My in-laws are visiting at the moment, so we decided to take them to Troodos for the weekend. To breathe in the fresh mountain air, enjoy a stroll in the forest, feel awe-struck by the incredible views. A couple of days in a friend’s cabin promised all of these things.

But we have a problem. Here is our view this morning.

Yes, we are in a big cloud. Apparently, just beyond that hazy outline of a tree is the most stunning view imaginable. We are all imagining it.

We should have realised on the way up yesterday. There were signs. There was this amazing rainbow as we drove past Pachna – I’ve never seen such vibrant purple in a rainbow before.

And as we drove past Omodos we noticed that the mountain was missing. There was lots of greyish fluff where Mount Olympus should have been. By the time we reached Platres, we were in it. We could barely see the cabin when we arrived, let alone the view. When we went out for dinner, the grey fluff was shooting torrential rain at us. Thank god for the comforting lights and warmth of Mimi restaurant in Pano Platres. After a delicious meal we headed back to our cabin in the cloud forest.

Hammering rain on a tin roof is actually very cosy. Not great for a good nights’ sleep, but atmospheric at least (pun intended). We assured my in-laws that rain showers don’t last long in Cyprus and it will blow over soon. We were wrong. This morning, the rain has turned into bullets of hail.

I’ve seen a different side to Troodos in the last 24 hours. Not the gentle, beautiful giant that we have fun on. This weekend Troodos is raging. I’ve often wondered how there can be so much snow up here when it’s so warm on the coast. Yes, it’s cooler on the mountain, but I’ve also seen that things can get fierce 1700m above sea level where the earth is closer to the elements.

It sounds like there’s a battle going on out there and I hope it’s over before we go back so that my in-laws can see the beauty of Troodos as we know it.