Korucam

A few weekends ago we crossed the border and headed for north-western corner of the island.  It was a beautiful clear day with a strong northerly wind.  The wind had stirred up some good waves, and it was nice to see some decent surf after months of a Mediterranean millpond over summer!  All we were missing were the surfboards to complete the picture. The strong wind also brought some clear air, and we had a good view of the mountains in Turkey, some 60km to the north of the island.  

While in the northwest, we came across across a small village called Korucam (or Kormakitis in Greek).  The really interesting thing about this village is that it's small population are a group of Maronite Christians, who have lived in the village and on the island since the Crusades.  Since the Turkish invasion in 1974, the villagers have clung to a tenuous existence and still maintain their Maronite traditions, despite being surrounded and effectively 'enclaved' by the Turkish north.  The spoken language in the village is a mixture of Aramaic, Arabic, Turkish and Greek, and the community still maintain a large Maronite church in the village centre.  It was interesting to see the architecture in the village, which bore many similarities to the much larger Maronite communities in Lebanon.  

Maronite Church in Korucam

The kids enjoyed exploring the village centre, chasing every cat they could find and generally making alot of noise.  We took lunch in the single restaurant in the village.  No menu to choose from, rather a local speciality of slow cooked lamb and potatoes.