Witch of Portobello – Summer Time

Relaxing on the chaise-longue by the pool, reading ‘The Witch of Portobello‘ by Paulo Coelho and simply enjoying my surroundings.

When I am at Drousha, a small village in Paphos (Cyprus), I feel as if time stops. Our holiday house is situated upon a hill – 800m above sea level – and has an amazing view of the sea and nearby villages (see photos). It is always a bit cooler here because it is situated quite high up and we are thus benefited with the fact that we have a better climate (Cyprus can get VERY hot in the summer) while being an 8 minute drive away from the beach at the same time. We’ve got both the mountains and the sea, what more could one ask for?

As I was saying, everything slows down when I’m here, and I can’t help but enjoy every moment of it. It is as if I become one with nature, perhaps because where we are, I can hardly hear any external sounds apart from those of birds singing, insects buzzing away and the occasional wind blowing on the trees; I love the rattling sound of leaves. Quoting Coelho, ‘I transform myself just as the countryside does around me’. It is beautiful all year round but since this is my summer blog I shall be talking about summer in this and all the posts to follow.

I always refrain from bringing my laptop with me because I like making the most of my time here. Well okay, I’ve still got my smartphone with me so you can say that I’m simply fooling myself here, BUT there’s no internet connection where we are so the only way of getting in touch with the external world is by going to a place where there is Wi-fi. Yes, I do feel as if I’m in a different world here! My own little Wonderland. It feels as if I’m not even in Cyprus, believe it or not, and I always get laughed at by my friends when I tell them that ‘I’ll be back in Cyprus by the [enter date]…’. ‘But you ARE in Cyprus!’ they reply every time. I can’t explain this, but it’s weird!

In Drousha it’s always the present moment, the here and now. No past, no future. Well, most of the time, but it’s so much easier to live in the moment, to be happy. There’s this stillness in nature which fills you up, it calms you down. Negative thoughts are carried away by the wind, you can’t help but be positive. There’s something magical in the atmosphere and it’s definitely contagious!

We usually spend the day in the veranda by the pool, or in the pool; swimming, reading, listening to music, chatting away, or simply just being there and enjoying the view, summer smells and sounds surrounding us. And I haven’t mentioned the goats! Every day, a shepherd comes by along with his goats which get barked at by my dog. She still hasn’t gotten used to them, but what to do. Serves them right for chewing on the leaves of our fig trees! The summer nights are just as amazing. Listening to the distant sound of cicadas while enjoying a cocktail by the pool in good company, or simply reading a book with lounge music playing in the background. The weekend is nearly over and I’ll be returning to Nicosia, but not for long! I’ll be writing more on Drousha in my following posts, this was just an introduction 🙂