Traditional Crafts I: Making Dolls

According to the Cypriot proverb 'Learn a craft, even if you don't have to. And when you get hungry, practice it.', small workshops for locals and tourists have been taking place all over the island since the beginning of the month until the end of the year, aimed at teaching participants certain craft skills. Last week, I spontaneously took a day off and drove alone to the small village of Kato Drys to participate in a workshop where I made a doll. It was a wonderful experience, not so much the crafting itself, but I was the only participant and the English of the instructor was about as good as my barely existing Greek skills. 😜 So we communicated for an hour and a half with many gestures and lots of laughter until my little doll was finished. Kyriaki was so lovely, provided me with coffee and also tried to give me cookies and crackers with processed cheese slices 😳, which I politely declined. She runs a small gallery in Kato Drys where she paints and crafts.

Afterwards, I strolled through the village, which is really beautiful, and visited the Bee and Embroidery Museum. I also stocked up on local honey at the museum. 😋

The only restaurant in the village seems to have been recently demolished, so I had to go to Lefkara for lunch, where I was very well fed with Tavas, a traditional clay pot dish in the area, in which meat, rice, onions, tomatoes, thin potato slices, and spices are cooked together in the pot.

Full and happy from this wonderful trip, I started my journey back home.