A view all the way to Turkey

A view to Turkey from the Troodos Mountains

We had a brief return to winter weather last week, and as a result there was a fresh dump of snow on the Troodos mountains in central Cyprus.  A spontaneous decision this morning saw Ross, Jessie and Angus heading off to the mountains for a day of skiing and sledding while Sarah and younger ones relaxed at home and caught up on some sleep (well, that was the theory anyway).  A fantastic clear day in the mountains, so clear in fact that you could see snow covered peaks in Turkey across the Mediterranean below. 

Jessie and Angus had a ball, with much more snow this time to cushion the inevitable falls.  A few hours skiing early on, and then onto a sled which proved to be a hit, especially for Gus who quickly realised how much speed he could muster by just pointing downhill and hanging on. 

The mountains had a real festival atmosphere today, and it seemed like half of Cyprus was there to enjoy some of the last remnants of winter.  The Cypriots even managed a fairly remarkable traffic jam at the top of the mountain.  Cars literally pointed in several directions, all trying to negotiate narrow roads which used to be donkey paths.  Quite comical actually, except when you're stuck in the middle of it.  Somehow all seemed to resolve itself though.  As a colleague at work keeps telling me, this place is far more middle east than europe, which goes a long way to explain some of the driving habits.  

On our way back to Nicosia, we passed a large shop specialising in Greek housing ornaments.  Now we know where they are all coming from!

Some fine Greek housing ornaments in this
shop on the way back from the mountains

 

ps. some good news on the home front........we now have hot water and a telephone/ internet connection so making some progress.