The Legacy of Joseph Barnabas in Cyprus

Terraced hills in the Troodos

We got our car today and decided to go for a drive into the Troodos mountains I have to admit that I was apprehensive about driving on the left side of the road, but I did okay–all things considered. We drove first to a small village west of Nicosia that has a Church of St. Barnabas. It was locked, but as we stood looking at it a young man emerged from a nearby building. He told us that he knows the old man who has the keys to the church and can let us in to see it.

As it turns out, he is a musician who is training youth in the village on how to play traditional Cypriot music. He proudly showed us the little school where he works. During the conversation, he said that he would love to be able to show us some things in the area. So, we have another good contact–another friendly and helpful Cypriot. We look forward to seeing the inside of the church and also to attending a concert there on Sept. 18, when the young man and his colleagues will play traditional music.

Black Pine have flat tops

The road to the top of the Troodos Mountains is steep and windy. Even at high elevations, we noticed that a lot of the hills are terraced for orchards. Near the top of the mountains there are numerous Black Pine, and they mostly have flat tops. We are a bit puzzled as to why.

On our return back to CAARI, of course, we got lost in Nicosia. I stopped to ask directions from a pleasant man who is from Romania. He couldn’t speak English, but he and Lynne exchanged a few Romanian phrases. He took us to an elderly Greek neighbor who knew just enough English to show us on our map where we were. We finally managed to get to our temporary home, and we felt quite happy to be here.