Today our group escaped the big city of Nicosia and traveled up to the village of Kakopetria. In the village, we took a scenic walk through the mountainous area. The village had homey shops and long winding streets. Outside many of the houses and along the streets, different fruits and herbs could be seen growing. On our walk our tour guide pointed out a blossoming red pomegranate tree, white blossoms of grape vines, lemon trees, bay leaves, and cacti growing prickly pears. The air up in the mountains was much cooler thanks to the greenery and slopes. We passed through a dense forest area that reminded me of home on our way to the old city part of Kakopetria. In the old city, we found an old olive oil making shelter. We learned that to make olive oil, black olives were ground and crushed by a large wheel, usually powered by livestock. After this, the crushed olives were put in a screw contraption and squeezed. Underneath this screw was a large pot, which the olive oil would drip into. This contraption could make enough olive oil for one whole year!
In addition to the village, we also visited St. Nicolas of the Roof church. The church from the outside was hidden from the road, and very small. Most of the other Byzantine churches we have seen in Cyprus have a dome ceiling, however this church had a tile roof. This is because the tile roof is more suited for the rain and snow that happens in mountainous areas. Rounded domes are also generally more expensive and difficult to make. Within the church, almost every wall was decorated with “fresco” paintings. Fresco is Latin for “fresh wall” and this type of painting style can last for centuries. The paintings inside the church today were nearly 1000 years old, but still remarkably preserved! I was enthusiastic that art this old could still be seen today to the public. The fresco paintings depict important figures from the Bible and scenes from the life of Christ. This was because most of the Cypriot population at the time was illiterate, so these paintings could easily communicate biblical stories without needing to read the Bible. The placement of these paintings also has special meaning for Christians. Jesus is usually painted towards the roof of the church, showing that he is closest to heaven. Closer to the floor are the saints and church donors, representing the church on earth. I thought this visual representation of figures in the Bible was interesting, and something I would not have realized without our awesome tour guide. Unfortunately today was the last day with our tour guide, and we said our goodbyes. I was happy that we had a relaxing and informative day in the mountains of Cyprus!
