We have brought my parents-in-law to Troodos for the weekend. Our cabin is near Mount Olympus and has been sitting in a big cloud since we arrived. After breakfast we drove to the Solea Valley, north of Mount Olympus, to get out of the cloud. I love the drive along the B9 – the road is good, with gentle(ish) bends, lined with pine trees. As you reach the valley you can see the pretty town of Kakopetria below, with Galata in the distance. It’s an impressive sight.
We’d read that there are lots of UNESCO-listed churches in Troodos and so we turned off the B9 and followed signs to Agios Nikolaos Tis Stegis. As we drove the three kilometres along a windy mountain road, I expected to see the church ahead. But even when we’d reached the car park I could see nothing. A kindly lady let us in through a gate and we walked down a path. Then, around the corner, nestled into the valley was the oddest, quaintest church I’ve seen. It oozed age. Which it would, given it’s a thousand years-old. It looked like something from a fairy tale.
The church is free to enter, but we left a donation and stepped inside. From the exterior you’d never have expected what you find inside. Wow! Really, WOW. Colour, everywhere. The church was covered from top to bottom in amazing frescos from five different centuries. The oldest dates from the 11th Century, though it’s so well-preserved you’d never guess. Unfortunately, photos weren’t allowed.
Goobie and I did the Ancient Tingle. The Ancient Tingle goes like this: when you are in the presence of something ancient, like a tree or building, gently put your hand on it, close your eyes and imagine what the world was like when this thing first appeared. Then imagine all the things that have happened in the world between then and now. You’ll be hit by how ancient this thing is. It makes my spine tingle every time. We lit some candles and made a wish.
From the church we headed into the old quarter of Kakopetria for lunch. The old quarter is full of restored, traditional buildings. With its narrow windy streets and open-air cafes, it has a real charm. We’d already bought our lunch from the Sigma bakery near Trimiklini (the bakery was one of Val’s highlights – and a guilty pleasure of mine). We found a little park down Archbishop Makarios III Avenue next to the Kargotis River and the Petras Androginou Waterfall. It was an idyllic spot for a picnic, with ducks, a pretty bridge and a small playground.
From Kakopetria we drove on to Galata in search of Panagia Podithou, another painted church. We found it in the middle of the valley, but it was locked and no one was around. However, what I did discover was a way down to My Tree, a magnificent tree you can see from the B9 road. We say hello to it whenever we go past. I’ve never managed to get a decent photo of it because of the buildings and trees in the way. It turned out that My Tree was right next to Panagia Podithou. I had lots of photo-fun.
Goobie was getting bored so we decided to head to The Cyprus Railways Museum in Evrychou. We’ve been there before but since it was just down the road and free of charge, we suggested Goobie showed his grandparents around it. His change of mood was dramatic – bye-bye whining, hello Goobie the Train Expert. I wrote a post last year about this brilliant little place.
No one fancied going back to our cabin in the clouds just yet, so we drove to Pano Platres for dinner in To Anoi restaurant. I’ve passed it loads of times and have been meaning to eat there. The food was your usual Cypriot fair, average price and average quality. It’s off-season and so the restaurant was empty today but I can see it coming alive in summer.
When we got back to our cabin, the clouds parted briefly to give us a glimpse of the wonderful view. For 10 seconds, it was amazing.
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