Hi,

I spent five days in sunny Cyprus -> now I would like to bring you on a journey as well - through photos, I will briefly walk you through the moments i’ve EXPERIENCED therE.

ENJOY <3

*you can see any photo in the full-screen mode by simply clicking on it (you can also move through the whole album using left and right arrows)

**če ti angleščina ni blizu, se mi javi - z veseljem ti vse skupaj predstavim ;)

First of all, I was not alone on this trip - I visited Cyprus as a part of a team of approx. 20 people.

Our journey to Cyprus:

Zagreb —> Pafos

Flight: 6:20 - 8:40 AM

Flying over Marmaris, Turkey

Clouds above the Mediterranean Sea

When I stepped out of the plane, I immediately felt the Cypress warmth and the pleasant smell of the many blooming flowers.

Kalopanayiotis

For the first two days, we stayed in a village called Kalopanayiotis - one of the most beautiful mountain resorts on the island, with thermal springs, traditional architecture, and panoramic views of the Marathasa valley. It’s located in the middle of the Troodos Mountains (Mt. Olympus is the highest peak).

Kalopanayiotis has attracted visitors and pilgrims for centuries and, in more recent history, was a community built around agriculture, the land, and cottage industries. However, the 20th century experienced a drain as people left their villages to find work in cities and abroad. This changed after a man called John Papadouris decided to drive a restoration project to preserve the mountain culture and way of life in his childhood village.
Now with more than 40 guest rooms in many houses across the village, as well as cafés and restaurants, villagers have been inspired to invest in their community, restoring their homes and opening small businesses, preserving their mountain culture and way of life.

Since the village is built on steep terrain, they even have a cable car that transports guests from the restaurant to their rooms.

It feels like a Santa's village in December - full of lights and Christmas decor all around. Of course, there’s also a Christmas market.

Through the photos, you might also notice that Cyprus is an island of cats - they were brought to the island to reduce the number of poisonous snakes.

There’s a creek in the valley, surrounded by fruit trees full of persimmons, citruses… YUMMY!

The building standing alone on one of the nearby peaks is a winery.

The weather forecast was not the best, but we were lucky - it rained when we were indoors.

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The last two photos are from the Kykkos Monastery and museum that we visited on our way back to the South. It’s the wealthiest and most lavish (so much gold, silver, and other precious pieces in one place!) monastery on the island, standing on a mountain peak at an altitude of 1.318 m.

Mountains —> Coast

Cyprus in December by Oleli - Alenka Skvarc-142.jpg

Cyprus in December by Oleli - Alenka Skvarc-49.jpg

Cyprus in December by Oleli - Alenka Skvarc-50.jpg

Returning back to the coast, it took us 1h40min (72 km) to reach Limassol. Unfortunately, I don’t have any pictures, but it’s a winding road, so reading during the drive is not the best idea.

From there, we continued to Aphrodite Hills.

Aphrodite Hills, Pafos, Adonis Baths

For the remaining days we stayed at the Aphrodite Hills - a beautiful historical and mythological hill with panoramic views overlooking the Mediterranean Sea and the birthplace of Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love.

Cypriot evening

One evening we had a Cypriot evening- the central part was meze:

A selection of small dishes, a meze acts as a tasting platter of appetizers, either as an accompaniment with drinks or as the first course. Sometimes, main courses can also be served as part of a meze, though in a smaller quantity. It may also contain salads and desserts.
Many countries in the Middle East and the Mediterranean have their own meze platters that serve the best dishes from the locality.
A Meze will have anywhere from 5-20 dishes depending on your choice. Expect pita bread and a variety of dips such as tzatziki, beetroot dip, tahini, and hummus too in your meze, making it a meal in its own right.

I lost count of how many dishes we tried, but I’d say it was nearly 20.

The evening was also accompanied by local and Greek music and dances.

SMASHING PLATES

Between dances, we smashed some plates (made out of plaster), which is supposed to be a Greek / Cypriot tradition during celebratory occasions.

Plates would be thrown to the floor and smashed whilst singing and dancing. Just before the plate smashing, there would have been a performance on stage by known stage artists. Knives would be thrown, specifically towards the feet of performing artists on stage, with the thrower shouting "Opa!" to signify respect to the artist and indicate enjoyment and approval of their performance. This practice died out due to many mishaps and injuries, and soon the smashing of plates took over. It is said this custom is an expression of 'Kefi', which roughly translated means 'the spirit of joy, passion, enthusiasm, high spirits, or frenzy'.

Here’s one video similar to what I’ve witnessed.

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From Pafos (photos with palm trees), we took a 4x4 ride to Adonis Baths, a themed park with an amphitheatre, statues from Greek Mythology, and waterfalls, where it’s possible to swim.

On the way to….

Aphrodite’s Birthplace

The Birthplace of Aphrodite is one of the most beautiful beaches near Pafos. In the water, one can see enormous rocks where legend says the goddess Aphrodite was born from the sea foam.

It’s an incredibly gorgeous sight during the golden hour.

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As I’ve heard, the rocks in the last few photos are “the fake ones” - tourists usually visit them, but the real ones where Aphrodite was supposedly born are the ones in the first few photos - a few hundred meters away.

Aphrodite's Temple at Palaipafos (Kouklia)

It was the first site on the island included on UNESCO’s World Heritage List for its diverse past, religious significance, and potential as an archeological site. It’s a special place with a rich history. You can start here if you are interested in reading more about it.

There’s also a museum with a large black basalt stone on display representing the Goddess of Cyprus. They believe it’s a cult statue because it is repeatedly described in the literary sources of Antiquity, and it’s even portrayed on the Roman coins of Cyprus.

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Kourion Archaeological Site

Kourion was one of the island’s most important city-kingdoms in antiquity. It was built on the hills of the area and overlooked and controlled the fertile valley of the river Kouris. According to archaeological finds, evidence suggests that Kourion was associated with the Greek legend of Argos of Peloponnese.

The site’s centrepiece is the Greco-Roman theatre which has been restored and is now used for open-air musical and theatrical performances.

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