Like, and yet Unlike

View toward the Kathuro plateau.

At noon I was ready to explore and drove up toward the Kathuro plateau, where Tor Idar had run and taken such fantastic pictures in March. However after driving for about 15 minutes the road began to look like this:

I somehow doubted that my car was furnished with winter tires and decided to park by the side of the road and walk. Indeed, when I looked at the tires they did not look to have much tread, and I noticed that most of the cars and pickups going up or coming down were either a) 4WD or b) had stud tires. Yes, stud tires! Just like in Norway!

Ewe with Lamb

There are other similarities as well:

• The flocks of sheep and goats in the middle of the road – only they look completely different from the Norwegian ones.
• Walking in balmy sunshine along a road on which the snow is melting, was reminiscent of Easter in the mountains in Norway. Here, though it is Christmas.
• The rocky terrain with sparse vegetation, only the rocks are more jagged, and instead of juniper and mountain birch there is gorse, a kind of scrubb holly (more thorns than leaves) and scrubb oaks

Goats, just before they ran away.

Other sights that you would not see in Norway:

Several cars coming down from the plateau had a little snowman on the hood, close to the right dashboard, complete with acorn eyes and twigs for arms.

A pickup truck with the bed full of goats drove by, the goats kept on by a sort of netting cap, on top of which rode 2 dogs who started an incredible barking at the sight of Lucy.

Unfortunately I didn't get pictures of either of these.

Lucy

Lucy and I climbed up off the road and sat on a stone under an oak tree to eat my sandwich, listen to the sound of the bells on grazing sheep and goats and look out toward Mirabella bay, where Agios Nicolaos glinted in the sun.

View toward coastal mountains and Mirabella bay with Agios Nicolaos. No snow here.