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XVI maltatoday, Sunday, 15 February 2015 Travel Travel to Cyprus for less, with Emirates Travel from Malta to Larnaca on an all-inclusive return fare starting at €190 for travel from now until next June 30. Enjoy the beautiful island of Cyprus for less than the normal standard Economy Class fare with Emirates for the coming months, until June. If you are looking for a short holiday break with a differ- ence or if you have a business trip, you can take advantage of Emirates' low fares on offer. Emirates is offering a special Economy class all-inclusive return fare from Malta to Larnaca, start- ing from €190. The offer is valid for sale and outbound travel until 30 June. The prices do not include a weekend surcharge of €20 for de- partures on Fridays and Saturdays. Terms and conditions apply. Blessed with over 300 days of sunshine each year, natural beauty and friendly inhabitants, Cyprus is a real destination for both winter and summer visitors. Wherever you go, the Cypriots encourage you to explore their world and, in a short while, they make you feel like one of their own. The island has over 400 miles of stunning coastline, however its beyond-the-beach offering is also worth discovering. No trip to Cyprus is complete without spend- ing some time in the villages on the Troodos Mountains. The quiet pace will lure you towards all sorts of delightful sights. From the healing sulphur springs of Kalopanagiotis and the calm waters that gurgle be- neath the arched Tzelefos Bridge, to the splendour of Kykkos Monastery. The region is a real Byzantine treasure trove that reveals the island's religious heritage. With ten beautifully painted churches included on the UNESCO World Heritage List, you can spend days driving through the areas of Pitsilia, Marathasa and Solea to spot their true beauty and other traditional architecture. As the past unravels, stop off at one of the old tavernas to sample traditional delights. When passing by Platres village in Troodos, stop at the cascading Kaledonia Falls. It is just the place to put your feet up and absorb the peaceful environ- ment, disturbed only by the sound of falling waters. Then head further towards Lar- naca and you will be mesmerised by Stavrovouni – a Greek Orthodox monastery famed as the oldest on the island, perched high on a mountain peak. The monastery is isolated and a real marvel to look at and enjoy the breathtaking view. Larnaca city has many interesting places to visit, particularly ancient and Byzantine, such as the restored church of Saint Lazarus. His tomb can be visited under the sanctuary. This year the feast of Saint Lazarus will be held on 5 April, eight days before the Orthodox Easter Sunday on 12 April. Take a step away from the herit- age trail and you can enjoy the beautiful coastline of the smaller towns of Ayia Napa and Protaras. A drive along these towns offers breathtaking views, with spectacu- lar sea caves and crystal waters. The Cape Greko national forest park is excellent for hiking and rid- ing. Ayia Napa offers a plethora of entertainment venues, coupled with luxury hotels and smaller holiday bungalows to accommodate you. Discover the real taste of Cyprus by trying some of the Cypriot delicacies. Cypriot cuisine is based on fresh, seasonal produce. Meze' is a must to try, consisting of up to 20 dishes including Halloumi, a Cypriot cheese made from goat's milk, various dips including Tahini, a sesame seed dip and a variety of grilled meats. There is also a wide choice of delicious Cypriot wines from over 40 boutique wineries. After dinner, enjoy a glass of chilled "Commandaria" – a traditional sweet wine made in the Troodos Mountains. Emirates flies daily between Dubai and Larnaca and onwards to Malta. EK 108 leaves Malta at 14.45 and arrives in Larnaca at 18:15 (Cyprus time). Onboard you will find non-stop amusements during the flight, from latest movies, to TV programmes, music and games. The airline offers you also a gener- ous baggage allowance of 30kg in Economy Class. For booking and further informa- tion please check online: www.emir- ates.com/mt, or contact your travel agency or directly from the Emirates Sales Office at MIA (Departures Lounge) tel 2557 7255. Kaledonia Falls in Platres Village. Photo credit: Nathanael Andreou Tzielefos Bridge (Venetian bridge) by Nathanael Andreou A village in the Troodos region Cypriot traditional food. Photo credit: Vanessa Coutier Giving life to rocks Maltese-born, London-based artist denise Scicluna tells TeOdOr reLJIC about her upcoming book, 'rock art!' which will teach readers how to embellish rocks and pebbles with lively and colourful designs Could you tell us a little bit about how your rock-painting started? What first inspired it, and what spurned you to keep going? Back in 2011 I worked on a project which involved pebbles. I painted over 300 pebbles and represented a logo using them. Over the past year I've been creat- ing jewellry and accessories made out of polymer clay. A lot of people thought they were pebbles! I put all this work online and it attracted the attention of a publishing house in London which focuses on arts and crafts books. Soon I received an email asking if I was a pebble artist. Even though I have worked with pebbles before, I wouldn't consider myself as one. However, I kept in touch with them and the rest is history: a proposal to be an author of a peb- ble art book was presented to me. I said yes! What made you decide to put this all in a book? When the proposal was handed over to me I loved the idea straight away. I saw it as an exciting op- portunity and my previous work with pebbles and crafts definitely helped. I was immersed in the 'pebble world' for nearly a year, researching on designs, differ- ent types of pebble and tools and applications which showed how to make use and apply pebble in homes and gardens. I loved the beauty in the simplicity of it all! How did you go about putting to- gether, and publishing, the book? The idea from the publishing house occurred to me in the sum- mer of 2013. My project, together with other 29 ideas for books, were all presented at the prestigious Frankfurt Book Fair. The idea of having a pebble book attracted the attention of two prominent publishers and distributors – Search Press UK and Barrons (US and Canada). After this go-ahead, several plan- ning and brainstorming sessions were involved where main ideas of the book and its structure were brought forward and discussed. I worked in batches, submitting four main work loads over around nine months. I worked on all designs of the pebbles, including the text for the entire book. I also took photographs of the step-by-step process. The first part of the book includes a general in- troduction of pebbles, painting on pebbles and what tools you need. The book ends with applications as to how you can turn pebbles into décor items in houses and gardens, games, lucky charms, magnets, jewellery and more. What do you hope people will get out of it? It is simple – you can do fun stuff with the simplest things such as pebbles. I really do hope that peo- ple allow pebbles and their forms and colours inspire them and see how easy and fun it is to work on pebble projects. It's a great, cheap way to involve kids and adults to- gether, allowing them to be messy and creative. Rock Art! will be available from Search Press from March. For more information, log on to http://www. searchpress.com Denise Scicluna. Photo by Stephanie Galea