Then a side trip to Karmi, lovely village high up on the mountainside. Spectacular views on the way. The sea well below us and above us the Pentadaktylos (literally five finger) Mountains. Crowned by St Hilarion Castle, originally a tenth century Byzantine watch tower, designed to keep a lookout for approaching pirate ships, though there must have been some form of signalling involved. It’s 732 metres above the sea, and watchers on foot would have taken a long time to reach the shore. We have actually been to the castle. The last bit is a climb but you can drive quite a way up to a convenient car park.
Karmi is a charming little village, abandoned by Greek Cypriot residents after the island divided and later occupied and lovingly restored by foreign residents, chiefly British and German. It’s origins go back considerably farther than that, though - archaeologists have found tombs in the area from the Middle Bronze Age.
Not terribly busy on a winter Monday. Quite a lot of the residents aren’t here year round and the village is most attractive in summer when the trees are all in full flower and the mountainside breezes are cooling rather than chill. But it’s far from deserted and the ubiquitous cats are definitely in evidence.
Stop on the way back for a meal at a restaurant that appears to have everything on a pretty ambitious international menu. Originally meant to be lunch but portions enormous. Think we’ve had our tea.
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