Summer 2010 in Cyprus, Part 2, The Mountains
Its been a while since we travelled to the Troodos Mountains, so this time we decided to visit a couple of waterfalls as it was soooo hot over there this summer. Our first port of call was one of our favourite places, the Caledonian Falls near Platres. It was about a two mile, two hour long hike uphill that was VERY tiring. BUT, when you reach the falls, you really feel that you’ve accomplished something. The cool air falling with the water spray of the falls is definitely the best form of air conditioning there is. The water was all but freezing, and so refreshing. There were dozens of people there, but I managed to scare them all off for a couple of moments just to get this shot. What do you think?
On the way down from the falls I noticed the bark of a tree that actually looked metallic! It had a silvery grey and bronze sheen to it that really made it look like it had metal plating on it, look at what I mean:
We then travelled up the mountain to the highest point in Cyprus, some 6,400 feet up (1952m), where we could get panoramic views to the North and western tip of Cyprus. The most surprising thing for me was that there was a field of wild barley right there, glistening in the sun and wind, on the peak of the mountain.
There was another privately owned piece of land further down the hillside, not far from the town of Trimiklini, with a waterfall in it called Green Valley. They’ve tried to make it a bit of a tourist attraction and charge an entry fee to see the falls, but to be honest, the walk down, just some 300m is a bit run down. The waterfalls are nice, but not as spectacular as the Caledonian Falls. They are still worth a photo though!
The restaurant at the roadside by the Green Valley falls had an all too rare sight nowadays, a vine spreading right accross the front. The bunches of grapes reminded me of the Cyprus of years gone by, when most houses in the villages had a vine of their own, and in August as they ripened we’d help ourselves to the sweet firm grapes they had to offer. They looked something like this:
Further down the hillside we came accross a view that I just HAD to photograph. It was a house perched on the edge of the hill – really a cliff face. You can’t imagine the parents letting their kids play in the back garden could you!
So they were some of the highlights of our trip to the mountains. I hope you like them!