Troodhos and Omodhos

Our excursion organized for this past Saturday was to the nearby Troodhos Mountains, more or less in the middle of the island. The plan was to drive to the small village called Troodhos, from which there are many nature trails departing, take some pictures from their nice little square, hike if we’d like, have lunch at a trout farm nearby (or 'troo-it' as our guide said), then visit the town of Omodhos, known for it lace, wineries, and a really intense concoction made with the residue of grapes from the wine-making process mixed with white wine called zivania. (I was told by one of our teachers, not someone trying to sell the stuff, that the women of Omodhos all live to be over 100 because they throw a shot of zivania back every day. I’m not that hard core.)

Forty out of the eighty-one of us chose not to come along in favor of going to the beach or just doing anything other than look at trees. This meant we had only one bus and were on the whole a lot less overwhelming than when we all adventure together. We drove for about an hour, then an irritating buzzing sound was coming from the dashboard. We pulled into a gas station, the bus turns off, and we’re told that we’ll be taking a five-minute break (I was reminded of the Moscow city tour, when we would take some breaks to see landmarks, and some because “the bus needs time for rest”).

Then our teacher (Angelo – the ‘g’ is hard and this is a female name) tells us that we can get out and get something to eat or drink, it’s going to be another five minutes. I tried one of the bizarre gourmet flavors that Lays potato chips puts out, “Thai Sweet Chili.” (The others I’ve seen are: “Four Cheese and Red Onion” and the best, “Oven-Roasted Chicken and Thyme” – it terrifyingly tastes exactly like chicken. I’m sure Dave would love it.) Are these in the States? None of us had seen them before.

The bus wasn't going anywhere. They called for another to come get us in order to resume the trip, but as that would take around an hour, anyone who wanted to continue walking toward our destination was welcome to (it was nine kilometers uphill to Troodhos). I thought it was great that everyone decided to at least try (though two or three did end up turning back; it was about eighty degrees). Anticipating the hiking opportunities, I had brought along my walking shoes in addition to flip-flops. I now made the colossal mistake of putting them on. Not only did it soon feel like I was walking with two little easy-bake ovens at the bottom of my legs, but I had forgotten that I had just damaged one of my big toes in a mishap with one of the many ruptured sidewalks in my life. Ohhh, the pain. I was trailing near the back of the group, fearful of pausing for long enough to change footwear while everyone else continued advancing. I wondered if I would make it, I felt so pathetic….

Thankfully, we took a decent break after a mile or so, and I released my toes from their torment. After resuming our ascent (we were on the shoulder of a road, it wasn’t like a real hike or anything), I was able to remain at the head of the group, rendering my view unobscured by a bunch of panting Americans. It made a huge difference; I sort of felt like we were on a pilgrimage. Though I’m pretty sure that you aren’t supposed to be drinking a canned “cappuccino” (or rather, “kapoutsino”) and listening to Middle Eastern pop music on an ipod while pilgrimaging.

An old mine.

That way to Troodos!

Look at everyone trying to hide in the shade of the tree. Suckers.

We made it six kilometers before the new bus met us. I was a little sad; at that point a lot of us wanted to keep going so that we could feel the sense of accomplishment at reaching Troodhos on our own. We didn’t even end up stopping at the Troodhos square in order to get to lunch as quickly as possible. I’d really love to go back and hike around, it was a lovely area. After lunch (they say hoomoos here, it was a little embarrassing when I wasn’t understood while requesting ‘hummus’), we journeyed on to Omodhos (bear in mind that ‘dh’ (delta) is pronounced as the ‘th’ in “then”).

Delightful village, lovely church, charming walkways, enchanting wine, but most importantly, the most adorable kittens ever. I felt like Lennie. I didn’t let myself pick them up, because I knew if I did, I would crush them with my love.

Expecting someone?

I'm totally ensorcelled by these candle displays in the Orthodox churches.


That little girl was far too cute for someone in so much pink.


I like the idea of seeing this bike....

....cruising through these little streets.


I wish it were my job to sit on this chair and demonstrate how to taste wine.

Anastasia and I loved the white at this place, but oddly for me, the red was just bad. I've never been to a town where one can just wander the streets, popping in at random to receive free wine tastings. I may return.


Treasures!