Cyprus - walking in British weather

Rain overnight and very unsettled looking this morning but the Wednesday walk had not been cancelled so we set out. We would drive up into the clouds and then down and out of them as we headed up into the hills.

We were a smaller group than the last couple of Wednesdays, just 8 of us.

One of the members asked the walk leader if he had his "Instrument Certificate". Both ex pilots and referring to the annual test that had to be passed in order to fly in dense clouds and fog. There are a surprising number of ex military and commercial pilots in the ex-pats here.

The grape vines up here had not yet been pruned probably because spring comes later at this elevation.

It never actually rained on us but was damp and quite windy. Not cold though.

These were in a builders yard. The white items on the left are outdoor ovens that you see in the gardens of many of the houses here. They are used for cooking outside in the summer so as not to heat up the house, mostly meat and some of the casserole/stews that are Cypriot mainstays. The item on the right is, I think, a fountain.

On the internet I found that they are called Kleftico ovens . A fire is built inside that heats up the oven, the coals are then pushed aside and the food placed in the oven (one recipe calls for an old goat, at least 3 years old, cut into large chunks and cooked in the oven for 12 hours). The oven door is then sealed, as is the chimney and the food gets slow cooked.

We walked through a couple of small villages. This "Over the top" house was an the edge of one.

Surrounded by patios and balconies, covered with statues and urns.

The views from up here are supposed to be stunning????

A couple of hours of walking in those damp conditions and we were definitely ready for a warming lunch.

They brew about 5 kinds of beer (From a Porter to a Lager) and a few fruit ciders too.

On a nice day the courtyard would be a lovely spot but not today. We went inside.

As we settled at the tables the waitress informed us that the Chef hadn't got there yet so the kitchen was closed and they were only serving Pizzas. So we all got pizzas! I ordered the Fig and Goat Cheese because I had never seen that combination offered before and I like both those ingredients. Rather than a tomato sauce base it had a fig compote, then goat cheese, caramelized onions, rocket and balsamic reduction. It was very good but a little too sweet it needed something savory, or an additional cheese added in. Didn't stop me eating half though. Those of us who had left overs then swapped some slices so tomorrow, for lunch, I have a couple of slices of mine, one slice of Hawaiian and one slice of white sauce and mushroom. 

It was a little clearer down in Pissouri but not much. When we got back I stopped in and chatted with Kay for a while before going back home for a hot bath. The photo is of Kay and Jimmy's yellow Hibiscus.