Today we left Nicosia for the day and headed for a small village in the Cyprus mountain ranges called Kakopetria. As we were driving in, we were able to see the beautiful mountain ranges. Looking down you were able to see most of the village of Kakopetria, with some houses actually being on the mountains. It was a change of pace from most of Cyprus, where most homes were around sea level and flat plains. It also was very different from where I live, which is all flat for the most part. While we were able to walk through the village, the more modern 20th century part had many restaurants, cafes, and shops to go explore. We got to see some very modern houses and a hotel that apparently has the best trout in Cyprus. The stream that goes through the town from the top of the mountain was beautiful as well. After seeing the modern side of town, we were able to head up the mountain on a trail to the old part of town. The old village was even cooler. Narrow roads, small shops, and beautiful views of the mountains. We were able to see everything from up there! The coolest part of the old village was seeing the history of olive oil making, where we got to see a contraption that you could make olive oil with. This was made over 2000 years ago! The old village was super cool with beautiful views!

Before that though, we went to St. Nicolas of the Roof Church. This was even higher up the mountain than the town of Kakopetria. This church was built in the 11th century, and has a very unique feel to it. Most people in the 11th century did not know how to read the Bible, so the Byzantines made the church have paintings of events and figures of Christianity to make sure that everyone could learn the story of Christ. There was a specific type of paint that was needed to make sure the paintings wouldn’t crack and they would stick to the walls. This is called a fresco, which is Latin for fresh. What I found fascinating is that the paintings were tiered by importance. They go from people on earth at the time all the way up to heaven. It went from the donors of the church on the bottom of the walls all the way up to Jesus Christ on the top of the dome. This shows how creating the church this way would help people understand biblical times better. The paintings on the walls of the inside of the church showed many parts of Jesus Christ’s life, including his crucifixion. The dome was also my favorite part, having a beautiful painting of Jesus surrounded by angels and the prophets below him. It was very fascinating to see how the sound carried in the church as well, where there were holes in the sides of the church that helped have voices carry. It made it so everyone could hear the priest. It was a super cool and historic church that was a must see in Kakopetria. I can’t wait for tomorrow!