Day 7
Day 7: Monday November 19th Ayios Epiphanios, E903 Road to Deftera Community Park
Without the energy of our young Spartan we feel a little lethargic. Fortunately, after 3 days of wearing mountain hiking, the next 2 days will be a welcome relief. Our target is Nicosia in the plain below us and the route is generally gently downhill. The price for this relief is that we are back on tarmac for much of the route.
The E903 where we start our walk is an artery into Nicosia. We cross it and pick up the E4 – we will follow it a little way before turning north to pass through a few villages and take in a particular site that I am keen to show my fellow moufflon. Our target for today is to get close to the Lakatamia river trail that will take us into the heart of Nicosia tomorrow.
We set off at 9:01 am and enjoy the last short section of earth path courtesy of the E4. Again we can’t believe the weather – it is beautifully sunny, the air is fresh and the path flat and comfortable. But soon it comes to an end when we meet the E904 road. We take our last photos with the E4 and wave it goodbye. It may have tried to mess us up but it has been our companion for 3 days now. We turn north onto the road and head into Kalo Chorio.
In a refreshing change, as we get closer to Nicosia we will be able to obtain drinks and snacks as we pass coffee shops and supermarkets. In Kalo Chorio we have our first opportunity and enjoy an early morning traditional Cyprus coffee like so many are doing up and down the country.
Next village is Klirou followed shortly by Malounta. So far it feels like a leisurely stroll after our exertions up and across Troodos. We preserve our energy and conversation is light. At Arediou we can either re-join the main E903 or head cross country to Episkopeio. I have no intention of taking the shorter main road – instead I want to take my friends to one of the more extraordinary sights in this region and so head out on the much quieter open road.
I have promised my colleagues an experience in Episkopeio and I can feel their scepticism growing as we trudge through parched open land. Luckily the sun is shining and we enjoy the odd break in the grass. Then we come to a rise and in the far distance we get our first glimpse of something unrecognisable but clearly poking its head over the horizon. I refuse to satiate my friends enquiries and keep them guessing. As we approach and more rises out of the horizon they understand that it is a building of some kind, seemingly placed in remote fields of wheat and other cereals. I forget who guessed it first but I hear a faint, somewhat disbelieving, hesitant inquiry – ‘is it a church?’.
In fact it is not one church but two – each alone a spectacle. Together they are an enigma.
In this unassuming place, outside the small and sleepy village of Epsikopeio, surrounded by wheat fields is the headquarters of the Metropolis Tamasos and Orinis diocese. Reflecting the importance of this region some 2000 years ago, this is one of the oldest diocese in Cyprus with origins that link its founder to the Apostles Paul and Barnabas – which makes it a must-visit on The Apostles’ Way. Today the modern Metropolis headquarters building itself would be an attraction, but what it holds inside its grounds are the real attractions.
Facing the Metropolis, across a large courtyard, stands the Russian church of St Andrew and all Russian Saints. With its 5 gold domes, all brought in from St Petersburg, it is built in a style that would not make it out of place in the Kremlin and Red Square. Inside, it is decorated in lavish style with a ‘no expense spared’ feel. It was opened in 2017 by its Russian benefactor and the President of Cyprus.
But this is not all. Behind this little piece of Russia-na lies a second church in a completely different style. As if not to be outdone by its effusive Russian neighbour, it goes under the name of Agia Kyriaki Megalomartyra and Agio Ioanni Hozeviti. It is not Russian. Nor is it Greek. It is Romanian, built entirely in wood, faithful to the Maramuresan style, a northern region of Romania. Both the saints to whom the church is dedicated were victims of their faith and commemorated for their troubles. Inside there are no ostentatious icons or fine frescoes, just beautifully carved wooden architecture. I like it far more than its loud and brash neighbours and admire the Romanian monks that take care of the church and live onsite.
The churches are unique examples of their respective styles in Cyprus. Standing side-by-side they create a fantastical experience – well worth the detour.
Here we are joined for lunch by the girls who have had a lazy morning and are now transporting our luggage to our next base in Nicosia. The afternoon is basically a heads down road walk trying to avoid busy roads as traffic and community infrastructure steadily builds up. We pass through or by-pass Psimolofou, Kato and Pano Deftera, calling it a day at 15:15pm by a roadside kiosk just beyond the Deftera Community Park where we call the girls and wait for our ride into the city.
Our accommodation for the night is at the Asty Hotel near the centre of Nicosia – modest by the standards of the south; luxurious by what we will soon experience once we cross over to the north. We enjoy a traditional kebab meal to celebrate our arrival in the capital.
Day 7 stats: Distance 13.9 miles (22.4 Km), total miles 75.1 (121 Kms)