We remember the beautiful areas as they were before the disaster
MAN SKALISTIS
The text is parts of the show “Roadtrip.cy” on Sports FM 95.
I have to tell you from the beginning of the show that today our show should and will be different from all the others. The reason for the differentiation is the fire, the drama of last week. The fire that has been described by the state as the biggest disaster for our island since the war of 1974. The fire that took the lives of 4 innocent people and negatively affected the lives of thousands of others, not to mention all of us. Usually I look forward to traveling together, today I do not look forward to traveling. Today, I want to remember together these areas as they were before the disaster. We will remember what we experienced together in some shows, a few months ago. I want to remember them because these areas have changed their appearance. The lush forests are no more, the orchards of Arakapa and the vineyards of Odos are no longer full of life.
Many of the picturesque houses in the area are now apocalyptic, black and depressing. The smiling and hospitable inhabitants of the villages of the area are no longer smiling. All this destruction is due to a fire that destroyed much of a beautiful area. Those of you who know the show, those who watch it on the radio or read it on the websites of Kathimerini, must magazine and the entertainment guide Wiz, know that we are a show with a lot of energy and a very positive way of thinking. We always refer to the good of our life and place and we always see the positive side of things, because as we often say in the show, there is always the positive side. For us, here at roadtrip.cy, this is the way we live. You will say to me “but is there a positive side to a fire?”. Certainly not… But there are lessons. These we will try to single out today. We will remember what these areas were like, we will try to take lessons and see what we can do to alleviate the pain of people and the suffering of nature.
We are starting a different roadtrip.cy because today we will dedicate ourselves to the places that were destroyed by last week's fire. We will try to learn from the mistake and the drama and we will remember what the villages and places that were burned were like. But before that, I want to dwell on something else. I want to make it clear that if there is a culprit, he should be punished by example and I will tell you shortly what I mean by example. But there is no culprit yet. A man has been arrested who is suspected of starting the fire from his orchard. The suspicions are not enough to set up people's courts and to fill social media with curses and insults for him and even for his family. Poison and toxicity do not benefit anyone, they rather burden our collective conscience. Those who listen to the show regularly know my sensitivity to nature and to anything that has to do with the environment. You can imagine how much this disaster has affected me. I want, if there is a culprit, to be severely punished. But the culprit can only be convicted by the court, all the rest of us can and should do is wait for the court decision.
I have previously stated that if there is a culprit, I also have a penalty to propose. And the sentence, in my opinion, has nothing to do with hanging, or shooting, or burning, or even imprisonment. It has to do with redressing the crime, at least as much as possible. The culprit, if always convicted, must for the rest of his life, every day, 10 hours a day to offer, unpaid of course, social work.
Social work that has to do with the revival of the nature that destroyed it. Every day, and on weekends and holidays, 10 hours a day, to plant and water trees, to clean roads, to maintain fire stations and fire zones. Putting him in prison may do him a favor, if you think about it … The culprit may prefer prison to returning to his village and seeing those he destroyed. Let me remind you that we are always talking about a guilty person convicted by a court.
Today you hear a different roadtrip.cy. Today we will not go on an excursion, we will remember the excursions we made in Odos, Ora, Arakapas and Sykopetra. We will bring to mind what these areas were like before the fire and we will try to learn lessons from last week's drama.
“Coming out of Farmakas, the first thing we notice is the huge wind turbines that we will see on our right, nice spectacle, grandeur, but they also remind us of our environmental obligations as citizens, they make us think about what else we can do for environment, nature, our place. After a left turn, a huge rock, a wild peak in front of us, dominates the landscape. Until here, the road was uphill and administratively we were in the province of Nicosia. Now we descend and enter the province of Larnaca. Second province on our route. The most amazing thing, however, here that the road starts to go down, is that we have a great view of Limassol. Road all turns, every left turn closes the window to Limassol, we see forest and mountain peaks. Every right turn opens the window for Limassol. And it is a wonderful window because from this height we enjoy the sea, we see up to Akrotiri we guess the city but we do not see the towers. We can forget that they exist for a while.
We could stop somewhere here and absorb Cyprus, but because we know where we are going and what we will see, we continue slowly and enjoy the view. At seven kilometers, we reach the view point above the Road. Here, we will stop for coffee, relaxation and views.
(Photo: The village of Odos from afar)
We park the car off the road, safely and get off. Canopy, table and seats, all wooden constructions, nice, to match the space. The first thing we notice is that we have the village in front of us, a plate. Small, picturesque, mountain village, at 850 meters altitude, has managed to retain to some extent the traditional character. Several houses are built with the typical Troodos stone, some cobbled streets, with the small church of Agia Marina standing out with its simple and austere beauty. Built in 1777, as a sign characteristically emphasizes inside, it houses an even older icon of Agia Marina, from 1688.
We can not see it from here, we have to walk in the streets of the village to visit it. From this height and this distance Odos has something of a fairy tale. The name of the village comes from the Greek word “street” and is recorded from the Byzantine years. The explanation is simple, since the village used to be located on a very central road, ie a street. The main road of the Cypriot road network started from Amathus, down to the sea and ended in Tamassos and the two main administrative centers of Roman times and passed through the village. The village produces various vegetables, but it is better known on the island for its delicious, delicious tomatoes, as is Farmakas. “
We continue with the remembrance of the show on the Road a few months ago, before the disaster, Today we remember what we had, what we lost. We bring them back to our minds to try to teach a lesson.
“We continue driving, it seems that we enjoy it and we reach the village, on Odou. We park carefully and safely and start for a short walk in the streets, not much. Picturesque, small, really doll-like, but mostly lively village, full of people of all ages, happy and hospitable. You will find out as soon as you arrive. On a previous visit, during the walk, I was stopped three times by villagers I did not know, to ask me if I was looking for something, if I needed help. In fact, an elderly gentleman, after seeing that we are strangers, visitors, was willing to serve us coffee. Cypriot hospitality at its best. The road is not big, some houses, drowned in the green. Dominant elements, the mountain stone and the tile everywhere, the arbors, the jars and the flower pots. Outside the village the mountains, the rocks and the forest and inside the warm people, the calm, the walnuts, the vines and the roses.
In the streets we notice that some of the old houses are built with stone of the area up to about the middle and then brick. Wonderful, small, picturesque village, definitely worth a visit for the view and the nature trail but also for something that we will see in a while. ” This is what we had said about Odou, before the fire.
Today, we do not do regular broadcasting, we do not travel, or rather we travel but with our memory. We remember routes on Odou, before the fire, listen to what Odou and the area around the village were like, but also pay attention to the part with the coals and the lighting of the fire:
“We pass by Odos square, we go relaxed and leaving the village we are in a green valley. Olives, locusts, pines, lots and lush green. It seems that here was arable land that was abandoned and the forest recaptures it. It is unusual and nice to see the pines randomly sown in the olives and locusts.
Imagine how many shades of green. The gray-green of the olive, the light green of the pine, the dark of the carob, and the vivid grass of the soil, and the anthracites, ubiquitous, are in their glory, a different green, and their yellow flowers.
Nice! Incredible touches from nature, strong image… We drive slowly, we try to absorb as much nature as possible, as much as possible Cyprus. Before we can admire the landscape, 5 minutes drive after the village, we reach the picnic area of Odos. It is built on the bank of the Vasilopotamos. The space can accommodate about 100 people, offering its guests drinking water and a special area for lighting the necessary coals. I, here, would not light coals, sandwiches, fruit, lemonades, newspapers, magazines, a simple picnic that does not spoil the peace of the place. It adds peace to us… »
(Photo: The Gyrillithkia nature trail in the village of Odos in Larnaca province starts from the wooden bridge that crosses Vasilopotamos.)
And we continue below:
“Because the picnic area of Odos is built above the riverbed, here we have other vegetation, river vegetation, more lively. Tall plane trees, many birds that do not seem to be bothered by our presence, the water flowing in the riverbed, the calm, the serenity.
The really rare beauty of the landscape, is emphasized or better underlined, even more than the old bridge, with a stone arch, which joins the river banks. Magical landscape, we do not want to leave. Our island does not stop surprising us. Everywhere we went, we found nature capable of enchanting us and making us travel. “Think that all that I describe in the last hour, we lived together at a distance of 5-6 kilometers…”. This is about the end of the show we aired a few months ago about Odos and its nature. A show that took place of course before the disaster.
We always refer to the good of our life and place. We always see the positive side of things, because as we often say on the show, there is always the positive side. For us, here at roadtrip.cy, this is the way we live. Will you tell me but is there a positive side to a fire? Certainly not όμως But there are lessons, conclusions. These we will try to single out today. We will remember what these areas were like, we will try to take lessons and see what we can do to alleviate the pain of people and the suffering of nature. We listened to parts of the show that took place a few months ago about Odos, a really beautiful village with wonderful nature. After the fire and the events around it, what is left for us?
Can I tell you the first thing that comes to my mind? Volunteering ρετε Do you know how many ran on the spot to help? Exactly no one knows why they were not counted, but there were many hundreds, maybe thousands. Too many people and women and men, of all ages, suffered, were tortured and most of all risked to help, to put out the fire and to reduce, at least as little as anyone could, the destruction.
In addition, I'm sure, you have heard how many probably did not go to the fire but offered everything they could, water, juices, food, basic necessities.
On Sunday, tons of basic necessities were gathered and many offered from their backlog, we all know what the economic situation of the place is. Here is the first conclusion and at the same time a lesson of humanity. Our people have their mistakes but in the difficult moment they know what is right and they will do it. In difficult times we always function properly, this is imposed on us by our collective conscience and this is valuable. We will continue today's show with excerpts from the show that took place a few months ago for Ora, another village that was badly affected by the fire. Listen to the description, what Ora was like and think about what else the disaster taught us.
“We left the picnic area of Odos and went to Ora. Six kilometers, 10 minutes drive in beautiful nature. We started with high mountains and wild rocks and now we lead to flatter and milder landscapes. Green hills with abandoned crops and their place is slowly being taken by the forest. Olives, locusts, latzias, mosfilias, pines, all mixed in a wonderful landscape and winding roads, roads that we enjoy.
(Photo: Ora got its name from the ancient verb oro, which means see.)
Ora got its name from the ancient verb oro, which means see.
The explanation is the fact that the landscape around the village, in almost all directions, is semi-mountainous, that is, hills, so from here you can see the view. And this, in the past, in more difficult times, to see who was approaching the village was valuable, it saved property but also lives. So Ora. The existence of Ora as a village goes back at least to the Middle Ages since it is recorded on a medieval map. It started as a small village, in 1831 it reaches 400+ inhabitants and at the beginning of the 20th century, until the 1950s, it reaches 900 inhabitants. It is also indicative of the fact that Ora was one of the first communities in Cyprus to have a school, in times when even the cities of the island did not have one. Initially, the priests of the village taught a few letters in the churchyard. The community school started operating around 1840, with the village priest as the first teacher. The first teachers received as a reward the “savvadkiatika”, gifts in kind, that is, food, oil, wine, whatever each villager produced. They were called “Savvadkiatika” because the offer was made every Saturday. In 1860 a new school was founded in a regular school building, at the expense of the benefactor Efthymios Oratis. The benefactor had left Ora small and orphaned and sought prosperity first in Limassol and then in Egypt. There, he managed to progress and get rich, so he undertook the construction of the school in his village. The school, built in the middle of the village, west of the church, was named Orateion and existed at least until 1918. After 1960, the village was hit like many other villages by astyphilia, resulting in today it has about 150 inhabitants.
But Ora has character, personality and people who love her, so she looks to the future with optimism. “
“We arrive in Ora, a really beautiful and picturesque village, with character and personality. In the core of the village all the houses are built with the same base, the same architecture. Built with the typical stone of the area, with high walls and a front door that ends in an inner courtyard.
The houses, almost all upstairs, have access to the first floor from an external staircase with a balcony. Two churches, the large one in the center of Ora is dedicated to Agia Marina, while the small one is dedicated to the Apostle Andreas. The church of Apostolos Andreas is located at the entrance of the village, a few meters before the cemetery.
Today the inhabitants of Ora are engaged in traditional agricultural work, which over time is slowly diminishing. New economic activities, poultry farming and tourism buildings have developed in recent years, but have failed to stop astyphilia.
Residents and expatriates know, however, that Ora has a history, a tradition. A tradition that they try to maintain with care and love. The old way of life still exists and the visitor can see it in the traditional alakati, which used to draw water from the pit and in the old olive mill. What is unique, however, we have not seen anywhere else and it really impresses is the old ironworks, the road….
It is located in the center of Ora next to the Community Council. It is an old stone-built ground floor workshop, where in the kiln, together with the work of iron, the tradition of the village is forged. Here, we go back at least 5 generations and in terms of methodology, how the iron worked, that is, but also in terms of usability. What did the Cypriot need in life in the countryside so many decades ago. This experience is valuable for anyone, of course more for children. The stove, an old, very old workbench, lots of tools and lots of smoke.
So the community lovingly preserves the old way of life and tries to maintain its tradition, which is also ours, a tradition that the Visibles are proud of and it seems. I wish we were as proud as the Orates, more Cypriots.
We said about Akapnou a few months ago: “We leave Ora and go to Akapnou. A wonderful road with the river, exactly a tributary of the Vasilopotamos, on our left. Dense vegetation, mainly reeds, pines, poplars and eucalyptus, quiet, calm, the water flows calmly and gives life. It would be worth it here, it would be nice to stop for coffee, but because we know what follows and we look forward, we will go ahead and enjoy our coffee in a little while, about 1 km after Ora we enter the province of Limassol, the third province on our route. We arrive in Akapnou, a small, maybe very small village, about 20 inhabitants, but believe me, it is worth a visit, it is worth a show on its own.
Very picturesque, stone, whitewashed brick, wood and tile with cobbled streets and flower pots, many flowers. It is very easy to turn it, to walk it and to admire the wooden doors and windows. Very simply made and almost all painted with that blueberry, so characteristic of the Cypriot countryside. Akapnou brings out a romance that you do not find in other villages. Really, I do not know what is touching us, the stone, the wood, the tile, the flowers, the blueberry, the small size, whatever it is, does work. It moves us and we still have a lot to see. ” This was the description of Akapnos before the fire. Today, we listen to the story that took place a few months ago and try to see what we did wrong and what was right. And how can we learn from this crisis.
In my mind, we have already said that the reaction of the ordinary people of Cyprus matters a lot. Many volunteers ran to help, no one knows how many, but there were so many that announcements had to be made to stop volunteering. Tons of basic necessities were collected, again from the common people. So, as citizens, in need we have functioned properly, as in the past.
We must say, however, that some companies worked well and, with substantial contributions, I hope others will follow. My suggestion, so that we can think about it. Maybe it would be better to allocate some of these contributions for the organization of groups that will take care of reforestation, ie tree planting and the maintenance of new trees in the burned areas? I'm sure the Department of Forests will need help with this titanic endeavor. Or even setting up teams to monitor unburned areas. In addition, some of these funds could be used for better or more firefighting equipment. If the marketing managers of large companies or organizations listen to us, “here is a shining field of glory”.
Then we will listen to excerpts from the show about Arakapas.
“We leave from the point of view of Sinoa and start for Arakapa. Go back to Kellaki for 2-3 kilometers until we see the sign for Eptagonia-Arakapa. Ten and a half kilometers, twelve, thirteen minutes in wonderful nature. We are surrounded by the forest Kakomalli, pines, tremithies, xistarkes, latzies, but also citrus fruits, many citrus fruits, especially tangerines.
Approaching the village we see that Arakapas is located in a pit, in a depression, with high mountain slopes in its periphery.
(Photo: Arakapas is a village in the province of Limassol and belongs to the geographical region of Pitsilia.)
It used to be another village of the Great Commandaria and its inhabitants were engaged in the cultivation of vines and consequently the production of wine, especially commandaria, which is favored by the fertile soil and mild climate of the region. In the community of Arakapas, almost only citrus fruits thrive, but mainly mandarins. The famous mandarins of Arakapa, a variety known as the Cypriot, the local. Obviously this tree is perfectly adapted to the microclimate and soil of the area. It is a variety famous for its fruits that have a rich taste and strong aroma.
We enter Arakapas crossing the bridge over the river Amathos. We are welcomed by huge plane trees and the two churches of Panagia Iamatiki, the old and the new.
The old church of Panagia Iamatiki is on our right and was part of a monastery, of which only the current building remains, which did not retain elements of the original church. Some of the walls, according to an inscription that exists, were built in 1727 and there are frescoes of the 16th century.
To our left is the new church of Panagia Iamatiki built in 1882. Larger and majestic but, again, perfectly compatible with the environment. The villagers worked for many years to finish it. Inside the new church there is an icon of the Virgin Mary painted on animal skin.
The Virgin Mary is called “Iamatic” as she heals, heals the faithful from various diseases, mainly from uncontrollable bleeding.
Speaking of churches, in Arakapas there is a small chapel just outside the village. It is ruined but it has another grace, a charm… I personally love it.
On our way out of Arakapas, going to Kalo Chorio, 2.5 km after Arakapas, we will meet a third church, a small chapel, in ruins, in a wonderful location. We will pass almost next to it, it can be seen from the road, not even 100 meters, we will definitely stop and visit it. On a low hill, a church dedicated to the Holy Cross, which very few people know. Many pass by the ruins and do not notice it. I, whenever I happen to pass, will stop and usually enjoy a coffee leaning against a small, low wall in front of the ruins.
It is a vaulted church built with stone of the whole area, even the arches of the roof seem to have been built with this stone. There is no evidence for this chapel, there are no hagiographies, dating… We just know that it is here from the Byzantine years. In an unsuspecting time part of the roof and walls have collapsed. Fortunately, the Department of Antiquities has made some maintenance efforts, so that the situation does not worsen, with the result that what we see today is the cessation of wear. I mean, we see that almost half of the chapel has collapsed, but someone with a lot of love and care, with a lot of passion, where the falling of the wall had stopped, came and added a finish, a support, put a brake on the destruction.
This finish is so masterfully constructed, so perfectly integrated into the dilapidated building, that it gives you the impression that this is how the chapel was from the beginning. That it was built like an open temple, that it lacks something today. On the contrary, nothing has been damaged, the chapel in this landscape, in the mandarins and the orange trees, on the hill overlooking a beautiful plain, seems to have been designed to be open from the beginning.
To accept nature within him, or rather to be part of nature, fully integrated with the environment. The message here is that whatever we do we must love it. “Love and passion can fix even the most broken things.” This is what we said about Arakapas a few months ago, before the catastrophe. We emphasized the beauty of the landscape, but we also focused on repairing even the most broken things. And yes, today the place we just described is a scorched earth, a poetic license, broken, only our love and passion can fix it for all of us.
Listen to part of the show about Sykopetra:
“We are on the road to Sykopetra and after a closed left turn, in front of us like in a hagiography the village. Perched on a mountain, a line of houses, or so it seems from this distance. Incredible image, the wild mountain, very green and a village hanging near the top. Amphitheatrically placed on the steep slope, as if it had been built to welcome visitors, or because it was built in other eras, rather to control who the visitors are, for safety.
(Photo: Sykopetra is located on the border of three provinces: Limassol province, Nicosia province and Larnaca province.)
Until we see these we have reached the village, we park in the church of Agios Dimitrios and we start walking in its narrow and somewhere very narrow streets. It is the last village in the province of Limassol before Nicosia, before Kambi tou Farmakas. Today there are about 100 permanent residents left. In recent years, however, there has been an increase in the young population settling in the village, proof of the love of the people of Sykopetri for their place.
A place with a lot of history because from the utensils and tools that have been found in the village, it seems that there was a settlement here from the time of the Cypriot kingdoms from 1000 BC. about. However, there are indications that copper was mined near the village, so it is possible that the history of Sykopetra goes even further.
Walking in the village we realize that in order to build these houses, on this steep slope, the mountain, the rock, had to be dug first. Flat terraces had to be created so that the first inhabitants could establish their homes. And they used the stones that they took from the mountain's creatures to build them. We admire their effort, patience and perseverance. Their effort, patience and perseverance to build the village but also to stay here, to take root in the place where they were born and loved. We continue walking in the streets and we rejoice in ancient jars, flowers in the courtyards, the plane trees, vines, pomegranates, very green, but the shoe (prickly pear) has its honor, which, incidentally, is said to have given the name to the village. In Sykopetra, many shoe figs and stones, so Sykopetra. There is, however, a story more beautiful than a fairy tale. Tradition has it that Nafsika, the princess of Tamassos, used to go on tours with her horses. On such an excursion, just above the village, Nafsika's horse slipped on a large rock, fell and died. The imprint left by the horse's hoof on the rock is still visible and the area was named “Nausikopetra”. The village was easily christened Sykopetra… »This is what we said about Sykopetra, about the effort, patience and perseverance of the inhabitants to build their village. For the love of the people of Sykopetri for their place. Their place, however, became scorched earth in one afternoon.
But, we have said before that love and passion can fix even the most broken things. And because we saw the love of the inhabitants for their village, we know that they will rebuild it. However, they will need the help of the state but also our own help, here again we will need the volunteerism that we showed during the crisis.
Today, we remembered together the areas of the fire as it was before the disaster. We remembered what we experienced together in some shows, a few months ago. We had to remember them because these areas have changed their appearance. The lush forests are no more, the orchards of Arakapa and the vineyards of Odos are no longer full of life, many of the picturesque houses in the area are now apocalyptic. Black and depressing. The smiling and hospitable inhabitants of the villages of the area are no longer smiling. All this destruction is due to a fire that destroyed much of a beautiful area.
We always refer to the good of our life and place. We always see the positive side of things, because as we often say on the show, there is always the positive side. For us, here at roadtrip.cy, this is the way we live. You will say to me “but is there a positive side to a fire?”.
Certainly not, but there are lessons. These are what we tried to single out today. We remembered what these areas were like, we tried to take lessons and we suggested what we can do to alleviate the pain of people and the suffering of nature.
The above text are parts of the show “Roadtrip.cy”. Every Saturday and Sunday from 8 to 10 you listen to the show of Andros Skalistis “Roadtrip.cy” on Sports FM 95.
