First Stroll and Getting Acquainted with the Place .




I find the apartment comfortable and the first feelings are that I am happy to have chosen to come here.

Now I cannot wait to get out and explore the round area.

Of course I have to see the president of the village and I have already arranged to meet certain people. I got in touch with them while in Greece and they expect me.

I don't even bother to unpack because I am leaving tomorrow. What I truly want is a cup of coffee at this moment. I search the cupboards but there is nothing in there besides the kitchenette facilities. I am disappointed because I expected at least to find some coffee or tea bags.

I decide to leave the house in search for the nearest coffee shop and afterwards to explore the round area otherwise no matter how beautiful the accommodation is, if I don’t know exactly what is around I cannot enjoy it .

I close the door behind….but "what am I going to do with this huge key"?

I don’t want to carry it on me of course –it weighs out as much as the camera and I start searching a place to hide it somewhere in the garden. At last I find the ideal place, I close the garden door behind me and I am off.

I start walking and shortly I come across “Takis Taverna”. At least I can have a cup of coffee here!

Because the owners of the Lodge live in Nicosia and when I heard that we shall not meet at all the first thing I asked was if there are any nice restaurants in the village. One of the two they named was this one.

I was not certain till the last few days if I would include this village on this trip and I told Taki that I face a problem. You see, although Vouni is very close to Platres (20 minutes drive) and which is where I am heading to tomorrow, yet if I wanted to get there by bus I had to return all the way to Limassol and get another bus and return to the mountains again which meant that several precious hours would be lost . Taki offered to help me when I come here and drive me to Platres himself.

I find the restaurant open with couples sitting in two tables enjoying their lunch. I introduce myself to the family, and at once I am offered the cup of Greek coffee I was dreaming of. Taki insists that he brings me some lunch but I tell him that I skip lunch however I shall dine there in the evening.

I do some chatting with the two foreign couples and I leave everyone to continue their lunch. I am out in the streets walking but I notice that I cannot have the nice beautiful photos I expect to have. The sun is right above and it is not a good timing. There is always a shadow in almost every picture so I stop every attempt and simply continue walking, stop here and there and talk to the locals I come across.


Soon I come across the Office of the president of the village. Nikola expects me and tells me that he is the one who put the key on the door earlier. The younger guy is Yiannos and he does all the Secretarial work. I am offered some nice cool lemonade and we arrange that we meet much later in the afternoon to show me one or two things that I should see.

I am out again until I come across the other restaurant “Orea Hellas”.

I find the doors closed but I can hear some talking coming from the restaurant much behind the garden . I call Fedra and she shows up and welcomes me in. Yiannis is her husband and he comes from Greece. They are the owners of this second restaurant and they tell me the restaurant mostly works during weekends unless an appointment is made. They had just arrived from Limassol and they were away the whole morning. They are a nice couple very warm and friendly making me feel so comfortable that it is as if I have known them for years. She offers me some ice cream and they invite me to join them for breakfast tomorrow morning.  

On my way back to the lodge I get inside a coffee shop thinking that I can buy a packet of biscuits. The grocery shop is closed and I am very disappointed because I have only a bottle of water back in the lodge and nothing else. The kind old lady who is the only woman in there hurries home and returns with half a packet of biscuits that she bought earlier she tells me and gives them to me. I insist to pay for them but she refuses .

You see, here again I come across this whole hearted hospitality of Cypriots and I am proud to be one. Village people are still kind and authentic. This gesture highlights my day today. The two or three men who are in the coffee shop ask me all sorts of questions about life in Greece, the recent situation, my family and the work I am doing. They seem very authentic locals, the kind of people you come across if you travel to these little beautiful villages. I thank them all, kiss and hug the elderly woman who brought me the biscuits and greet them goodbye.

With this and that I make my way towards the lodge but I see Taki’s wife outside and she tells me that if I want dinner I have to come to the restaurant way too early because the family they expected tonight showed up much earlier and they were already there eating.

This means that I will have to call Nikola and arrange our meeting much later. I have never had dinner so early before but I have no alternative. Of course I can understand that that the owners want to rest since they don’t expect anyone else.

My meeting time is set, I have a quick shower and I hurry back to the restaurant.

(What a rush)!!