E4 European Long Distance Walk in Cyprus: Cyprus E4: Panagia picnic site to Profit Ilias picnic site: Day 15

A day of scenic footpaths, a village festival and a visit to a monastery.
Rising early I soon left the trees and was walking past occasional houses and bits of land in current or past cultivation before arriving in the village of Agios Epifaneios. A crowd of villagers were waiting for a coach to take them away. From loudspeakers at the Church there was the sonorous chanting of the Sunday Service, but, alas, no sign of a coffee shop open. I continued down one road, across another and up a third, eventually reaching the Merika picnic site where I ate some breakfast having given up on a "kafeneio".
After Merika I left the pine trees behind and climbed steeply among sage scrub. The nature of the E4 seems to have changed, whereas some days ago the tracks contoured around mountains attempting to maintain the same height even if the distance was greater, today the route follows footpaths that go straight over ridges and across valleys, or so it seems. Following a ridge there were views back towards Mount Olympus and across to Nicosia and the Kyrenia mountain range marking the north coast of Cyprus, with white clouds perpetually above them.
Rounding a hill I saw Fikardou village ahead of me. There were lines of cars stretched along the roadside, many people and the sound of things happening. I was fortunate to arrive for the village festival. There was traditional music by men and women in traditional costume, and each house seemed to be producing something traditional. People clutched clay pots, just made, and sampled various foods and wine. I tried what seemed like salty rice pudding, bought some bread for my supper and sat down to eat a large number of round, fried, sweet dough things I bought and a coke. The village itself seemed to have no modern houses, just old stone ones separated by narrow alleyways, today crowded with people.
I climbed a footpath out of the village to the reedy sounds of a violin fading as I gained height. Sweating heavily I crested the ridge before descending to the next village of Lazinia on the other side. I walked into a restaurant but the waiter put his arm around me and said sorry, they were fully booked, Sundays seems a popular day for Cypriots to enjoy a day in the hills. However the waiter let me buy a coffee which I enjoyed standing at a bar, then I was on my way down through the old village on a stone paved alleyway, then a footpath to the bottom of the valley. A steep climb up the other side took me to the Machairas monastery. There were many visitors to the church, almost all Cypriots, pilgrims who crossed themselves and kissed the icons (or the glass in front of them).
Further climbing followed but the footpath with its views made for a pleasant walk. In places a handrail made of wire was installed to help you along. Near the top it was over rocks towards a radar "golf ball" which I had been closing in on for much of the day. But as the golf ball was almost in reach the path turned away, joining the road down to the Kiona picnic site. At the site, men were taking pictures of two sports cars (Eunos, the Japanese version of the Mazda MX5 mark 1, with distinctive pop up headlights).
An exciting footpath followed, first along a rocky gorge, passed two old charcoal kilns, then along a ridge from which Nicosia could be seen in one direction and the south coast of Cyprus in the other. As I walked the sun was falling below the horizon, accentuating elements of the landscape with a warm, low light, the edges marked by shade. The beauty of it took my mind off my sore feet and blisters. As the sun finally set I reached the Profit Ilias picnic site where I pitched my tent for the night. An old monastery that seems no longer in use is beside the picnic tables. On one of the tables someone had left their map case with a copy of a hike for the International Duke of Edinburgh's award. Also a piece of cake three days out of date.

33 kilometres walked today and a healthy 1410 metre total ascent. A GPS files for the first part of today's walk can be downloaded from wikiloc.com or ViewRanger under short code johnpon0045 and the second part of today's walk can be downloaded from the following links wikiloc.com or ViewRanger under short code johnpon0046.