The Cats of Ayios Neofytos

The welcoming committee at the monastery - Ayios Neofytos

When we stayed at the Tavros Inn in Neochorio, young Mrs Dora Tavros had broken her leg and could only manage to sit at the front desk and chat to the clients. She was always accompanied by her little dog, who did not always sit patiently at her feet, and was often a yappy nuisance.  One day as we chatted to Dora, we found out that she actually lived on the other side of the island in a village called Tala, just north of Paphos.  She was telling us of a lovely monastery near her house, called Ayios Neofytos.  “Funny,” we said, “because that is on the list for a bike tour from Paphos."

Ayios Neofytos monastery - the new part

She heartily supported that idea and went on to tell us of an experience that had recently happened to her there. She had taken her dog for a walk on the monastery grounds when a car pulled up and an English couple got out. They struck the side of a tin can with a spoon and all of a sudden out of the bushes and down from the mountain and up from the ravine came the cats – hundreds of them. The couple proceeded to spoon out tinned cat food in little piles on every available stone in this dirt parking place. Dora was so afraid for her little dog that she picked him up and left right away. We thought it was a cute story but as we weren’t overly impressed with her little dog, we weren’t very sympathetic to her distress.

the cats that scare little dogs

Later in our trip, after two days of visiting the sights of the city of Paphos, we decided to ride up to the monastery of Ayios Neofytos.  Just a 25 kilometre round trip, and without the luggage it should be a piece of cake, we thought. WRONG! We had to negotiate through the ugly, busy streets of Paphos before we got to quieter roads. But those monks really did know how to choose their cave hermitage spots. The last few kilometres into the mountain location were  a steady 12 per cent and even Minas walked the bike. We were hoping this place was worth it. Finally, we were just getting to a place where we thought we could ride the rest of the way when we rounded the corner on to a dirt parking place with a sign tacked to a tree, “CAT FEEDING PLACE”.

the cats of Ayios Neofytos at the appointed cat feeding place

 There they were – the British couple and another younger woman feeding many, many, many cats. We burst out laughing which may have offended them at first but then we said, “We know all about you – we heard about you on the other side of the island.” They warmed up then and we had a lovely chat, admired the kittens, marveled at how friendly and fat the cats were – not at all like the skittish village cats we fed in Greece, and gave our donation for the food. These are just a group of Brits that have bought villas in the area (finally something good comes out of the developments) and they take it upon themselves to feed these strays and have them spayed when possible. They had stories of people dropping off lots of cats and kittens up on the mountain . 

Mama and her kittens

Someone even left a puppy who was adopted and brought up by the cats and has now has gone to a good home.  It was truly a lovely few minutes and a touching little story. They have put up a web-site too – www.talamonasterycats.com   We got on the bikes and rode the last kilometer into the monastery grounds.

the original cave hermitage of Ayios Neofytos

The monastery of Ayios Neofytos is a beautiful calm place which far exceeds the humble beginnings of the cave that Neofytos hollowed out for himself. Because he wrote so eloquently, he was unable to remain a recluse, as they journeyed from far and wide to visit, talk, stay and learn from him. The painted frescoes in the cave niches where Neofytos lived are quite lovely but they say he didn’t paint them. Those who came to live with him did.  The monastery is clearly wealthy now and a peaceful place as so many monasteries are. You can feel the spirit of the place and it calms you. And the cats – well they are here to welcome you in a sedate and regal manner as well.

a cutie - I'll take this one home

They say that Helena brought the cats to Cyprus to get rid of the snakes. The cats have multiplied rather well but judging from the road kill we ride over, the snakes haven’t diminished much in numbers.

Much later in the trip, as we were enjoying another bare bike ride to the archaeological site of Kourion near Lemesos, I requested a detour through the Akrotiri salt marsh to see the birds and to visit the monastery of St Nicolas of the Cats. 

St Nicolas' of the Cats monastery in the Akrotiri

St Nicolas - the cat lover

  

 The story goes that the monks rang a bell early in the morning to send the cats out  to hunt the snakes and rang another bell in the evening to call them in to eat. Situated next to bird sanctuary, I surmise that snakes were not the prime target of the cats as they went about their daily work. It was a nice bike ride through the Akrotiri and the monastery, now inhabited by a few elderly nuns, as well as the cats was a calm and inviting space in which to rest from the sun.

In any case, I have enjoyed seeing the well-cared -for cats of the monasteries of Cyprus. 

the end - SLEEP

Roman Floor Mosaics in Paphos

framed by the ruins of Paphos

In 1962, a farmer ploughing his field near the harbour in Paphos stumbled upon the most amazing treasure.  Not far under the earth’s surface lay entire mosaic floors of a complex of Roman houses dating from the first century AD.   

the tree of life - Paphos

They had remained buried since an earthquake had razed the area in the second century.

The excavations and the findings, including a Roman theatre, were extensive; and resulted in the city setting aside a vast tract of land, along the sea-side, which has now been saved from the developers. Some of the floor mosaics remain outside and you walk around them , and in some cases, on top of them, while others, the more intricate of them, are housed in a large building with cat walks taking you over and along-side these works of art.

outdoor mosaic - Paphos

In some large outdoor areas, there are rough pebble mosaics, which are attractive enough in themselves, but most of the mosaics are formed from tiny pieces of cut stone. For the more intricate designs, glass has been hand-painted to produce the required colours. Undoubtedly, the mosaics which depict scenes and characters from Roman mythology are deemed to be the most outstanding. 

outdoor mosaic - Paphos

However, if I were the Roman lady of the manor, I would prefer to have geometric patterns as the floors of my house rather than scenes of cavorting gods and goddesses and the ever -present, naked Cupid shooting his arrows at one or the other of them.

Cupid at work

 In one beautiful, geometric floor in the House of Dionysius, I spied two interesting motifs, side by each. Back in the first century, it seems that the swastika and the Star of David shared a peaceful co-existence on the floor of a wealthy Roman in Cyprus.  

the ancients had it right - peaceful co-existence

 I have seen the swastika emblem used in India as a peaceful Buddhist motif, but I didn’t know it had travelled to the Mediterranean by the first century. Of course the Star of David must have been known in 100 AD but it is interesting that they are found as mates on this mosaic floor. Now why didn’t Hitler know of this? Perhaps some scholarly study of antiquities might have prevented the genocide of the Second World War. But of course the floor only came to light in the 1960s. When you know the recent history, it does send a shiver down your spine when you see that nearly 2000 years ago, a swastika was portrayed next to a Star of David on the floor of a Roman consul in Cyprus. 

St Paul's pillar and Ayia Kyriaki - Paphos

There are no Christian symbols in these mosaics despite the fact that Paul and Barnabas came to Cyprus in 44 AD and reputedly converted this very same Roman governor to Christianity. The books like to say that Cyprus was the first Christian country because it was ruled by this converted Roman consul.

Of course that didn’t stop other influential people in Cyprus for punishing Paul for trying to convert the populace. There still stands a Roman column near the ruins of an old Christian basilica, replaced by a still-standing Byzantine church. It is called St Paul’s pillar for here Paul was whipped for practicing and preaching his faith.

Zeus helped by Cupid in a seduction attempt

There are also beautiful mosaics in other archaeological sites throughout Cyprus but none are as beautiful as those found in Paphos.

Easter in Cyprus

Neochorio's Easter decorations

Several years ago, Minas and I were fortunate enough to be in Trapani, Sicily, for Easter, where we witnessed a particularly moving celebration of the season in the twenty-four hour “Li Misteri” procession. Knowing that the Greek Orthodox faith is renowned for pageantry and drama, we were looking forward to spending Easter in Cyprus.  Through his research Minas had found a small village, NeoChorio, the most westerly village on the island, which was reputed to celebrate Easter in a traditional way. Unfortunately, the kind of celebrations we found there were no match for those of Sicily. The more secular festivities took prime place and I should have known this when we entered the village and found several large chicken, bunny and egg displays.

the floral-bedecked canopy

We did go to church on Good Friday evening, where the tradition is to give everyone a flower. The place was standing room only and the three hour service seemed a little chaotic to us. Toward the end of the third hour, everyone followed the priest out of the church and stood in the platia. I was the last to get out as I was following the old yayas and their Philippino care-givers. I got a little annoyed at the priest who spoke to one old lady to try to hurry her down the steps. Then, without warning, he led the entire massed congregation back into the church, squeezing me between the old yaya and the entering masses. Why couldn’t he have waited just a minute more? At that point, because Minas had experienced a similar story where he had prevented an old lady from being pushed to the ground, we decided to go home.  The part of the service that we missed was the tossing of the flowers on the icon of Jesus under the flower-bedecked canopy in front of the altar to signify His burial.

The following night, Saturday, the service started at ten and culminated after midnight with an enormous bonfire lit just outside the church.  As the village was experiencing a rainy thunderstorm, we gave that one a miss. On Easter Sunday, the service was held in the morning and white candles were handed out. Except for the bonfire, these Easter traditions could have taken place in any of our churches.

a whole lamb turns on a spit in a backyard

But the family celebrations we witnessed throughout the village were heartwarming. On the Friday and Saturday, there was much preparation: cleaning of houses and cars, planting and hanging of flower baskets, sweeping of patios and setting up outside table areas. Many orthodox people still give up meat for Lent – quite a feat as meat seems to be the basis of the Cypriot diet. So after forty days of abstinence, Easter Sunday is a huge meat fest. Everyone here has outdoor ovens and brick barbecues and we saw many whole lambs turning on spits throughout the day as well as numerous skewers of souvlaki.

red eggs for Easter

One Easter custom we came to like was the eating of traditional Easter bread called flahouna. This seems to be a pastry crust dotted with a soft cheese and then filled with a cornmeal cake mixture with raisins and sometimes, oddly, with herbs.  It is an interesting combination of savoury and sweet and is best eaten warm. The commercial variety is no match for the home-made offerings we received from our hosts in several small hotels. We also noted the custom of dying eggs red for Easter Sunday. The first of these were given to us by the restaurant where we had our Sunday lunch. Two people are supposed to hold one egg each and hit them against each other. Invariably one breaks and the other does not.  If yours is the one that remains intact, it means you will have good luck all year long. Do I have to tell you that on both occasions, Minas triumphed with the egg left intact? When we visited the Paphos Byzantine Museum, five days after Easter, the old gent there packed up 6 red eggs and pressed them upon us as we left, saying, “Fresh….. very fresh.” I didn’t have the heart to tell him that we were staying in a hotel and wouldn’t be able to use them. I hope the maid who cleaned the room found a way to put them to use.

souvlaki at the village party

banana cordial for you?

On the Sunday and Monday evenings of Easter week-end, the village of Neochorio has a huge gathering on the local school property where tents, chairs and tables, a bandstand and a dance floor are set up. There are many booths of food and drink and a good time seems to be had by all. Visitors are first greeted by young girls in folk costume offering traditional rose or banana cordial and Turkish, or should I more correctly say, Cypriot, delight. Flahouna is also on offer. There are various games, such as sack races and egg on spoon races, for the children and then the rest of the evening, until the wee hours of the morning, seems to be taken up with eating, drinking and generally having a very good time.  A necessary part of the good time seems to depend on loud fire-crackers being lit at very frequent intervals.

We did not last that long, but I did think about how people are shaped by the customs they grow up with, and how it is important to retain them when one immigrates to another country.  

Is this the Judas tree?

As we wandered back to our hotel, we passed under several trees with passionately purple flowers and perfectly heart shaped leaves. I wondered what they were and I half hoped this was the “Judas tree” – so appropriate to be in flower in Cyprus at Easter-time.

A Walk in the Akamas Peninsula - April 14th

the forest of the Akamas Peninsula

We do not bike every day. During the Greek Orthodox Easter week, we stayed for five days in Neochorio which is the last village before the western coast of Cyprus.  It is reputed to be a good village to witness traditional Easter customs, and that was why we chose it, but you might be more familiar with it in a different context. It sits on the edge of the Petrakis Gorge in which lie two of the largest bat caves on earth.  David Attenborough filmed sequences for his Planet Earth series in these caves and I for one, will never forget the mountains of bat guano that the film crew slithered upon  during their work. There are no signs to mention the whereabouts of these caves but there are signs to indicate the wonders of the peninsula as a playground for hikers, bird-watchers and amateur botanists.

The Baths of Aphrodite - a glorified pool

Yesterday we biked to the coastal entrance of the Akamas and took in the botanical garden and the Baths of Aphrodite. Today, rather than hike the busy Aphrodite or Adonis Trails that start from that car park, we opted to walk out of our mountain-side village straight into the natural wonders of the Akamas with no tourists to interfere with our enjoyment.

a field of colour

We spent three hours walking and covered both forested terrain and high grassy plateau. The wildflowers were plentiful and varied and I have no idea what most of them were.  I took snapshots of those that really interested me but there were many more and this is just a representation of what is in bloom in one day in April.

St Minas of Egypt

On the way we visited tiny Aghios Minas church.  Yes, the husband is a veritable saint and not only is this tiny church named after him but the main church in Neochorio is too. At the tiny church, I finally saw the saint himself in a picture leaning against the wall. Here he is - Saint Minas of Egypt on his white charger! Any resemblance to persons living  and loved is entirely coincidental.

Is this the dreaded viper of Cyprus?

A few days ago, I was in conversation with a hiker who was telling me that there are three indigenous snakes in Cyprus . Only one, the viper, is poisonous.  She said that it is quite large and black and likes to sink its teeth into a hiker’s ankles. The rules are to make a lot of noise, stick to paths and always wear long pants. If bitten, you have only 45 minutes to get the antidote or that is the end of you. I had forgotten about this conversation as I set off in my capris on the cemented road out of the village. It came back sharply when I saw the dead snake. And I do know how to make a lot of noise as I march along, which I did for the rest of the hike. Minas, of course took great pains to show me a rocky crevice from which, he said, a snake had poked its head. I suspect that was just to get me going  but I will never know.

I cannot tell you whether I prefer the sweep of wildflowers in a meadow with their combination of colours among the waving grasses or the perfect single varietal that captures your fancy by the side of the path.  Perhaps you have an opinion. 

the wild figs - still green

Minas, on the other hand, is much more interested in trees, and preferably if they are laden with edible fruit. The abundant figs on the wild fig trees were much too green to sample but he found many carob trees with good pickings from last fall’s harvest.

Minas loves these carob pods

He would happily munch on these woody pods, a chocolate substitute, as we walked along.

a kind of allium??

complete with insect

elegant!

We had hoped that the restaurant at the top of the village would be open for some lunch but no…. they are getting ready for a big evening of Easter celebrations… so we went to the supermarket for some lunch supplies. I found a lovely bunch of arugula and my mouth was watering for a salad with the very dark, local olive oil pressed by an old lady up the street. Halfway home I realized that I had neither vinegar nor lemon juice. I was prepared to make do when I spied a lemon tree hanging over a fence across the road. The house was tightly shuttered and the garden grass grown high, so I nipped over and picked myself three lemons.

Perfect walk, perfect morning … topped off with a deliciously fresh lunch!

Ah, but the massed look touches the heart!

We Land in Larnaca

Are we ready?

Pulling out of our village in Greece after living there for six months meant lots of organization.  Largely, it consisted of the disposal of all the stuff we think we need to manage our daily existence but that we also have in duplicate at home. It also meant a few teary good-byes to friends we have made despite the language barrier.  

It was a long and tiring few days of driving, ferry rides, and negotiating the metropolis of Rome before we flew to the sunny and very welcome climes of Cyprus.   

the forest of the Gargano, Italy

The Coliseum, Rome

Our hotel is hardly a Four Seasons but it is on the seafront and overlooks the promenade and the beach. Right in the town of Larnaca there is a wide expanse of clean sandy beach and the custom here is to rent the sun-cots and umbrellas and set yourself up for the day. We just looked down on them from our fourth floor balcony while we put the bikes together.  

the beachfront at Larnaca

We notice a very different tourist population here than there was in the south of France or Italy. Here, there are many Russians, both as visitors and as part of the work force. In addition many Middle Eastern countries are represented and there is a strong presence of Africans. Of course the Brits exist in great numbers and the hospitality industry caters to them. Luckily we have found a great little Cypriot lunch restaurant where, today, we had a dish of fresh favas and artichokes for lunch. DELICIOUS!  And as a bonus, it is right opposite Aghios Lazarus church, one of the main attractions of the town. 

Aghios Lazarus church

Aghjios Lazarus church

 This afternoon on our walk about, we discovered that stores and the tourist office are closed on Wednesday afternoons, but we did find a bakery and a coffee house for locals on one of the back streets. These latter two we will visit tomorrow. I do like the fact that most of the locals speak very good English which is a relief as I certainly don’t catch many of the Greek words in the local dialect.

 My mirror and my flag are now installed à la Cypriot – on the right side of my bicycle. One of the first challenges will be changing my mindset to riding alongside cars that drive on the opposite side of the road to what I am used to.  Once when I drove my father’s car in Scotland, he told me to always keep myself as the driver in the middle of the road. That helped!  I am telling myself to always keep my mirror and flag toward the middle of the road in Cyprus. Safety first as my daughter preaches.

And where are we going? Around the whole island? -- well at least the Greek area and we are hitting the same place several times as we criss-cross the island.

Cyprus and our bike routes - we visit places several times and we stick to the Greek area

So we are beginning our new adventure and although Greek Orthodox Easter is not until the 15^th of April here, we wish you all a very Happy Easter this week-end with lots of chocolate and many hugs from little ones.