We spent the last couple nights in the South Central mountainous wine-making region of Cyprus.  We had chosen a small lodge in the town of Vouni, to be near a village where we could walk and explore.  When we arrived, there was no reception desk, and no hint of a hotel other than a phone number on the stone wall…?  Fortunately, we had gotten a Greek Cypriot SIM card for our phone, and called the number.  The woman said “Your room is upstairs. The key is in the door. My father will be at the tavern in the morning. Could you please pay him then?”  Yep, we were in a small village all right! ☺

As we walked around the streets, I kept thinking “there should be a photo here, but I am not quite seeing it.”  Fortunately, Evelyn has a better eye for capturing these street scenes.

With old stone buildings lining the narrow cobblestone streets, we felt like we were living in the past.

Evelyn tends to rise earlier than I do, and always likes to start the day with a cup of coffee.  When she went to the local coffee shop, she found several village elders there wanting her to join them at their table and to just talk

During the day, we drove through the mountain region, until we came across the Stavrovouni Monastery of the Holy Cross, a 4th century Greek Orthodox monastery in the village of Omodos, which is considered the oldest monastery in the world.  A small tour was underway (upper right). The guide sang softly, and her sound carried with a beautiful tone throughout the chapel. We tasted local wineries throughout the area.

Another stop in the Troödos mountain region was to the Panagia Painted Church, declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1985.  There are a total of ten such world-famous Byzantine churches in the region on the UNESCO list, each with nearly intact coloured frescos and icons.  These were easily the most vivid ancient images we found on Cyprus.