We left our spacious Nicosia apartment
this morning and walked the short distance to the “green line” border between
Turkey and Greece (so named because the UN official who drew the original boundaries
used a green pen – as simple as that) and joined Mustafa in his taxi for the
ride to Larnaca airport to collect our rental car. We then set off under our
own steam in our Nissan Note, almost returning to Nicosia (Lefkosa) on our way
to the fabled Troodos Mountains that dominate the centre of Cyprus. Before long we were traversing narrow,
winding roads as we climbed and descended the mountains. We stopped to view several of the frescoed
Byzantine churches, dating back to between the 11th and 15th centuries. Ten of the churches in this area are
UNESCO-listed for their historical significance.
Panagia tou Araka was built in the 12th
century. An interesting feature of this
church is that a pitched roof and wooden trellis were constructed at some stage to completely
enclose the stone church within. It contains
wonderful frescoes from the late Commenian period, some dated at 1192. Unfortunately
we were not allowed to take photos inside this church. The Agios Nikolaos tis
Stegis (St Nicholas of the Roof) was built in the 11th century,
however the dome was added in the 15th, along with the roof to
protect against snowfalls. It is the
only remaining remnant of a monastery founded in Cyprus in the 11th
century. Again, the frescoes are magnificent.
These beautiful churches and monasteries are dotted throughout the
Troodos Mountains, along with quaint villages, with their cobbled streets and
some of the island’s finest wineries (although unfortunately we didn’t have
time to stop at any). And at every turn – and there are lots of them - there
are magnificent views of the mountains and valleys.
We eventually reached our accommodation about 7.30pm and
were met by our South African host Michael, then a walk to the nearby mall to
stock up on the essentials and home-cooked dinner washed down with a Larnaca red, taken on our
terrace.
Tomorrow: the Kato Paphos archaeological site, the Tombs of
the Kings, and other historical sites in this historically-rich area.
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