Cyprus, Troodos Mountains

Today I have an excursion to Troodos Mountains with visiting one of the wealthiest and well-known monasteries in Cyprus - Kykkos Monastery.
The highest peak of Troodos is Olympus, at 1952 metres. However, we climbed at 1700 metres above the sea. The serpentine road into mountains was incredibly picturesque, so we had several stops to take some unforgettable photos.

Here and there I could see vineyards. I also noticed that pine trees are spreading here everywhere. In mountains, they have a lot of reservoirs, which are filled by rainwater to be used later. By the way, the question of fresh water is really severe on the island, and sometimes, when there is not enough snow in mountains, they have to use the desalters, which are very expensive.

Today I have learnt another word in Greek. It is 'Yasas', which means 'hello' and 'bye-bye' at the same time. Moreover, you can say 'Yasas!' (as 'Cheers!') when you drink with other people.

Now we are at Kykkos Monastery, that was found at the end of the 11th century. First, you can find here the miracle icon of Virgin Mary. This icon remains hidden behind a protective covering, and nobody is allowed to look at it. The monastery is also famous for the fact that the first president of Cyprus Archbishop Makarios III started his career here as a monk in 1926.

As a tradition, every excursion in Cyprus involves visiting a winery, where you can try and buy some wine. This time I had no intention to buy anything, however, many tourists did.

The excursion ended with visiting the charming village Omodos, the traditional settlement with amazing traditional buildings. Local people could preserve its old beaty with the tiled roofs, the picturesque upper storeys, the flowery yards, the wooden doors and the variously decorated gateways. People say that this village has absolutely Cypriot character.

Tonight we have had the fire show at the hotel. There was only one man, who performed the tricks with fire, sharp nails and broken glass. Not bad, but nothing extraordinary.