My World

When I first visited Chios in August 2013, I fell in love with its intoxicating fragrances. It is the island of orchards and orange groves, of mastic and jasmine. Mastic and jasmine are in the air as you walk along the pebbled courtyards of this noble island with its gorgeous stone mansions. The tree that makes the flora of Chios unique is the mastic tree and its sap. The tree is very much like a shrub, with spreading branches and an ashy trunk. It's either light or dark green depending on how old it is. The natural resin, the mastic, oozes from these trees. The cultivation and processing of mastic is still done today in the old, traditional way. This requires many working hands, time and effort, something which makes the genuine Chios mastic unique. The jobs involve the tapping of the trunk and then the collection of the mastic. This takes all summer and has many stages. First, the ground is cleared and smoothed under each tree. The trunks are cleaned, scraped and...

When in Athens, one of my most favourite places to visit is the area of Plaka. Only a short walk away from the buzzing city centre, Plaka is a haven of peace amid the usual hustle and bustle of the city. Winding roads, neoclassical mansions, houses with red-tile roofs, balconies with bougainvilleas, jasmine or geraniums compose "the neighbourhood of the gods" dominated by the Acropolis - the sacred rock that makes us Greeks so very proud of our illustrious ancestors and our Greek heritage - the most advanced civilization the world has ever known. It's no wonder Plaka takes pride of place in the Greeks' hearts, especially in the hearts of the older Athenians who would have a glass of Retsina in one of the typical Plaka tavernas. In those days, every taverna had a guitarist playing old Greek songs such as the old Plaka "Kanta des". Later in the 60s, Plaka became the birthplace of the Greek "new wave" music inspired by the mainstream of the 6...

You may not have heard of the Troodos Mountains, but enough snow falls on this normally sun-kissed Mediterranean island between December and March to make it possible  to go skiing and snowboarding in Cyprus.   Well, I don’t go   skiing or snowboarding but I do enjoy playng in the snow. Yesterday, my husband and I   set off on a day trip to Troodos and really loved the snowhite landscape. After some serious snowfighting and walking in the snow, we thoroughly enjoyed lunch at Kaledonia Restaurant in Platres.

Kalopanayiotis is one of the most interesting resorts in Cyprus. It is located in the Marathasa Valley on the Troodos range approx 70 kms from Nicosia and Limassol. The Lampadistis Monastery – UNESCO heritage site - is the main pole of attraction. Other points of interest are the traditional architecture, the sulphur springs, the water mills, the evergreen valley. Kalopanayiotis is located in the evergreen valley of Setrachos river on the northern slopes of the Troodos range. It is one of the fourteen villages of the Marathasa area, the most mountainous area of Cyprus. The village is 70 km away from Nicosia and Limassol and is the first village to come across as one enters the Marathasa valley driving up from Nicosia. Coming from Nicosia follow the road to Kykko Mon turning left at Astromeritis and right just before Evrichou heading towards Kalopanayiotis – Kykko. Driving up from Limassol the easiest route is to drive towards Moniatis – Saitas t...

Ever since I was a young child, I've been suffering from the fear of thunder and lightning that often led to an uncontrollable urge to scream. What terrified me most was the lightning - I couldn't stand the sight of it so I'd bury my head under my pillow and scream! My mum hugged me and sang to me trying to soothe my fear. When I was 11, I saw The Sound of Music at the cinema for the first time and realised that other children also fear storms and so whenever there was a storm, I thought of my ...favourite things and felt better. I can't say, however, that I've completely overcome this fear as I still feel the urge to scream on a stormy day. My second fear has to do with the dentist. When I was 15, I had a bad toothache but the dentist said that was nothing serious - I just needed a filling. However, he accidentally touched a nerve, and I passed out. (I wasn't given any anesthetic for a filling!) Consequently, I decided never to visit the dentist agai...

One of the most beautiful villages in Cyprus is located in the southern foothills of Troodos Mountains. At an altitude of 900 metres, Omodos is in the centre of the famous wine making region of the country and is only a 30 minute drive from Limassol and a 75 minute drive from Larnaca The village is built around the Monastery of the Holy Cross which, according to records, dates back to the arrival of Saint Helena in Cyprus (A.D.337). The Monastery is home to a piece of the Holy Rope with which Christ’s hands were tied to the Cross. In the centre of the Monastery an imposing Church stands having a gilded icon stand inside, dating back to 1817. Within the Church valuable relics are kept such as fragments of saintly bones and the skull of Saint Philip. In front of the Monastery there is a colourful, cobblestoned square covering an area of 3000m², surrounded by coffee houses, tavernas and shops. The square is the only one of its kind in Cyprus. The medieval “Linos” (wine-press)...