Old Town Market has always been a popular place to visit. If a lot of my photos don't reflect that, but that is because I tend to take pictures when there aren't many people around. Believe me though, on a good day this place would be packed. In summer, the roof provided valuable shade from the sun, while in the winter it protected the products and customers alike from downpours.

For some reason it reminded me of the old Above-Ground Underground Stations we had in London back in the Eighties, like South Kensington or Earl's Court (I have no idea what they are like now).

Once the streets were renovated though, it was decided that the roof had to go. This certainly made the area more open, but a lot of people thought that it lost some of its charm. I have to admit, the old roof harkened back to bygone times and had an historical air to it. Plus it did make the market nice and cool to walk through in Summer.

However, the market traders adapted. They provided their own shade, to compensate for the lack of a roof.

Today though, the Mayor Phedon Phedonos announced that they were planning on adding some shade. These were his exact words (translated by Facebook):

We announced a competition for shading with modern type constructions of outdoor spaces in the Popular Neighborhood, in the Municipal Market area. We strengthen commercial traffic in the historic downtown and improve our tourist product.

The final two pictures in this article also came from his post.

For those of you who speak Greek, this was the original text:

Προκηρύξαμε διαγωνισμό για τη σκίαση με σύγχρονου τύπου κατασκευές των ανοικτών χώρων στη Λαΐκή Γειτονιά,στην περιοχή της Δημοτικής Αγοράς.Ενισχύουμε την εμπορική κίνηση στο ιστορικό κέντρο της πόλης και βελτιώνουμε το τουριστικό μας προϊόν.

I am guessing the translation meant to say that they were putting the shading out to tender, so that businesses could compete for the work. Please feel free to correct me if I am wrong.

So, what will the shading be like, and when will it be installed? Also, are there any similar plans for shading along the Sea Front? I am sure there are many other questions too, but at least we know that the situation is ongoing. We will keep you posted when we find out more.

As a footnote, I used Google Streetview to look up Earls Court and South Kensington Station. They looked pretty much as I remember them. However, I was amazed to see that Earl's Court Exhibition Centre no longer existed. It was knocked down in 2014, and has remained derelict ever since. Worth remembering before criticising the speed of renovations in Paphos, really.