Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
300DAYSOFSUMMER
SAY CHEESE Delicious halloumi is a traditional Cypriot dish
SAY CHEESE
Is there anyone out there who doesn’t like halloumi? The semi-soft cheese, made from a mixture of goat’s and sheep’s milk, is the flagship of Cypriot cuisine and served in hotels and restaurants all over the island.
Enjoy it served on a skewer with grilled vegetables and drizzled in grape syrup, or grilled and wrapped in warm pitta bread.
TROODOS MOUNTAINS
The pine-clad range, home to ancient copper mines, tops out at an impressive 6,404ft and there are ski runs at two sites in the winter.
If conditions are right, it is even possible to ski down the mountain in the morning and go swimming in the sea in the afternoon.
Visitors will find quaint villages, pretty nature trails and fascinating museums, as well as escaping the fierce summer heat.
Must-sees include Agios Nikolaos tis Stegis, a Byzantine church which is unremarkable from the outside but has magnificent interior murals which date back as far as the 11th century. Close by, you’ll find
Kakopetria, a pretty village tucked in to the Solea Valley, which has narrow stone-paved alleys and charming two-storey houses with wooden balconies and jars of colourful preserved fruits on sale.
Authentic Cyprus does not get much more authentic than this.
TURTLE RECALL
Besides its beauty, Lara Bay is a haven for loggerhead and green turtles. A conservation station has
FREEDOM See turtles make a run for the sea in Lara Bay been set up and local ecologists place aluminium cages to protect turtle eggs from predators. Visit between May and August for a chance to see the turtles arriving on the beach to lay their eggs.
DIVE, DIVE, DIVE
Scuba divers will love MS Zenobia, a Swedish roll-on-roll-off ferry which capsized off Larnaca harbour in 1980.
It is now rated as one of the top 10 wreck dives in the world and is home to species of fish including grouper, barracuda, moray eels and stingrays plus turtles and octopus. Much of the ferry and its cargo of tractors is intact.
AND WINE NOT?
A long-standing tradition of winemaking dates back to Ancient Greek, Roman and Egyptian times, though recent archaeological finds of old wine jugs in villages may be as
PEACEFUL Get away from the crowds in rural Cyprus much as 5,500 years old. The Akamas Wine Route runs through rugged coastlines and charming villages where winemakers work with the indigenous Xynisteri (white) grape variety which flourishes in a climate tempered by the sea breeze.
Commandaria is a fabled dessert wine made from two local grapes grown on the southern slopes of the Troodos Mountains, with only 14 villages entitled to give the name to their produce. The name comes from the Grand Commandery at Kolossi Castle as the Knights were renowned for producing it.
‘‘ It is possible to ski in the morning and go swimming in the sea in the afternoon
OIL’S WELL
Mediterranean food and olive oil have gone hand in hand for millennia. The Oleastro Olive Park and Museum, near Pissouri, is Cyprus’s first such museum and visitors can discover the extraction methods, the role of olive tree in art and the Med diet plus customs, traditions and history. An ecological olive mill allows visitors to watch the oil extraction between mid-october and February (€3).
grapes grow
MORE INFO
well in the sea breeze