twisting roads between old stone houses. We visited a weaving centre with a shop and a folk museum. An elderly couple run it and their enthusiasm was over whelming. The man spoke good English, he told us that he had been a teacher, and he explained all the items to us. Many of them were their own family possessions, the woman's grandmothers post-natal gown, a special garment woven for a woman to wear during the 40 days she would spend after the birth of her baby, her 'lying-in' period. It was slit down the front to allow for breast feeding. They showed us the silk cocoons, with the worms inside, and the cotton bolls. I tried hard with my Greek and the woman told me about many of the other old clothes hanging up, and showed me how she spun the silk and the cotton. She did the weaving on a large loom set up in the centre of the room. We spent much longer there than we had intended but it was well worth the experience.
Then we continued on our way into the Troodos Mountains. More steep climbs and hairpin bends, and we glimpsed snow on the mountain tops. Finally we reached Lemithou and Themi's House. I am pretty sure we are the only people staying here. We have a large studio room, but it's not all that comfortable. It's very Greek with upright chairs around a table, rather than a sofa and armchairs. It is cold, very cold. I asked for another blanket for the bed, and the man in charge said he would put some heating on if I was cold. The daily temperature here at the moment is arounf 7C, colder than Norwich, and the night time is -1 to +2C. Everyone we see is just wearing lots of warm clothing, it seems they don't usually do heating. A radiator in our room has taken the terrible chill away, but I think I will be sleeping in my thermal underwear, as well as wearing it all day. In fact I probably won't get undressed for the next four days.
We drove to the next village to get a meal, there is nothing open in Lemithou. It wasn't the best of our drives, John backed into a post and has made a real mess of the side of the hire car. The taverna was large, cold, and mostly empty. The plates were enormous, John had enough Mousaka to feed an entire family and I had Kleftiko, an enormous mound of fatty, greasy mutton, on the bones. I teased out about three-quarters of the meat and ate that with a green salad. The woman running the place was rather off-and at first, but I persevered with my struggling Greek and she came and sat down, with her father who is badly affected by Parkinsons Disease. I spoke to him as well, but the replies were difficult as he only had one visible tooth and I couldn't understand him. Yet again I was so thankful about my limited Greek vocabulary, learnt from talking to women in Karystos, that I could talk about family and children. I am sure we would be very welcome if we go back there again to eat, but I'll give the Kleftiko a miss next time.