My first day in Cyprus was so nice! The weather is better than I anticipated with a cool morning and warm day. It was refreshing to open our balcony door to a cool breeze and view of a nice alley. Cappuccinos should always be offered in the morning, because with fruit and a croissant they make for an amazing breakfast.

After breakfast we took a walking tour of the new part of the city of Nicosia. We saw numerous coffee cafes, shops, and places to eat. We learned that lunch is generally later in Cyprus than the US, so some places may not open until 1:00 or 2:00. I have been surprised and impressed with the different amount of trees that are in this city.  Palm trees, trees with gorgeous flowers, lemons, oranges and so much more. Weather in Cyprus, at this time of the year, is not too hot and sunny. For the time between the tour of the new city and leaving for the university, we got lunch. Everyone in the group went to different places in different parts of the city. I ate at a traditional Cypriot restaurant, and had chicken kabob along with lemonade. 

Next, we took a bus to the University of Nicosia where we then had a short orientation. While at the university, we learned that Cyprus does not have many American tourists or students. At the university alone, there are only 63 American students. So I was surprised when a student stopped us and told us he was also American. He was from New York, studying in Cyprus as apart of his abroad experience with a program in London. 

To end the day, as a group, we toured old city and had a meze style dinner. Meze style is more like family style with large amounts of food eaten over a longer period of time. The food just kept coming and coming, my favorite was the honey sesame seed feta and marmalade greek yogurt. Today made me more comfortable with the city and excited to see different parts of the country, especially the mediterranean and costal cities.