Letters from Cyprus: A Day in the Snow

As part of Angus' 7th birthday this weekend, he wanted to see snow and become a snowboard demon all in one day. So we set out to achieve the former and asked him to be patient with the latter.

We are very lucky to have both the sea and the snow an hour away so, to head out for some skiing we didn't need to pack the overnight bag. There is one main skiing area called Mt Olympus which is in the Troodos Mountains in the centre of the island. It's about as high as Mt Kosciusko and today was a little patchy on snow. Out of the 4 lifts available, there were 2 tee bars open and we weren't exactly sure whether you could ski from one to the other given the conditions. The ski resort is quite spread out, and is interspersed with various military installations which keep a watching eye over the "occupied terrritory" ie: Northern Cyprus.

We arrived to find parking was easy and free and just across the road from the ski rental shack. The shack was probably smaller than our Mona Vale living room and we all shuffled through and got Angus and Jessie set up with wet ski boots etc.. Sam got a sled and Anna was completely out of her depth and just cried. Sarah realized that in the midst of packing for the family she forgot her socks and so trudged through the snow in her smart leather shoes (unfortunately not the boots today) and suffered the cold. It was about 2 degrees, a slight breeze and foggy. A ski lesson for the 2 older kids was quickly arranged with a young Cypriot man by the name of Stavros. His English was poor but the number of words needed to get kids down the slope in one piece are few. By the end of the hour we were pleased to see them up and cruising down the slope. Jessie all style and Angus just speed. They had a ball, as did Sam on his sled. Poor old Anna didn't really smile too much but put in a valiant effort until her little hands and feet started to freeze. Nothing like having the warm car close by!

Even though Jessie and Gus would have happily kept skiing all day, we couldn't sustain Sam and Anna drinking hot chocolate for that length of time so decided to depart after lunch, with the clear statement of "it's better to leave wanting more"! If there's another dump of snow in the next few weeks, we can always plan a return visit (perhaps sans Sam and Anna next time)!

On the way back down the winding road, we found quirky little camping sites and beautiful forest picnic areas. All noted for the summer time when guests come to stay (is this you?). We came across a number of old mountain villages, one of them of particular note called Kakopetria. The name translates to "wicked rocks" and the legend goes that a couple getting married beneath the cliffs that surround the village were tragically killed when some boulders fell down and killed them both. Why doesn't Mona Vale have a legend like that???

Onward down the mountain, back into the temperate climes of Nicosia. We had enough time for a quick drive by of a house Ross wanted to show me which had a full size swimming pool & sauna built under the house! Surely we can negotiate a deal to live there...? Anyway, 'twas a great family day out.

P.S. But did Ross & Sarah ski? No, such is the sacrifice of having four children...