Today was our first full day in Cyprus! We started with a good breakfast and a walking tour of downtown Nicosia. It was very beautiful and we were able to see some modern architecture that included a lot of curves and interesting stairs. We also saw some parts of the original Venetian walls. It was in the 70s all morning so a big lunch was necessary. I went to an outside sandwich restaurant and it was delicious! I got a walnut cake for dessert and it was also very good.

After lunch, we went to the University of Nicosia. It was such a pretty campus. We got to go into a real classroom and have a short orientation on Plus3. The university has about 6,000 students on campus and a very diverse group of students. We went on a walking tour of the campus after our orientation and got to experience what going to school in Cyprus would be like.

We had a short one hour break before our walking tour of Old Nicosia. Our tour guide for the Old Nicosia tour told us so much about the city that I would have never known about. I got to hear about the Turkish invasion which I was not aware about. We also learned a lot about the architecture. The one thing I specifically remember is about the balconies. If the balconies were closed in, then they were constructed by the Ottoman empire. If they were open, then by the British. It was also cool to hear that women in Cyprus have always had the right to vote.

After our final walking tour, we went to an authentic restaurant and had a plethora of options to eat. I really enjoyed dinner and getting to know everyone in my group better. I look forward to tomorrow and have been blown away by Cyprus so far.