CYPRUS: TROODOS MOUNTAINS

The Troodos!

A mountainous region in the center of Cyprus, featuring its highest point at 2,000 meters: Mount Olympus. (Ah, mythology!)

Noteworthy along the way are the silver cedars.

The Troodos Mountains are popular among hikers and offer numerous trails.

Where to spend the night after a good mountain hike?

Hmm...

In this charming youth hostel nestled in the Troodos mountain range!

The mountains of Troodos are very beautiful, except...

...near the village of Amiandos, where they were disfigured by an open-cast mine.

Here lies an old asbestos mine which, as you can imagine, has been shut down since the eighties.

The few small mountain villages shelter an indigenous population, like this old Cypriot shepherd.

In Panayia, a small village in the Troodos Mountains, was born in 1913 Mikhail Mouskos.

Better known as Makarios III, this archbishop became the first president of Cyprus after its independence in 1960.

He held this title until his death in 1977.

The Cypriots still revere him as the 'Father of the Nation'!