The weather forecast predicted rainstorms for today.
Fortunately, although we did have some overnight rain, as I set out on my morning walk the sun was shining, the temperature was already in the twenties and the roads of Nicosia were blissfully deserted.
I soon headed for one of my favorite Sunday morning destinations the grounds of the nearby Kykkos monastery, a place I consider a haven of beauty and tranquility. What is more, as when I visit, early on Sunday mornings everyone else is either asleep or at mass, there is nobody else around to shutter the illusion that this is my own personal bid of haven.
A shady path
The band pavilion
The Abbots' rose garden
A bougainvillea covered pavilion.
The Aviary
Some of the plants surrounding it
And some of it's exotic and very colorful residents.
The birds were not having it all their own way, some of the plants coming up with very colorful displays of their own.
An orange Brugmensia, as beautiful as it is deadly toxic.
Some white and pink Hibiscuses
The Hibiscuses were planted together with Date Palms, either side of a shady path, and their were plenty of bright orange dates ripening on the trees,
As well as citrus fruit of various types ripening in the orchard
My walk ended up extending to almost two and a half hours of what I really consider not so much a workout ( although 11,2 km and over 14,000 step is quite a lot of activity) but relaxation therapy.
Pavlos