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LOST TO OMODOS
I checked out of the Anassa and on the way to Omodos, the main highway was closed and we took a detour through the mountains. Our driver got lost in a quaint little town 56 km (35 miles) away from Pafos and by the way the locals looked at us, I don't think any American has ever been here before. They were friendly once approached and many seemed to enjoy just living retired life and hanging out playing backgammon. I believe the town was called Salamiou since that was the name of its monastery.

OMODOS
Omodos is a small town in the hills that has a picturesque cobblestone square, with narrow alleys and one souvenir shop after another. Unfortunately, since it's such a tourist destination, some of the goods are imported. For example, a lace pillowcase in one of the stores was labeled "Made in India". If you are going to buy a memento, be sure to see where it's made or buy it straight from the source. Omodos has a popular wine press and a large Greek Orthodox Church that is beautiful. The main attraction there is the Skull of St. Philip (though I'm not sure why you'd want to see this). My highlight was when one of my fellow travelers accidentally popped her head into someone's home ... she thought it was a store! The woman invited her in (and she dragged me with her) to meet her mother and show old family photos. They didn't speak English but insisted we sit and have some water, breadsticks and bitter orange slices. We found ways to communicate and when we were leaving, I saw a card in English that read "furnished studio apartment for rent". It was right next-door, in the center of the square and is rented out by the day (cost CYŁ20 [$46 USD] per day), week or month. I didn't get a chance to see inside because it was occupied at the time, but it sleeps two adults and two children and by the way they kept their house, I'm sure it's clean. Here's a scanned copy of their business card.

KOILANI CULTURAL CENTER
A 20-minute drive up the mountain takes you to the picture-perfect traditional village of Koilani. These towns were all called wine villages because that's how the residents made all their money up until 50 years ago. Today, there are four wineries in this village of 300 people. FYI: Cyprus has a total of 52 wineries. There, I had my favorite experience of the trip, as we dined outside on the street at the Koilani Cultural Centre. The food was just okay but the atmosphere is what made it memorable. The owners set up a table in the middle of the street near a coffee shop with the friendliest bunch of older gentlemen neighbors who loved getting their picture taken. Once they found out I was American, they insisted I come in for a free cup of strong, Cypriot coffee. I didn't understand a word they said and vice versa but the exchange of friendly smiles was all we needed.

VLASSIDES WINERY
Back at the Koilani Cultural Centre, they served ... what else? A 20-plate meze for just CYŁ7 ($16 USD) per person. Lunch lasted three hours and I was ready to throw in the towel on round thirteen. But what made the lunch go by more quickly was a man named Sophoclis Vlassides. He is one of the new breed of Cypriot-based winemakers who has taken over the daily operations of his family's winery; Vlassides Winery. Sophoclis speaks perfect English as he studied at UC Davis and is now a trained enologist and viticulturist. He's passed on his knowledge of science to other local growers to help them prevent vine diseases to which local vines are highly vulnerable. Sophoclis informed us that until recently, the choice drink of most Cypriots was brandy or whiskey. Now, locals are getting their wine palates back and are looking for quality. 25% of Cypriot wines are imported – mostly from Greece but some from Chile and Australia. Sophoclis explained that this forces Cypriot wineries to make better wines as they do now. Up here, his wines cost $5 US for a bottle of white, $10 for Shiraz, and $12 for cabernet. They are available at select restaurants and distributed by Cava Protasi and Exes Trading. The winery is open to visitors for wine tasting by appointment only and surprisingly, not many Americans or British come up here. The visitors they see the most are from Germany and Switzerland. Vlassides Winery, Koilani Village; Tel: +357 25 471 482.

VIDEO
Here's a 5-minute Johnny Jet Video of my entire trip to Cyprus (part one and two are included). It's also on YouTube, so it only takes a few seconds to load (though the quality is not as crisp). We also have all the Johnny Jet videos ever made on their servers.

NEXT WEEK
Next week we finish off our trip to Cyprus!



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Happy Travels,
Johnny Jet

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Note: This trip was sponsored by the Cyprus Tourism Board.



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