A Crystal Road Trip
Today Max takes us on a road trip around the Paphos district, to look at some of the fine crystal formations you can find by the roadside. He also shows you a nice vineyard where you can stop for a break and sample their wares. Over to you Max...
Last spring Dominic blogged about The Crystal Hills of Polemi. As pics can't really do justice to the amazing impression one gets on site, I suggest a little round trip of 3-5 hours to 4 places with quite different Crystal formations. One of the best wine producers in our Paphos district is directly on the planned route and a break with a little wine tasting would be welcome. It would be a good opportunity to have a rest and sit outside the winery while enjoying the quiet countryside there.
Let Us Begin
The first site to visit is on the old road halfway from Stroumbi to Kathikas. If you come from Paphos you use the main road to Polis. Just 1 km after Stroumbi you find the main road to Kathikas on the left hand side. The road continues uphill for ca 4 km, and when you see a large storage container on the right you leave the main road to the left. This is the old road to Kathikas, which is unfortunately used also as a rubbish tip, but just after that we are there. You can park on this road and start exploring...
You can walk through a vineyard to access the higher part of this amazing formation of Gypsum crystals.
Fish Bones
Here one can see the nice fish bone type crystals.
Look Up!
Higher up you have the impression of large amount of snow and ice.
Spring Flowers
In springtime plenty of Oil-seed Rape is growing.
View From The Top
When you reach the top there is a nice view towards Troodos and the main road to Kathikas.
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Magic Crystals
Yesterday my wife said she wanted to go out crystal hunting, so we drove into the forest for a scavenge, and followed it with a quick dip in the ocean near Polis. Playing with one of the crystals, I thought I would leave a gift for a random beach-comber, but got a surprise of my own...
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Last week, before the dust arrived and the storms chased the dust away (hopefully), we went exploring through the countryside between Adonis Baths and Akoursos. We were trying to get as close as we could to the Akoursos Cave, but a wrong turn plonked us in the middle of nowhere. I went off to hide a geocache, leaving my wife alone with the camera. This is a guest blog by my lovely wife. Well, she took the photos, anyway. I'm afraid you will have to rely on me for the actual commentary...
Letymbou
Over the last few months, we have blogged about a number of abandoned villages in the Paphos region. As the summer holidays are approaching we thought it would be nice to change the focus to the non-abandoned villages. First up is Letymbou. We chose this first because on a recent forum discussion somebody mentioned that Letymbou was famous for having TEN churches. We felt that needed investigation, as we had only ever seen two on our travels.
Fine Minerals From The Paphos Region
Today we feature another guest blog from Max, who is showing us some more of his crystal collection gathered from the Paphos Hinterland. Over to you Max...
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We were introduced to the Crystal Hills a few years back. It was the first time we visited Polemi and we were on the hunt for geocaches. This particularly one was a near perfect example of what makes a good cache: an interesting location that we would have been unlikely to find had there not been a cache there. The only thing that let the cache down was it's size, but we won't go into that here. Instead we shall have a look at the terrain, and see why the cache was called "The Crystal Hill".
A Crystal Road Trip
Today Max takes us on a road trip around the Paphos district, to look at some of the fine crystal formations you can find by the roadside. He also shows you a nice vineyard where you can stop for a break and sample their wares...
The Eledio Quartz Mines
While researching for new places to visit, we stumbled across references to a Quartz Mine in Eledio, a village not far from Polemi. This sort of thing is right up our alley, so we packed our camera and set off in the trusty Pajero...
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In Max's latest blog, he once again sets off in his car to track down some stunning scenery and fascinating flora. They won't be around for much longer, so let's join Max as he searches for spring flowers from Androlikou and beyond...
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Max is back with another guest blog. This time he is showing us some of the fascinating fossilised rocks he has found near Aphrodite's Rock. Over to you, Max...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.
