Silvi In Wonderland

I always enjoy discovering hidden gems the most. The wow effect is always bigger and I just can't wait to share my experiences with you.

This time I will write about Michalis Mozoras and his magical world of stones in Kalavasos, and even more a magical place, the Fairy tale museum in Nicosia.

During Phil's last visit a few weeks ago we were invited to Kalavasos's annual spring fair, however, no one has told us that the village will host not 1 but 2 fairs at the same time so of course, we ended up in the wrong one. I have never been in Kalavasos, the only thing I knew about the place was its archaeological tent, so it was a good opportunity to explore the cobblestone streets. Not far from the village square I saw the Art gallery sign and after having a quick look at the place, it did not look like a usual, ordinary gallery, which meant I had to check it out.

Since I started painting rocks I grew fond of pebbles and stones so the quantity of them in one place, organized by shapes and colours, the endless sculptures and figures truly wowed me.

It was a pure artistic chaos, I had to move very carefully not to step on anything or god forbid break a thing.

Michalis, the gallery owner welcomed us with a big smile and answered all of our questions friendly. He has told us how he's moved to Kalavasos over 10 years ago, purchased this old traditional village house and started to build up his amazing collection of stones and sculptures.

He is also a singer and composer, playing instruments and performing in other villages during summer. This place was just full of creativity, and I could see all the enthusiasm and positive thinking on Michalis's face.

There was not a single square meter of the garden and studio which was not used for storage or display purposes. If you decide to visit him, make sure you will have enough time to admire his creations and to feel like Alice in wonderland.

Staying on the path of magic and wonders, the following day we finally made it to the Fairy tale museum in Nicosia. I've been wanting to go there ever since I've read an article about it but due to the unfortunate opening hours, the only way to visit the museum was going there on my holiday.

It is definitely a must visit for every book-loving person who likes to getaway from the everyday rush and seriousness and feel free to be a child again.

The museum has opened only 2 years ago and being houses in a beautiful old building, tucked away near the Paphos gate.

Once the gate opened and we stepped in, a whole different universe has emerged. A corridor "made" of books appeared.

Our imaginations were teased every step of the way, tiny hidden doors opened up showing us miniature worlds, letting us find costumes to dress up, or enter the tea party room of Alice's wonderland.

We were very much encouraged to do so, explore, touch, listen, peek and mainly to learn about the fairy tales of the world. We all know the most famous ones, Cinderella, Snow White, Aladdin...but in here you can learn about many other stories from all over the world, carefully collected and categorized by devoted tale tellers.

The museum founders also separated local tales and through an old phone or radio you can listen to some in the original Cypriot dialect.

We stepped out to the outside area, into a small room looking just like a dusty chamber of a witch. Crows on the tress, cobweb covered shelves and potion bottles, spell books.

During the day the museum happily hold workshops for schools or perform theatrical acts for the children. There is a designated room where the kids can dress up and re-live any fairy tales they wish.

Books and magic were everywhere..it was just wonderful.

At the time we were there, they were preparing the museum for a fairy exhibition which will take place in April, the ladies were decorating the whole floor with handmade fairies and dolls, making me feel like I was in the Midsummer Night's Dream play.