Today we took a trip to Lefkara, a beautiful small village situated in the hills. This village is known for their production of lace and silver. Walking the old streets of the village brings you up and down steep hills surrounded by shops and old buildings. We got there around 9 am and had the morning to wander. Many of the shops were not open when we first arrived but this gave us an opportunity to look at the old buildings and beautiful foliage that spanned the village. Walking up and down the old cobbled streets we were able to see old abandoned buildings, filled with plants, like a door to another world. The plants even grew over the telephone wires, showing that despite the fact humans live here, it’s still their domain.

As shops began to open, we had the opportunity to explore those as well. We stopped at a pastry shop and tried some delicious tarts with sorbet. The shop owner told us about how both the sorbet and tart were made with fresh lemons by her. She also told us how she has not changed her recipe in a very long time. The tarts were a refreshing start to the morning with a fantastic flaky crust. When we complimented the tarts, she explained to us that they can be a bit dry so that’s why she serves them with the fresh sorbet.

Once we’d had our fill of the tarts, we headed off to continue shopping. We went in many shops boasting handmade silver and lace. There was beautiful jewelry that we were told was made by the shop owners. One was even willing to reshape rings in his shop so they would fit us. The shop owners were full of hospitality and determined to make the sell. One man offered discounts and lemonade he told us was made by his mother. At the last shop we visited, there were two women out front making lace. One woman proudly showed us the rectangle she was working on and told us what she had there had taken three weeks to complete. The other woman told us she was teaching the first and the first woman was quite talented. Inside the shop the man showed us jewelry. He explained how this was an old fashioned village where the men made the jewelry and the women made lace. It was amazing to be able to see the handiwork of the village and get to experience the hospitality and kindness of the people there.

~ Apollo Blue