Foinikas Views
Towards The Dam

And not only Foinikas looks beautiful from up here, the whole world does.

Fierce Flora

However, all this beauty comes at a price. None of the vegetation up here likes you one little bit, and is determined to pick a fight. You can step one way to avoid a thistle only to find gorse. Step another way and you are in capers. That sort of thing. In an ideal world I would say wear long trousers, but it is very hot at the moment, so you may be better off using a stick to prod a path for yourself. One thing that is essential is decent shoes though, I had on my walking boots but still felt the occasional thorn pricking my foot.
Cute Fauna

The lizards were out in force, too, unsurprisingly.
Mini Dinosaur

While lizards are harmless, and very cute, there was also an abundance of large wasps and hornets. They weren't interested in us, and were just there for the thistle flowers. However, if you are whacking a trail through the undergrowth with a stick, then be careful. They won't appreciate it, and their stings are incredibly painful, I am told.
Nomad Wasps

Originally my wife thought this was a trail of caterpillars. It was only when she zoomed in for a close-up that she realised that they were actually little nests for solitary wasps. Or something like that, anyway. They remind me of the cave dwellings you see in the sides of desert cliffs that nomads occasionally reside in.
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Abandoned Villages - Foinikas
Foinikas has a special place in our family's hearts. It was the first abandoned village we explored in Cyprus, some ten years ago. We have returned to it each time we visited Cyprus, and consquently have more pictures than we could ever possibly want of the village and surrounding area. We posted some of them on our blog about the Asprokremmos Reservoir. We wanted some up-to-date photos for the Abandoned Village blog series. So last saturday we revisited Foinikas, and couldn't believe what we found when we got there...
Foinikas Revisited
When we first blogged about Foinikas it was springtime, and the abandoned village was bathed in a sea of yellow. It was always an essential destination on our holidays, but we had never been in Spring, so it came as a pleasant surprise. However, it made it difficult to explore, as you never know what you might tread on when you have to wade through thigh-high flowers. As frequently happens with our blogs, people posted more information about the site in the comments. So we decided to pay another visit a few days ago, and explore it in more depth...
Foinikas Heights
We love Foinikas, the abandoned village on the banks of the Asprokremmos Reservoir. We've already blogged about it twice though, so we thought we would take a look at some of the surrounding countryside, and see what else the valley has to offer. Hopefully we will show you that you can find stunning, remote scenery only a stones-throw from Paphos. You don't need to travel all the way to the Akamas or Troodos to lose yourself in rugged beauty...
Foinikas by the Lake
The abandoned village of Foinikas lies on the banks of the Asprokremmos Reservoir. Now that the waters are lapping at the village boundaries, we thought we would pay it another visit, to see how it looks now.
Foinikas Is Cut Off!
While Paphos waits for the Asprokremmos Dam to overflow, we thought we might as well photograph the rest of the reservoir, which is to all intents and purposes, now full. So we set off to Foinikas looking for some beautiful landscape nature shots. We didn't get very far though...
Who is Vandalising Foinikas?
The Asprokremmos is filling up fast, so we decided to see if we could still drive to Foinikas, the abandoned historical village which lies on its banks. We succeeded, and took some lovely photographs, but also had a nasty surprise...
The Xeros River in Winter
The Asprokremmos Reservoir is beginning to fill up! At the last count, it was close to 40% full. But where is all the water coming from? The Xeros River is normally close to dry, but now it has become a raging torrent. So let's take a look...
Asprokremmos Dam Revisited
The Asprokremmos Dam first started to overflow over a week ago. We filmed it at the time, but vowed to return once it had got into full swing...Good Pages To Visit

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eBookCyprus Road Trip 01: the Kathikas - Panagia Loop
Let me take you on a journey around the region of Paphos, Cyprus. Starting at Paphos itself, we travel to Akoursos, then Kathikas, Kritou Terra and Simou. We continue past Lasa and Kannaviou, before taking in the delights of Panagia. Getting a bit more adventurous, we visit the abandoned villages of Statos and Agios Fotios, before passing through Choulou, Letymbou and Polemi, and rejoining the main Paphos - Polis road.
The route is suitable for all types of vehicle, and requires no off-roading. The guide contains about 130 photographs including shots of all the road signs you need to pay attention to, as well as some of the highlights you may experience along the way.
There are also several maps which will help you keep your bearings.
You can do this journey in a day, or you can break it up into chunks. You can also do it in reverse, to get some completely different views. It is entirely up to you.
