Around the world....: Climbing Troodos

Larnaka Apartment - 10:00ish

After a late night with Themi in Nikosia my body finally let me get a good nights rest. I woke up around 10am, showered, packed my bags and headed out for a quick breakfast. Today I would head to Troodos, a mountain region near Mount Olympus. Since I wanted something quick and a place with WiFi so I could research Troodos, McDonalds would do. If you've ever wondered what an island McDonalds looks like, it's not that much different than anywhere else. There was one not far from my apartment. After a few mistakes with the roundabouts, I was there in no time.

Cyprus McDonalds

Heading to Troodos

After about 40 minutes of driving I began to see Troodos. More than once I had to pull over and take pictures. The drive there was nothing short of incredible.

En route to Troodos

Lunchtime!

Right before arriving I noticed a restaurant on the side of the road. I figured now would be a good time to stop for more food. The little restaurant offered incredible views of the mountainous landscape. The food took a while to cook, but it was excellent.

From the chicken to the bread and potatoes, everything was excellent!

Searching for Caledonia

Themi insisted I hike the Caledonia trail - so after lunch I began my search. I made it to the top of Mount Olympus, but could not find the trail for the life of me. I decided I could do more research later to find it and to hike other areas of the mountain. At the top of Mount Olympus was a military base - so you could not go all the way up. This military base is quite interesting - it's actually a British base and radar unit and of extreme importance for intelligence gathering. If this article is correct, the British to this day consider Mount Olympus sovereign territory.

Sunset on Mount Olympus

The sunset was nothing short of breathtaking! The clouds had formed a shelf beneath the mountain and the colors of the sunset bleed over them.

Sunset on Mount Olympus

Finding Lodging

I had not made plans as to where to stay for the night. Cell coverage was weak at best in the mountain range, so I had to find a place with WiFi to research further. I head down the mountain to the town of Platres to begin my search for lodging. Hopping on to a WiFi signal from a bordering hotel, I would discover lodging for $17 US/night just a couple of towns over. Figuring the best experiences I've had in life have come from low cost venues, I head over to the town of Pedoulas not knowing exactly what to expect.

To my surprise, the hotel was very nice. I was greeted by a friendly host who had my room ready. After ditching my stuff in the room and turning up the radiator heat (the room was very chilly) I made my way back to the restaurant of the hotel for dinner. The food and beer was extra tasty. While eating, I conversed with the host and the two other patrons of the hotel. It was just announced Cyprus would not agree to the proposed bailout involving taking a certain percentage of deposit holders funds and people were ecstatic.