Lefkara - A Maze Of Cobbled Streets

The village of Lefkara always meant colourful eye candy for me. I just love the bright, vibrant colours, the clean cobbled streets and stone buildings.

I keep coming back to discover more and more hidden corners and admire the view.

This time we also had some special treats in Tasties - which I can highly recommend to everyone - and a private tour in a local artist's expressive home.

For mid September the weather was still hot but darker clouds were already gathering above the Troodos mountains and sudden thunder storms were expected in the area. There was nothing more I craved for than rain and fresh air so the forecast encouraged me even more to hit the road again and drive to Lefkara.

We began our journey in Pano Lefkara walking down from the main square passing by the City hall and the Handicraft Center.

Most of the tourists are visiting the village because of the traditional lace and silver products but for us the main attraction was Tasties with their homemade pies and cakes and the unique decor and atmosphere. If you like eclectic antique furniture, fireplace and fantastic food then Tasties is your place.

We arrived there after 2 pm but the place was still crowded, locals were having their Sunday lunches and catching up with each other. Despite not having a reservation we got a table and the cakes were just minutes away finally. We also ordered homemade lemonades and oh boy, we were high on sugar even hours later!

The food/ cake portions are enormous and we clearly overestimated our capacity but I've had one of the best tiramisus of my life.

My admiration for the building and its design was endless. I kept turning my head around, wanting explore the whole place. The English-Cypriot family who purchased it took 9 years to restore and decorate, painting the stain glasses, doing everything themselves to create a unique and magical cafe. They did a really great job!

A good half an hour and tons of sugar later we left Tasties and continued our walk between the bright blue walls and zig zag streets.

I really enjoyed the idea of the colourful village. We could tell that the locals are very proud of their places and kept everything tidy and neat. Even the abandoned houses were decorated with pots of flowers or huge photographs of lace making women.

We had lost track of the streets and gave up trying to remember all the turns we took when we ended up at Jackie's art studio. The gates were open but we were a bit shy just to walk into someone's home but Jackie appeared in a minute and invited us in with a big smile on her face.

The couple moved to Cyprus over 30 years ago and bought an old traditional stone house which they transformed into something really beautiful during the years. Jim is now a retired antique restorer and Jackie is talented painter still contributing to the art communities. They were super friendly and chatty and of course very proud of their home. Jackie quickly offered a tour in and around the place. We climbed up to the first floor where they built an amazing relaxing terrace with a beautiful view of the village.

Every small details were perfectly placed in some bohemian, free spirited and very inspiring style.

The interior design was a time travelling experience too with Georgian and Victorian furniture, big fireplace in a library room or the high ceiling kitchen with vintage stove and accessories. Jackie could talk tirelessly about each pieces they purchased and restored one by one.

We spent almost an hour in their home learning about her arts and their support for the battled women association before we left with some advice of which part of the village we should visit next.

We quickly stopped at Adamos tavern to stock up for some cold drinks and I just couldn't help noticing the traditional village style of the restaurant. Just how a tavern should look like.

We walked up and down on the streets, had a glimpse of the rural museum, found a local barber shop and one of my favorite spots which I just call a chilling street.

We arrived at the Church of the holy cross at last from where we had a beautiful panoramic view of the mountains and Kato Lefkara, the lower part of the village.

As much as we wished for some rain and breeze the dark clouds were slowly approaching, so we still had time to walk back to our car and drive down the Kato Lefkara.

The difference between the two parts was unnoticeable. Not by the style or architecture but whilst the upper part was lively and jolly the lower village was absolutely empty and quiet. The souvenir shops were all closed already and people did not walk the streets anymore.

We only ventured down to the Panagia Eleousa church and back before we called it a day and drove back home.