Day one in Cyprus was kicked off with a later than usual breakfast at 9:30 am before our first walking tour at 10:00 am. I was suprised to see an espresso machine in the hotel restaurant and was sure to take advantage of the machine and program it to make a cappucino to have with my food. However, that was not my last coffee for the day.
After getting a feel for the previously unknown new section of Nicosia, I went to lunch with a few of my peers to Paul cafe, a popular brunch spot for locals. I was suprised to see they served French cuisine and ordered a croque monsieur.
After lunch, we joined the main group again and took a bus to the University of Nicosia campus where we had an orientation about Cyprus culture. Before walking around the university’s campus, I stopped with my Cyprus roommate, Abbie, at the cafe and ordered another coffee. Rather than a hot cappuccino, I got an iced white mocha for only 2.82 euro which was very good. While in line, we met an American student at the university who is studying abroad through NYU. He seemed suprised to encounter us and said he has not met many Americans in Cyprus but rather British students. During the walking tour we saw the upscale student residences and then took a COVID rapid test by the nearby pharmacy resulting in negative tests among the entire group.
To finish out the day, we took a walking tour around the old city and ate a meze-style dinner. During the walking tour, we passed several churches, mosques, schools, and my particular favorite, the archbishop’s palace. Then we passed a guard stand marking the neutral boundary between the Turkish and Greek ruled parts of Nicosia which I thought was really interesting for its bold blue and white painting marking it as Greek. Dinner involved many appetizer-like dishes which was great since we could try many of the different foods rather than ordering one single dish to try. I already cannot wait for tomorrow.