18 January 2008

Stavros tis Psokas

Take the motorway from Nicosia to Astromeritis village. From the traffic lights take a left and head towards Troodos. After you pass Koutrafas village (actually you may not even notice this village :D) go straight for a couple of minutes and you will see a big gas station. You can't miss it. Refuel if you need to do so. A couple of hundred meters down the road there is a turn on your right. Take that turn and you are now heading towards Kalopanagiotis village.



The route passes from some nice villages where I personally like having breaks. Follow the signs to Kykkos Monastery. If you are interested, you might like taking a short tour in the monastery with great history. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kykkos_Monastery Outside the monastery there is a little "bazaar" where you can buy fruits or other local & homemade products.



A detour to Kampos village is again recommended so you can enjoy another break or a lunch at a local tavern. Then head back towards Kykkos and you will find some road signs (before the monastery) which indicate the turn for Stavros tis Psokas. Again, during wintertime you should be carefull for gravel and ice. This part of the route will give you nice view and if the weather is clear you will be impressed.



Reaching your destination, you will find a small kiosk. Ask the locals if you are interested in accomodation. The local motorcyclists club usually orginises a trip at this place every January. In the morning consult your map and decide which way you want to go. You can head towards Pomos village, back to Kykkos or Kampos and from there to Nicosia, or go southwest towards Paphos. Ask locals for more options. If there are any problems with the roads mentioned above, they'll know about it.