My first memories & recollection of Cyprus are way back from 1990 when I was in
Class 4th and while preparing for the GK Quizzes I learnt that Cyprus Cyprus
The idea got germinated during one of our
nonchalant discussions on Friday 21st June when we were discussing
Trip Destinations during the August Eid Break & Tripathi said “Cyprus
Cut to Sunday Morning 23rd June. Our
flight tickets were booked; yeah I was that quick! And then the research
marathon & the trip countdown started! I was about to be immersed in Cyprus
Information! And my partner-in-rhyme was Trip Advisor, without their website
this trip couldn’t have been possible! I prepared the list of places to stay,
explore & eat all through TA and this was the first time I was exploring its
true potential! I even started my reviews & have written almost 30 reviews
so far & the list is expanding slowly!
The first impressions of the country was cheap
rates for everything – Flight Tickets, Hotels, Food and Car Rentals; all due to
the financial crisis and we made our humble contribution by spending money when
we were there! Plus the natural beauty which was mesmerizing going by the
photographs I saw on the Internet! Another thing to note through my research
was the effective marketing of Cyprus Tourism and especially AgroTourism which
I definitely wanted to try – staying in a small & non-descript village
somewhere in the Troodos
Mountains
First 4 nights at a Larnaca Beachside Hotel
named Augusta Beach Apartments and the rest of the 3 nights at a Village Resort;
I initially booked the Vavla Rustic Retreat but later due to some issues I
booked the Avalon Village Resort and thank God I made this decision (more
details later)! Found the Avalon Property thanks to Google and the other two
through TA!
This was going to be the 3rd new
country I was exploring in 2013 after our February Dubai Trip and my April
Lebanon Trip! And we were surely gonna make the most of the 7 days we had with
us! I also had to been to India
The plan was simple…Chill, Relax, Explore and Enjoy
the Sea, Mountains & the food on offer! Plus I had plans to book a car and
drive through Cyprus
So after a painstaking wait of almost 1.5
months we were off on Saturday 3rd August to the Land of Sea-Sand
& Sunshine…Cyprus
Day 1 ||| Saturday 3rd August 2013 |||
Kuwait to Cyprus via Bahrain and a relaxed day in Larnaca
We took a Early Morning flight to Cyprus and
thanks to Rajendra Prasad (my friend & office colleague) for waking up at 4
AM and dropping us at the airport for our 7 AM Flight; had a brief 90 minutes
stopover at the Bahrain Airport and we landed right on time in Larnaca at 1 PM
to start our Cyprus Journey….
I had decided to save money on the local travelling
by using Public Transport over Taxis so that we could indulge more on Food! And
that’s what we did, we took a bus from the Airport to the Beachside which
costed us 3 Euros and the corresponding Taxi Fare was 40 Euros! Yes that big a
difference! We had to walk almost a kilometre though from where the bus dropped
us to our Hotel which wasn’t a big pain even though it was hot & humid as
the distance was relatively very short! While walking, we also checked out some
of the restaurants on the Beach
Road
Reached our Hotel soaked in sweat, checked in
and then had a quick bath to refresh ourselves! And then pulled out the Aloo
& Paneer Paranthas from Sargam, Kuwait and this was supposed to be the only
Indian Meal of our Trip! We had vowed that we won’t eat any Indian Food
throughout our trip and explore different cuisines! The Paranthas surely saved
us a trip downstairs as we were really tired and wanted a nice & sound
sleep to get ourselves ready for the Evening!
We woke up at 5 PM and got ready to explore the
Larnaca Beachside…the view from our room was so refreshing overlooking the
azure Mediterranean Sea in front of us!
Couldn’t get any better than this! The room was also pretty decent with a
Kitchen as well! All that we wanted in just 60 Euros!
First stop was the Larnaca Fort which was just
50 metres from our hotel but was sadly closed by the time we reached so we sat
down at the seaside right next to it soaking up the last few moments of the
sunshine of the day! The sea waves hitting the shore were a much welcome relief
over the lifeless sea movements here in Kuwait
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We also took a Seafront Walk & the first
stop was for a Bhutta for which Bandita was craving for so long and one which
isn’t available in Kuwait
And then the highlight of the Day! Bandita’s
tryst with the Fish Spa and her awesome expressions! She had a ball having all
those small fish nibbling away all those dead cells of her feet! Definitely a
worthwhile experience for her…Later we sat down at one of the benches and
observed all the travellers passing us by! And one striking part was so many
Prams and young kids! So many people were travelling with infants and young
kids it was mind boggling!
It was 8:30 PM already and time for dinner! And
to check out the first of the list of restaurants I had prepared in advance for
this trip thanks to my research on TA! Art Café 1900 was our dinner rendezvous;
the exterior & interior design, food, service and the feel…everything about
this place was awesome! right from the glorious entrance, the surreal-looking
bar on the ground floor and to the 1st floor which is magical & exquisitely
decorated....the 2 lovely ladies were ever so helpful in letting us decide the
type of wine & food to order! the service was prompt too...loved the interior
design which has been painstakingly done and the effort shows! The food was
real awesome - we ordered Grilled Chicken Breast in Mushroom-Pesto Sauce with
Rice & Vegetables and Stuffed Bell Pepper, Cabbage Rolls & Tomato in
Butter Sauce...and the best part was the WOW experience we got! My wife ordered
a glass of Red Wine which she didn't like much and threw up...the owner didn't
charge us for the wine which was some 10 Euros odd! Real gracious and
customer-centric and it definitely was such a nice gesture on her part,
considering the bad times Cyprus
Walked back to our hotel after a round of
Italian Gelato and then called it a day! Day 1 in Cyprus
Day 2 ||| Sunday 4th August 2013 |||
Chilling Out in Larnaca
The plans for this day were plain &
simple….enjoy the sea, chill and explore Larnaca and we did absolutely the
same! See how obedient we are!
Woke up at 6 AM, got freshened up, had a light
breakfast – another meal which became a routine; Tzatziki (yogurt mixed with
cucumbers, garlic, salt, olive oil, and mint) Sandwich !
Then went to the Beach to enjoy the water in relatively pleasant sunshine! As
it got really hot by the time the watch hit 9! So we had full 2.5 hours to
enjoy in the sea which we absolutely love doing! Since our Andaman Days!
Had our Breakfast at a Café named The Bailey
which was so filling & delicious; couldn’t have asked for anything more! Had
the Cyprus Breakfast here with Halloumi Cheese and Cyprus Coffee and it was
real nice...I loved the super-quick service...after the Sea Swim this gave me a
healthy & sumptuous morning meal! The place was full and even then the
service was on-time and prompt! Definitely recommended...the pricing is real
nice too...just 3.5 Euros for the breakfast! We went back to our hotel &
were very tired so decided to have a short nap but somehow I couldn’t sleep so
I got ready & decided to hit the streets! A walk through the streets of
Larnaca…so glad I did that as I explored so many new things! The old-school
Cypriot Houses, Gardens and buildings! Looking at all those old houses and
specially the grapevines! Yeah, I guess every house in Cyprus
I got back to the hotel and this time I slept!
Had a great 2 hours sleep…woke up and then it was time for the lunch which we
had at the famous “Dionyssos Fish Tavern”…The lovely hostess (I guess the
owner) helped with the fresh fish selection too and the service was top-notch!
The White Snapper was grilled to perfection with the perfect seasoning! And the
Greek Salad was super too...I loved the Olive paste served with the Bread
Basket....I loved the ambiance of the place...the Fort View
And then had another new experience! Cannabis
Ice Tea, the moment I spotted it at a supermarket close to our Hotel I knew I
had to taste it! And it was superb indeed! A mild flavour of Cannabis and toned
down by infusion of the Tea! It was made in Switzerland
Another superb thing about this trip was the
amount we slept! We spent so much time in exploring & eating but still
always had time in the day to catch a nap! And that’s what we did after the
sumptuous lunch! Had another 2 hours nap before heading out to the Sea again
for an evening dip and this time Solo for me…Bandita spent her time relaxing at
the beach alone…and she completely loved her time observing people walking on
the beach and kids playing blissfully!
We had another long walk on the beach and then
walked towards our Dinner Rendezvous…and then the first bummer of the trip…the
French Restaurant where we wanted to have dinner was closed as the owners had
gone for a vacation! Yea, you read it correctly…what of the country is going
through the worst crisis in its history but the owners of this French Resto
named Zanaar Steak House were keener for their vacation than serving their
customers in peak tourist season! The wonders of Cyprus
We settled for some Greek-style Street
Day 3 ||| Monday 5th August 2013 |||
In & Around Larnaca
This day started too with a 2-hour long Sea
Session followed by a long breakfast session; this time at Tuck Inn where I had
the authentic Greek Frappe for the first time! It is what Masala Tea is for India
Next-up was a city tour of Larnaca – the
open-bus Tourist Trip which took us through all the important landmarks of the
city with English Language Commentary through headphones which was very
informative indeed…
And the name of the Tour was quite unique too!
Love Buses! It was managed by a Cypriot couple and they had 2 such tours…one of
this 3-hours city tour every Monday, Wednesaay & Friday and the other was a
8 hours tour which went to Famagusta
We visited the following monuments/landmarks:
- The
- Hala
Sultan Tekke or the Mosque of Umm Haram...Revered as the 3rd most
important Mosques in Islam...
- The
Panagia Faneromeni Monastery…built in 1792
- The
- The
Kamares Aqueduct built in 1747... considers to be the "most
prominent" water supply structure ever built in
The Tour started at 11 and we were back by 2
PM…Sun burnt & sweaty but loaded with a lot of Information about Larnaca
and Cyprus Spain but rather than brooding he decided to
travel to Cyprus
Got back to the hotel, had a nice & long
bath, ate in the room and then had a long 3 hours afternoon siesta! Outside it
was painfully hot & humid and we were in no mood today to venture out! And
after this refreshing sleep session we hit the city at 7 PM…started with a long
shopping session for Cyprus Souvenirs – for our home, friends & family and
thoroughly enjoyed those sessions with the shop owners – talking about India
Visited the “Church of Saint Lazarus” in full
evening splendour & it looked gorgeous in the fading light and during the
exploration walk around the church spotted our Dinner Venue which looked
awesome & the menu was quite decent too! Came back at 9 PM for the Dinner
at Taratsa and had a brilliant meal! I had Octopus for the 2nd time
(after Lebanon Lebanon Fort View
With another brilliant day behind us and
another one in store the next day it was time to call it a day! The sleep came
in no time!
Day 4 ||| Tuesday 6th August 2013
||| Nicosia
This day was dedicated to Nicosia
Woke up at 6 AM and went to the balcony and was
awestruck! The colours of the rising sun made me go bonkers! Was pure lucky to
witness that scene and I am sure it won’t go out of my memory ever! What
majestic colours….the blue, yellow and orange combining made the scenes
magical! Inspired by this accidental good luck I decided to wake up earlier
than this to photograph the progression of the Sunrise
It was going to be a long day indeed filled
with lots & lots of walking and yeah not to forget – eating! Armenian,
Venetian and Spanish cuisines were part of the list!
Took a Bus from Larnaca to Nicosia
After a sumptuous breakfast and a long walk we
reached the Cyprus Museum – the biggest & the most significant
museum in Cyprus
Next up was all about a passion! The Cyprus Classic
Motorcycle Museum
Post this we went to the old shopping area of
the city named Laiki Geitonia District which is right next to the disputed
Border…the look & feel of those streets were real amazing…sunshine trying
to peep and awnings trying their best to keep it at bay! And this battle was
giving the streets a surreal colour! It was best to walk through and get
soaked! We did some artefacts shopping too and browsed through the world famous
(and obscenely expensive) Lefkara Art; bought a single piece for my mother as a
souvenir! Spent a hour at a Lebanese Sheesha joint (yes they are everywhere);
enjoyed some Ice Tea and bakar with a Nepalese Man who worked at the café….and
his strange reasons to come to Cyprus
Time was ripe for some Venetian Lunch and off
we went! Walking again to one of the most famous & acclaimed restaurants of
Nicosia
Unfortunately I forgot bringing our Passports
so we couldn’t cross the Border to Turkey
Next up was a walk till the Venetian Walls, Eleftheria Monument
and the Famagusta
And after this we had enough and decided to
take the bus back to Larnaca…the only agenda item left was a Spanish Dinner at
the Casa Vieja Restaurant but we decided to give it a miss as a Spanish Resto
was on our Limassol List! We were damn lucky as the bus was just about to leave
the Bus Station when we reached! We were there just in the nick of time plus we
got seats too! Phew! And then the rest of the journey was a complete blur as
both of us slept like nobody’s business, it could easily be named slumber going
by the intensity!
Reached our hotel and after a bath slept for 3
hours to get rested & relaxed! We ventured out at 9 PM, chilled out at the
Beachside and had a Pizza Dinner at one small café…freshly made dough and wood
oven fired…perfect way to end another awesome day! Yeah quite poetic too!
Day 5 ||| Wednesday 7th August 2013
||| Goodbye Larnaca – Say Hello to Limassol
I had put the alarm for 5 AM and was ready at 5:15 AM to hit the balcony with my camera to capture the
After the hectic photography session we had a
light breakfast and left our Hotel to hit the Finikoudes Beach one last time
before we were to leave for Limassol…and clicked a lot of pics while we were
inside the sea too…the best part about this beach was that we could venture
almost a kilometre inside the sea without any fear of drowning! Bandita doesn’t
know swimming and even she used to go right till the water was head-high for
her! And it was always calm in the mornings as if mirroring the progression of
the day! Spent almost 2 hours in the Sea before having a heavy breakfast at
Tuck Inn which became our routine BF joint throughout our Larnaca stay!
Got back to our hotel, finished our packing,
checked out and then took a Bus for the Larnaca Airport
We reached the airport where we were to meet my
friend from Dubai
Both of us had pre-booked our Car Rental online
through EconomyBookings.com but sadly my rental company forgot about my booking
and didn’t send the car as scheduled! I frantically started calling the owner
(Thanks to Trip Advisor that I was able to pull out his number in advance and
saved it too!); finally he picked up well after an hour had passed and gave me
a shocker! He told me that he had no spare Automatic Car in his garage and he
had no other option! I was shell-shocked as I had already paid the booking
amount in full & had no plans to spend more money for the car plus all my
future plans in Cyprus
Unfortunately Gaurav also faced some issues
with his booking and had to pay an extra amount to get the car! So much so for
online bookings! Thankfully Elias (owner of Thrifty Car Rentals, Cyprus
Elias offered his own car to us! Yes,
surprising but true! His car was an Automatic Diesel Ford Focus whereas I had
pre-booked a Petrol Automatic Toyota Yaris so for me it was a much better deal!
Plus it was his own self-driven car so was much better maintained too! He asked
me to take special care of his car which I promised to him and then set off
towards Limassol! God Bless Elias!
The empty Highway and brilliant weather to
boot…the second leg of the trip couldn’t have started on a better note even
with the minor hiccup! I called up Gaurav and coordinated our drive too; I was
some 15-odd kms ahead of him and thanks to Google Maps & my Blackberry
Device right on track!
I stopped the moment we reached Limassol to
wait for Gaurav to join us…when he came we shopped some grocery from a
supermarket to stock ourselves for our upcoming stay!
Our next stay was in a small & non-descript
village named Fasoula in the foothills of the Troodos Mountains some 12-odd kms
from Limassol; during my research I got to know Agro Tourism as a concept was
very popular in Cyprus and after the hyper-active Larnaca stay we definitely
wanted the peace & tranquillity of a village stay to even out things!
After innumerable wrong turns and U-Turns we
finally reached our the village at 3 PM and checked into our Hotel – Avalon
Village Houses which was a beautiful property going by the first
impression…birds chirping, perfect weather, sparkling blue water in the
swimming pool, a nice sit-out area and huge rooms! Couldn’t have asked for more
I say! Had a light lunch and then slept for a couple of hours to get
rejuvenated for the evening ahead!
The evening plan was simple – Explore Limassol
and have a Spanish Dinner! Yeah, this was going to be the first Spanish meal
for the both of us and I was damn excited for it more so because we had to skip
our Spanish plans in Nicosia Cyprus
We reached the Boho Chic Tapas after some brisk
walking (the hunger pangs were getting stronger you see) and ordered our Dinner
anticipating a real good one! And when it was served it looked tremendously
awesome and the taste my dear friends was much better than what we had thought
and it looked! Our first Spanish Cuisine experience couldn’t have started on a
better note! The Grilled & Smoked Chicken I had was by far one of the best
tasting I have ever had! Bandita had ordered Aubergines (Brinjal & Baingan
for us) and even they looked awesome; I had a small bite & they tasted good
too! The Gazpacho soup was real nice as well! And the dessert of the day - Creme
Brulee was the perfect end to a brilliant dinner! Badly wanted to try Sangria
but then due to the no-alcohol restriction, couldn’t do that!
After stuffing ourselves in true Spanish Style
we walked towards the sea side to soak in the Limassol air and relax for a bit…We
picked Gaurav & his family at 11:30 PM and then left for our Hotel through
a pacy drive across the foothills….and in no time I was found snoring away to
glory!
Day 6 ||| Thursday 8th August 2013
||| Day Trip to Lofou
Village
Woke up at 6 AM due to too much of sunlight pouring into our room, decided to get freshened up & leave for a walk around the village and it was a real nice decision I say! The village was gingerly waking up & I got strange looks from all the villagers (which country is he from type looks)! But I was determined not to get too flustered with those wide eyes staring at me! Went to the Village Centre (Panchayat) and had a nice & hot cup of Cypriot Coffee and Chips to begin the day…had a long conversation with some of the villagers in broken English & got to know more about the village through them…I love talking to locals and this was another nice experience talking to Cypriot elders about their country and lives in general!
Got back to the Hotel at 9 AM to get ready; the
POA was to drive to another village named Lofou and have lunch at the very
famous Village Taverna about which I had read loads of positive reviews…we
could finally leave only at 10:30 AM after everybody got ready…
After a picturesque drive of an hour or so we
reached Lofou and were treated to true Cypriot hospitality! We were the only
tourists in that village; unfortunately the Village Winery was closed as the
owner had gone to Greece
I ordered Grilled Lamp Chops for me and Spinach
& Broccoli Moussaka & Cypriot Tajine for Bandita…and the Lamb grilling
process started then…right from firing up the grill with coal and then heating
it up! It was a wonderful sight indeed…we had a long chat with the owners and
bought their in-house wines too! And the food was wonderfully awesome…the chops
& mousakka were perfectly grilled and the taste was superb! Polished off
everything which was ordered and once again overate which is a habit with me
when I eat out!
The owner told us that they grow everything on
their own…Potatoes, Tomatoes, Leafy Vegetables and had 10-15 Pomegranate trees
in their backyard too! They had a Sri Lankan employee too & it was nice
talking to her & discussing what else but Cricket with her!!!
While going uphill we had seen a big water
reservoir which pretty much overshadowed the scenery and while going back
decided to explore it; it turned out be the Kooris Dam reservoir – the biggest
dam of Cyprus…went till the Dam Site, clicked few pics and then started the
drive back to Fasoula…
Came back and had another Afternoon Fiesta before heading to Limassol to hit the town again! And this time the agenda had Shopping included too! A night before we had spotted almost all the shops with big discount posters! And some of them were Closedown sales which meant a discount of 70-80%! The Economical crisis had forced many shop owners to close their shops as they could no more pay the rents or the electricity bills! And they had to liquidate their stock at dirt-cheap prices!
We lapped up this opportunity like nobody’s
business and shopped like crazy! I bought CAT Boots (145 Euros original price
for just 40 Euros!), gifted Bandita Blue Mirror Aviators which was selling at
30% discount. Also bought loads of other stuff too! Infact we had to buy a new
bag as we had no space in our existing bags which we got from Kuwait
Went back to the Parking Lot to put all our
stuff in the car and then met Cleo again…Cleo was manning the lot and we
thought he was an employee…but infact he was the owner of that space & used
to work for 14-18 hours everyday manning the lot! A real hard-working guy and
still floating high in spite of the crisis! We had a long conversation
discussing Cyprus , our
families and India Greece and he was enjoying his life with his
wife in Cyprus
He checked about our plans for the next day and
we had nothing concrete planned so he started suggesting places & the
moment he used the words “Trekking” and “Waterfalls” I knew where we were
heading the next day! He called his friend and got all the details for us
including the places to eat, route and distance! Such a nice gesture on his
part…we were complete strangers and he helped us re-plan our trip! Even a night
before he was really helpful as he helped us locate the Indian Resto Gaurav had
to go to! He called the Resto using his Mobile Number and guided us! And you
would read more about the next day ahead…it was a brilliant advice indeed!
After the shopping & the talking we went
for our next POA – Dinner at Ousia Lounge Resto located bang opposite the
Limassol Fort – another listing thanks to TA! We walked to the Resto using my
trusted navigation partner – Google Maps & were greeted to huge crowds at
that Resto complex! Nobody could tell that the country was suffering from any
sort of Economical crisis! The place was hustling & bustling like there was
no tomorrow and most of them were locals! Cypriots surely know how to celebrate
life!
Luckily we got a table for us as the resto was
completely booked! We ordered our dinner…me Grilled Salmon and Bandita another
dose of Aubergines; man she loves them or what and my mother too! It isn’t that
tough you see…MIL & DIL having similar tastes! And this was another
sumptuous & delicious meal! We hadn’t gone wrong so far in Cyprus
We had another long walk around the Fort Limassol
And this was the most happening part of
Limassol by far we were told and the vibes were so electric! Everywhere we saw
happy people drinking & talking merrily…and then we saw a huge square with
restaurants-cafes-bars on the edges and a GIGANTIC sitting area in the middle
and all we could see were people, very very animated people and loud music
blasting! And no chaos, not even remotely even with those many people drinking;
no space, no table was empty! It was a musical symphony to say the least…both
of us were awestruck! We somehow passed our way through & when we looked
back we got awestruck again! So much alcohol flowing and still no ruckus! I
mean how that is possible…
After the Night Fiesta of Limassol we started
for Fasoula and then my real forte came out – MISNAVIGATION! I am sure many of
you by now know my awesomely insane skills when it comes to Map reading &
navigation and here I was again; this time in a new country but the routine was
very similar to what I always go through in India…getting lost even with Google
Maps! And I must say I felt happy because even Bandita wasn’t worried! She knew
in the end we would reach our destination…somehow!
But then we asked for help and he turned out to
be a very good Samaritan indeed; he stopped his car, came out towards our car
& checked where we wanted to go, went back to his car, got his Paper Map
out, explained me the route but seeing the utter confusion in my eyes asked me
to follow his car to the main highway from where I somehow knew the route to
Fasoula! Another moment of Cyprus
Day 7 ||| Friday 9th August 2013 |||
Day Trip to Kalidonia Waterfalls & Mt. Olympus
through Troodos
This was going to be another awesome day in
this already awesome trip! I was going to drive through the Troodos again &
this time to the highest point of Cyprus – Mt Olympus which stands at a lowly 6,404
ft which compared to the Mighty Himalayas is so puny! And considering I have
motorcycled to 18,000 ft plus heights this sounded even punier! But then
Mountains are Mountains and the last time I saw them was in November 2012 so I
was hungrily waiting for them! And this time there was a trek involved
too…another opportunity not to miss!
We started from our Hotel at sharp 9 AM after
clicking lots & lots of pics of the Hotel property & around…the drive
was very picturesque and the weather perfect to make it even better! We were
driving to the territory
of Platres
We reached the starting point of the trek at 10
AM and after a lot of deliberations started our way up…Gaurav carried Tavishi’s
Pram with him as the initial route looked quite easy for the pram to go through
but this later turned out to be a big mistake as the trek became difficult
& the terrain very rugged and poor Gaurav was left with no choice but to
carry the Pram on his shoulders while Jyoti Bhabhi carried Tavishi…and the ever
so smart Hiranya realized very early in the trek that if he had to reach
quickly he had to walk with us! And that’s what he did!
My agenda was clear too, have a nice chilled
bath and have tonnes of watery masti which I have always had during my Bike
Rides! And taking a bath in a waterfall is a magical experience indeed! The
moment I spotted a watery space comfortable enough to go in I just couldn’t
stop myself and off I went for a chilled dip…and what crazy fun it was! I just
went back to the good-old times of my Bike Ride days….after this cold &
quick dip I re-started the trek taking many breaks in between to take breathers
in between and not get too exhausted…After an hour of walking our way up we
reached the final rest point of this trek before the last & the toughest
part! I asked Bandita & Bhabhi if they wanted to stay here and skip the
tough part but the gorgeous & strong females were in no mood to give up and
they also decided to reach the top & witness the waterfalls for themselves!
I was so proud of both of them to see their spirit!
And then we reached and witnessed the gorgeous
sight of water pounding down from the Kalidonia Waterfalls which is considered
to be the highest waterfall on the island
of Cyprus
All this while other tourists & locals who
trekked their way up looked at the two of us taking a bath in that icy cold
water with awe and thinking – look at those 2 foolish men! We even tried
convincing couple of people to go in but they didn’t budge! Talked to a local
family and got surprised to know that they stayed just 30-odd kms away from
that place and this was the first time they had come to Kalidonia after
spending all their life in Cyprus
After almost an hour of going in the water
& gingerly coming out it got too much for us and we changed and decided to
trek our way down which is always the easiest part of a trek! No more huffing
& puffing and just the excitement of going downhill at a brisk pace! And
there was a big motivation for me personally…there was a huge Trout Fish Farm
at the ground level and I was in no mood to leave without grabbing & biting
a full grilled Trout Fish! That taste and flavour just can’t be ignored and if
it is fresh from a farm right next door then you can very well relate with me!
And the Grilled Fish came in all its glory,
waiting to get gobbled up but not before taking some pics! I love taking the
before & after pics of whole Grilled Fish! It is a sight to behold…and the
fish was very well grilled and tasted superb….we also had fresh Watermelon
which was on the house! Watermelon is the national fruit of Cyprus
After the hearty lunch we drove towards Mt. Olympus
point through the picturesque Troodos
Mountains Mount Olympus
The next POA was also very straightforward;
exploring a Winery and we were in no mood to leave Troodos without exploring
one…initially luck wasn’t on our side as 3 Wineries we visited were all closed
& our spirits were going down…but then I spotted a board on a small lane
which we had reached thanks to getting misnavigated again and I decided to try
my luck one last time before calling it a day! And BINGO….it was open! And to
our utter surprise it was a multi-award winning Winery! Talk about being lucky…
The Ayia Mavri winery was the first to be set
up in the village
of Kilani
Mrs. Yianna took us for a guided tour starting
from the process of getting the Grape Juice, explaining the various presses
& machines through which the juice comes out and explaining each bit in
detail! The passion was all so visible! It wasn’t just a money-making
proposition for her; it was about passion of making world class wines! The annual
production is 50,000 bottles of wine (very small compared to other Cypriot
wineries) because expansion has been deliberately cautious in order to maintain
the high quality of the wines produced.
Then she took us to the basement where all the
wines are stored and chilled…it was a surreal feeling for sure! This was the
first time I was in a winery and getting to see all those things which I had
only read or seen them on television! It was definitely very exciting…she also
showed us the oldest wine bottle of her collection which is being aged since
1987!
Then the Wine Tasting session started! Even
wehen we told her that we would not be buying any wines from here she didn’t
lose any of her enthusiasm and opened her entire collection of tasting bottles
for us to sample! What a grand gesture indeed…We ended up tasting 4 of her best
wines and each of them were completely different to whatever I have had
earlier; the wines were so tasteful and aromatic. She also taught us the actual
method of tasting, sampling and enjoying a wine starting from stirring the wine
in the glass and soaking in the aroma to how to gargle the wine to let the
taste buds get drowned! What an educative lesson we had!
We couldn’t resist ourselves and ended up
buying 5 bottles of her award-winning wine! The Mosxatos 2006… Made from
sun-dried Muscat of Alexandria grapes, it features a dark gold colour, a nose
rich in explosive, captivating aromas of lychee, compote, quince jelly and
dried fig. What fascinates in the mouth is the wine's exuberance and overall
flavour, its apparent fattiness and its acidity that capably resists the rich
sugar content. It is a simply superb wine! (Words from CyprusWinePages Website)
I couldn’t define it in any better way!
Once the Winery Tour was over, Dr. Ioannis took
us to a short tour of the Vineyard where all those wonderful grapes are grown!
He also gave us a bunch of black grapes which by far were the best grapes I
have ever tasted in my life! The taste was completely different than any other
grape I have eaten before…
It was a wonderful & beautiful experience
to have visited the Ayia Mavri winery and interacted with the ever so gracious
& hospitable couple and I wish them all the luck and good health for their
future…They welcomed us even without a prior appointment which is always the
case for a Wine Tour and even when we told them initially that we had bought
our share of Wines Our first Winery experience couldn’t have been better and
all thanks to both of them…BIG THANKS!
More details about the winery here: http://www.ayiamavri.com/index.html
and here http://www.cypruswinepages.com/cgibin/hweb?-A=1243&-V=winerieseng
After this
wonderful experience it was time to get back to our Hotel as were really
exhausted after the day long activities especially the 6-kms long trek! We
reached and had a nice long sleep to get ready for the long evening ahead…
Woke up and then
hit the pool one last time with everybody splashing our way to complete
delight! By the time we took bath and got ready all of us were damn hungry and
walked to the local Village Taverna named “Areti” which served local Cypriot
delicacies including some village delicacies made by the owner herself! And
this was going to be a special meal for me as I finally decided to have a Pork
Dish! The staff was members of the owner's family, making it even more
authentic! I had a long conversation in broken English with the Attendant who
was the nephew of the owner and also enjoyed a smoke with him!
The food as
expected was superb and also the Vegetarian options…we ordered Tzatziki , Cyprus Cyprus
We went back to
our hotel stuffed & content…sleep came very early once again….tomorrow we
were scheduled to fly back to Kuwait
Day 8 ||| Saturday 10th August 2013
||| Fasoula – Larnaca - Kuwait
We left the Hotel at 10 AM after bidding
goodbye to the Vermas & wishing them the best for the next 3 days of Cyprus
Vacation which they were supposed to spend in Paphos…we dropped the Car at the
Thrifty office and thanked Elias for his lovely gesture of sharing his own car
with us – a real gentleman I say!
After finishing all the formalities at the
Airport took a stroll through the Duty Free Shops and then my eyes went gaga
over an Orange Nautica watch! And just couldn’t control myself…I had been
planning to buy an Orange watch for so long
and finally I found one of my choice! Spent the final Euros remaining in my
pocket and bid Goodbye to Cyprus
Reached Kuwait
But then we had tonnes of beautiful memories of
the gorgeous country….it is a wonderful place to visit and to make things better
it is highly economical too so I highly recommend Cyprus to all my friends who
plan to visit and enjoy a Mediterranean holiday!
Big Thanks to Bandita for being such a sport once again and being my partner-in-rhyme as always...We had a wonderful time with The Vermas and they made even the trip more memorable for us!
Cyprus was a wonderful host and it is a lovely country indeed! we pray to God that it recovers quickly from the Economic Crisis and gets back to it's glory days once again...
The Next International Holiday is already planned and if all goes well we would be flying off in Mid/End July to a new destination...and yeah with our new comrade - Abhay! HELL YEAH...
Till the time we meet again…
Cheers to life…
Till then ride safe and have safe sex…
Hasta la Victoria Siempre…
Jai BoP…
