We had a relatively slow start this morning since Vera had a massage at 10am. So we ate breakfast, and the hotel buffet was huge; everyone enjoyed it. Then we all did our own thing for the next few hours. Carol and George walked into town to take a few photos of an interesting restaurant. Wendy did some reading, and Ricos and I went on the hunt for Mastiha. We finally found some at the hyper market…big super market. Then we checked out and headed to Omodos. On the way, George mentioned the bill from the hotel. The per day rate was 149 euros, not including the dinner and two spa treatments. Ricos used to teach the manager of the hotel, and lets just say that he treated Ricos very well.

Since Omodos is a small village in the mountains, it was another beautiful day for a drive. We made a few stops on the way. First, two rocks made of volcanic rock, but the surrounding rocks are limestone. Cyprus is one of three places that the island was made from under the ocean volcanic activity. And these rocks were proof. Bandits used to hide behind the rocks, so they’re famous for two reasons.

Our next stop was a Venetian bridge in Tzelefos. The Venetians used it to transport copper using camels from the mountains using this bridge.

Then we drove to the village of Omodos. It’s an adorable, quaint, picturesque village…the kind you see in postcards. Actually I bought a postcard of it last week. There are a lot of vineyards in the area; so many of them have tasting rooms in town. We stopped in one tasting room, and the feelings about the wine were mixed. The shops sold lace, local food, honey, breads, other stuff. I found a beautiful glass artist and purchased one of his pieces and am having it shipped home because its too large to carry on the plane.

We went to lunch in a restaurant Ricos and Vera recommended called Yianni. We didn’t count the number of dishes, but the food kept coming and coming. There were a few traditional things, but others that were new, such as sesame crusted halloumi with honey, stuffed grape leaves, pesto on tomatoes, egg and tomato dish, and pork that was very tender. Too much.

The Monastery of the Holy Cross in Omodos was lovely. According to tradition, the Monastery was established before St. Helen’s arrival in Cyprus in 327 AD. The exact date of establishment is unknown. Perhaps it existed before the village and Omodos was later established around the monastery. The frescos painted on the wall in 1912 were commissioned by one of Carol’s relatives Haggi Pavlu. The family is still around and distributes wine. The other interesting artifact was the skull of Phillip, the apostle located in a silver box. There are supposed to be 26 skulls in this monastery; all there for safe keeping.

Tonight we went to dinner with Angelos and Mikella. None of us were hungry, but were looking forward to seeing them. We met at their house and then drove in separate cars to the restaurant. It was on the sea, in a town just passed Zygi. I was thinking we’d each get our own fish dish, but no, it was Cypriot style eating with four different kinds of fish – grilled octopus, feta stuffed calamari, red mullet, and another large, mild white fish. There was also the regular starter foods. The dessert was oranges, a small yellow fruit from Cyprus and this honey soaked layered pie called pitta sadgis. Oh dear god we’re all going to die from eating so much. The amount of food we ate today was over the top. In the book Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Collins, she writes about her trip to Italy and her indulgence in the local foods. Well, she could just have easily come to Cyprus.

Tomorrow is the last day on the island for Wendy and I. George and Carol are staying until Friday. We will be meeting Maria and Vassillies in Lefkara around noon for lunch and shopping. We cannot believe the time has flown by so quickly. It’s been a fabulous vacation and I thank George and Carol for making this so special.