After a long bag-check experience in the Pittsburgh airport (3 hours just to get our boarding passes) and the even longer flights to Cyprus, I was eager to finally arrive at our hotel around 9 pm, to settle in for a good night’s sleep, and to explore the island the following day… the Cypriot culture was certainly worth the wait!
The day started with a later breakfast (around 9:30) followed by a tour from our program coordinator at the University of Nicosia, Laura, who was able to provide us with some very useful information. There are two main areas in the capital of Nicosia: the New City and the Old City, which are vastly different but connected together through Eleftherias Square. Along our morning tour in the newer portion of the city, we saw coffee shops on every street and quickly came to realize how significant they were culturally…Cypriots tend to enjoy a more relaxed lifestyle, often spending hours talking with friends over a cup of coffee. The buildings were much taller in this area and featured unique and modern arquitectural designs; there were also more cars, bigger roads, and larger sidewalks for pedestrians. However, it was much less dense than many of the cities in the United States and had some beautiful greenery.
After our walking tour, we returned back to the other area of Nicosia for lunch. My friends and I walked around looking for a place to eat when a nice server approached us, invited us in, and sat us in the back private garden area. At the restaurant To Anamma, we ordered large platters that could feed multiple people with traditional foods like pork kebabs with tzatziki sauce… it was delicious and left me excited to try more! It was interesting to find out that tips are not at all expected in Cyprus (a major difference from the American culture I am accustomed to).
Then, we got on the bus and made our way to the University of Nicosia for an orientation meeting. After going over some basic Cyprus travel information, both groups walked around the campus and finished at a pharmacy for mandatory COVID testing before the company visits the following day. Once we returned to Eleftherias Square, there was an hour of free time before our tour of the Old City. My roommates and I were so exhausted that we decided to go back to the hotel and rest a little before leaving again around 6 pm.
My favorite part of the day had to be our tour of the Old City… our guide was amazing and she pointed out specifically how the buildings represented their country’s history. The arquitectural features of the buildings that were created during Ottoman rule often featured closed, small windows so that families could live without being seen. However, with independence, many Cypriots were more comfortable standing outside and being visible, so the newer buildings tended to have bigger windows, nice balconies, and large porches. We also were able to see many churches, schools, and government buildings. There was a clear contrast between the old city and the new city: less traffic, smaller roads, and shorter buildings; this made the whole area seem more authentic, in my opinion.
With a very long first day, we finished off the night with a mezze-style (or family-style) dinner at Kathodon Tavern. The dishes kept coming and never seemed to end. Starting with a salad, to pita bread, to cheese balls, to grilled peppers, to meatballs, to pork, to lamb, and to dessert, we were constantly being given foods to try and the meal was very enjoyable. That was the first time I’ve experienced a meal with so many platters of food shared among the people at the table, and it was nice to be able to try a smaller portion of many different dishes. After our two hour meal, we returned to our hotel to sleep and prepare for company visits the next day.
