MOUNTAIN RESORTS

The  Troodos Mountain Range comes as a great surprise. Known as the great wonder of Cyprus, Troodos consists of a series of peaks that start  at the villages of Panagia  and Pomos. In the Pafos district in the west, and stretch all the way to Stavrovouni, near Larnaka, in the east.

The enormous area of outstanding natural beauty is fabulously rich  in both flora and fauna, and also includes the beautiful Forest of Lemesos.

There is also plenty to see and do in the Troodos, and indeed, nine Byzantine Churches in the mountains are included in the official  UNESCO World Heritage list. These are Stavros tou Agiasmati,  Panagia tou Araka, Timiou Stavrou at Pelendri, Agios Nikolaos tis Stegis, PanaGIA Podithou, Panagia tis Asinou, Agios Ioannis Lambaadistis, Panagia tou Moutoulla and Archangelos Michail at Pedoulas.

These marvellous monasteries and churches perched on mountain peaks or nestling in the valleys, together with picturesque mountain villages clinging to terraced hill slopes, make up to the splendour of Troodos.

The Cypriot Tourism Organization , in co-operation with the Forestry  Department, publishes a leaflet on the Nature Trails of Troodos, with details of the rich profusion of flowers and creatures found on many attractive walks.

At the same time , panoramic vistas and the cool , pine-scented air make a heady change from the coasts and plains only a relatively short distance away.

Many take picnics to near cooling waterfalls or at special dedicated sites; and everyone enjoys strolling through villages of immeasurable charm, observing the unhurried place of Cypriot countrylife. All the villagers are friendly and hospitable, and each area has a special crop, craft or product for which it is known-fruits such as cherries, apples or peaches, sweet specialities like soujouko and palouze, wines, zivania (a highly-alcoholic vine by-product), rosewater,pottery… the list is endless.

If you wish, you can stay in the mountains at one of the “hillside” hotels. And this, of course, is just what many do during January to  march, when they head to the higher slopes of the Troodos region to ski.

A  favorder spot is Mount Olympus (1951 metres above sea level) with four ski-lifts available, two on the north face, which have length of 350 metres and two at Sun Valley. Ski equipment can be hired at very reasonable rates.

The largest mountain resort of the whole range is Platres, with us mixture of modern and traditional hotels, and it is combination of sophistication with a friendly , old-fashioned atmosphere.

Prodromos, the second highest village in Cyprus, claims the best apples and the freshest, purest atmosphere. Pedoulas, only a little lower in the beautiful Marathasa Valley, boasts the island’s main cherry of sophistication,. Moutoullas village bottles mineral water from it is own spring and specializes in carved wooden bowls. Kalopanagiotis has a dam stocked with fish from it is fish farm.

On the northern slopes, the charming villages of Kakopetria and Galata overlook thousands of apple trees in the Solea Valley, a spectacular sight at blossom time. The trout farmed in the area is one of the specialities served up in it is well-known restaurants, in the Pitsillia area.

On the southern slopes one can find the picturesque wine-producing  villages, known as the “Krasochoria” whose grapes are used in many of the famous  Cyprus wines.  The largest is Omodos, with it is unique square next to the old monastery. Others , such as Foini, are known for their handicrafts,ranging from locally-made chairs and carved-wooden chests to lace products and traditional costumes . some other villages like Fikardou and Vasa , are renowned for their architecture, with their reddish-brown tiled roofs, and low-beamed churches.

From kykkos-home of the largest monastery in Cyprus –the more adventurous  can set of on nature trails  or excursions along dirt tracks through the Cedar Valley, where 300,000 graceful trees provide refuge for the elusive Cyprus mouflon, a unique from of wild sheep peculiar to the island and now protected.

The nature trails themselves, which have been recently developed extensively, in particular around  Troodos resort, range from three to nine kilometres in length. They provide a wealth of objects of interest to the botanist, naturalist, ornithologist-or just plain nature lovers!

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LARNACA(LARNAKA) PORT

Larnaca port is the second largest port of the island, located on the Southern coast of Cyprus , next to Larnaca city centre and Larnaca marina. The distance from the port to Larnaca International Airport is only 5km. It has modern, specialized facilities and equipment to serve different catagories  of customers and different types of cargo as well as of ships and passengers, offering fast , safe, reliable and unimpeded links between the island and the outside world.

Larnaca port which is also a significant cruise centre and is included in the itineraries of many international cruise ships sailing in the region, has a modern passenger terminal offering the following services to the passengers:

Services offered to travellers at Larnaca port include:

-Customs and immigration facilities

-First aid station

–Cafeteria

-Card and coin operated telephones

-Transportation services (taxi with the rates based on taximeters and buses connecting the port with the town centre)

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CYPRUS PAST

It is not possible to say when first inhabitants of Cyprus lived , but it is believed  possible that as long ago as 10,000 B.C. there were settlements of Cyprus .

Cyprus has had many names, but  the name we use now is believed  to have come from the word copper of which there was , and possible still is, an abundance of on the island.  An alternative theory  is that it is name comes from the word Kypros(the Greek for henna) of which there was also abundance. No one knows for sure.

Cyprus has had a troubled history. The abundance of copper, timber, and the strategic location between  East and West resulted in repeated invasions, changes of rulers, and strife for the inhabitants. Before  the annexation to Rome in 58B.C.  Phoenicians, Archaeans,  Assyrians, Egyptians,  Persians, and Greeks colonized Cyprus.

In 43 A.D. Christianity came to Cyprus and in 330 A.D. Cyprus became part of the Eastern Roman or Byzantine Empire .  And so it remained until 1191 when Richard the Lionheart, on his way to the Holy Land  to fight the 3^rd  Crusade,  conquered the island. A year later  Richard sold the island to the Knight Templar for 100.000 Byzants.  The  Knight  Templar , unable to exploit the island satisfactorily, then returned the island of Richard who  sold it to the French nobleman Guy de Lusignan dynasty ruled the island for the next three hundred years a rule that was often oppressive, effectively reducing Cypriots to rerfdom.

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Seafront Upgrade Promises Fresh New Look                            Courtesy by The Cyprus Weekly

Buildings to be refurbished in Original Style.

With the improvements around Larnaca Fort on Phinikoudes almost complete, the next area destined for upgrade and renovation is the Piale Pasha road, which runs from the Fort to Mackenzie.

Speaking this week, Chief Municipal Engineer Andreas Karakatsanis said that the renovations will be a continuation of the work carried out at the Fort and the new squares.

“Piale Pasha is a very traditional neighbourhood that remains almost as it was in 1974.

“it is the only part of Cyprus that given you the feeling of being in Venice , with the water being so close to the road and to the buildings.

“So it is a unique area in Cyprus and we have to do something to upgrade it. The road is the first part.”

A number of improvements are set to be implemented as the first stage of the works.

Karakatsanis explained that the second part will consist of  upgrading the facades of the buildings and efforts to return them to how they looked 50 or 60 years ago.

The estimated cost is approximately euro7,5m and the whole project is a candidate for financing by the European Community, where 85% of the costs could be financed from the EU.

The upgrading work will begin at the Fort and end at the junction close to the Mackenzie restaurants, where a roundabout will be built.

There will be two distinct parts to the plan-the first will run from the Fort to the Varoshiotis and Koulis restaurants, the second will run from there to Mackenzie.

The first , which will deal with a very familiar and traditional stretch of Larnaca, will continue to have a single line of traffic, although it is possible in the flow.

Pavements will be erected on both sides of the road, along with a bicycle lane on the sea side and shrubbery.

The Area will be constructed in a similar way to the new square, with granite stone used on the road.

Larger granite slabs will be used for the pavements to make walking easier and there won’t be a high curb.

A solid concrete sea wall,5,5m wide, will help to prevent erosion and will provide a pavement are which will be approximately  1m longer than the road and accessible to pedestrians.

The finish will be washed concrete that should prove nonslip.

The new developments will offer plenty of opportunities for people to enjoy the area.

On the vertical wall, between the lower and upper pavement, lighting will be installed so people can walk along and enjoy the area at night. Benches will also be provided and people will be able to fish.

During the summer , there will be enough room for sun beds, giving people the opportunity to sunbathe in a previously unusable space.

Karakatsanis is understandably upbeat about planned works:”We are looking forward to this new innovation, it will add a lot to the area.

“We believe that sooner or later those nice houses on the one side of the road will be transformed into bistros or restaurants.

To further prevent the sea reaching the road, 1,2m high transparent screen will be erected on the sea side of the pavement.

The second part of the renovations, from the restaurants to Mackenzie, will remain similar to today with a tarmac road, two lanes of traffic and pavements on both sides.

However , eight pedestrian crossings will be installed, along  with upgrades to local services such as electricity and telecommunications.

When asked when work can be expected to start, Karakatsanis explained that all drawings should be completed by the private designer very soon.

They then go to the Public Works Department for a final check and to programme the tendering for this project. Work could theoretically commence as early as June , but as this would be during the tourist season it will be delayed until the end of September or the beginning of October.

The construction will take place in phases and is expected to take approximately two years. During all phases there will continue to be vehicle and pedestrian access.

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Akamas Decision In a Month                           courtesy by The Cyprus Weekly
A final decision on the Akamas Natura 2000 boundaries will be made in a month, the first step in paving the way for sustainable expansion in the area which has been in development limbo for more than two decades.
Speaking to The Cyprus Weekly, a spokesperson of the Environment Committee of Agriculture Ministry said that there have been some delays in finalising the Akamas Plan owing to examination of objections from NGOs.
“We are late with this because we have had to examine objections based on what we describe as scientific or environmental concerns from NGOs,” the spokesperson said “we have also had to study objections from affected villages, but they were not as time consuming as we did not consider that they were scientifically-based. The final plan will be ready to be sent to the EU Commission for review in about one month”.
This is likely to be good news for stakeholders who are growing concerned about the future of the plan for the western peninsula. They expected an outcome on final boundaries in November.
“We are getting very worried about the delay in approving the plan” spokesperson for the negotiating coordinating committee of Akamas villages, Savvas Hadjiminas, told The Cyprus Weekly.
“The real deadline for the Akamas in the need to protect the environment and resolve the matter for the people”
Natura 2000 is a network of protected areas in the European Union, The aim protect threatened habitats and species under the EU Habitats Directive and Birds Directive.
Natura 2000 protects an average of 18% of land and 13% of forest land in EU states. In Cyprus, the quate of land designated under the programme is 14%. There are currently approximately 50 sites around the island ,including both private and state-owned land, which fall into the scheme.
“We don’t know what is going on and already we have lost the opportunity to receive euro36 m from the EU for infrastructure projects in the Akamas because of how draws out this has become.”Hadjiminas said.”Also there are sings that development is taking place in areas which are meant to be designated for conservation. This is because there is no final management plan for the area.”
The implementation of a Natura2000 scheme in the Akama Peninsula has been the centre of a bitter struggle over property and conservation rights for two-and0half decades.
The latest government plan has been on the brink of completion for the last two years amidst ongoing disaffection with development right from local property owners and conservation concerns of environmentalists.
Landowners in two of five affected Akamas villages describe the plan as unconstitutional and ecologists call it a bad compromise. But the government has repeatedly said that, in spite of the differences, the time has come to move on with the implementation of the plan.
Edek’s leaving the coalition government , which means party member and Agriculture Minister Michalis Polynikis will step down, will not stall procedures in any way, the government spokesperson said.
“once we have sent the plan to the EU , we will need to wait to see if they are satisfied with what we present. Finalising the plan is a priority for us.”

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