The Camel Trail Venetian Bridges
TLC Required

I talked about the Camel Trail in a previous blog, but I appreciate you may not have read on all of them, so here's a quick summary:
The Venetians built bridges to assist the transport of minerals from the mines in the mountains to the ports. Camels were used to transport the wares, hence the term "Camel Trail". The bridges are often hump-backed. This was so the camels could walk over the river when it was flowing, and walk down it, and under the bridge, when the river was dry. Humps for humps, so to speak.
Venetian Bridges are dotted throughout Cyprus, and don't just belong to one trail. This particular trail though, is particularly well known.

Interesting Crystals

Another thing copious quantities of rain does is clean rocks, revealing sparkling jewels within. Ok, these are probably just quartz crystals, but they look lovely. Be warned though, that they are incredibly fragile. If you can get this vein out in one piece, you will be lucky. If you can carry it back to the car, even luckier. And if it survives the car journey home luckier still.
I managed to get one home once, and it fell apart once it had been rained on. Basically, these are much better admired in-situ.
However, if you look on the ground, you may well find similar rocks. Some of these will be a bit sturdier, as they have already survived being knocked off the rock in the first place. If you look for smaller rocks you can find some nice surprises.
Upstream from the Modern Bridge

Now this looks quite sweet and innocent. Imagine the scene a few days ago though...
Roudia Bridge

This is another old picture, showing Roudia Bridge in all its glory.At the time, I was puzzled by the roots. Why didn't they go underground? The answer was obvious really. They did at one point, but periodic flooding had washed the dirt away. But doesn't the bridge itself look a bit dirty?
Spic And Span

Now look at it! It has had a lovely wash.
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Playing With The Vretsia Donkeys
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Why is Freddy the Frog smiling? He's just visited one of Archimandrita's hidden jewels, and hasn't all the winter rain brought it up a treat?
Roudia Bridge
Now that we have covered the route from Vretsia to Kelefos, let's return to the subject of Venetian Bridges. This time, we will feature Roudia Bridge. For years this eluded us, as we drove past it without realising it was there. With the help of the previous blog, you should now be able to locate it and know where to park the car. So let's take a look at the bridge itself...
Kelefos Bridge
Kelefos Bridge is probably the most well-known of all the Venetian Bridges in Cyprus, for good reasons. It features on the UK TV holiday adverts for Cyprus, showing a couple cycling over it on an afternoon ride. In reality, you won't find any cyclists here, but you will find a bridge full of charm, and surrounding countryside to match...
Elia Bridge
Like its more famous neighbour, Elia Bridge spans the Diarizos River in the south western corner of Paphos Forest. Along with Roudia and Kelefos, it forms the Venetian Bridges Nature Trail, which is a lovely route, even if you do opt to drive, rather than hike it's distance. Let's take a quick peek...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.
