After a long two days of travel, we woke up in Nicosia refreshed and ready to explore. Our day began with a walking tour of the New City. Highlights included orange and lemon trees, an abundance of cats, charming corner coffee shops, unique and varied architecture, and pedestrian walk signs that change in under ten seconds. Unlike other European cities I have visited, the New City area of Nicosia has no regular structure of appearance; rather, each building has a unique character. It almost reminded me of San Juan, Puerto Rico, but without the beach.
Our walking tour was followed by lunch at Evroulla, a restaurant on Ledra street. A friend and I split a Meze for two, which contained just about every offering on the menu, from Halloumi cheese (a new obsession of mine) and chicken kabobs. After having two dishes called “Meze,” I am reaching the conclusion that Meze refers to the style of eating—shared dishes, including salad and meat platters—as opposed to a particular food item. Terminology aside, every Meze so far has been fantastic. I love the culture of eating a series of dishes over a long period of time; sort of like tapas, but with more food. We had to hunt our server down for the check, suggesting that it is customary to spend many hours at a restaurant and rude for a server to deliver the check prematurely.
Once we dealt with the bill, we caught a bus for the University of Nicosia, where we had our program orientation. The presentation got me excited for the company visits to come. The complicated political history of the island—coupled with the island’s unique geography—has given rise to some interesting industries, supply chains, and regulatory issues. Tomorrow we visit Medochemie, a pharmaceutical company that focuses on generics. My interests in drug development make this an exciting slot on the itinerary.
Our final activity of the day was perhaps my favorite. We had the privilege of touring the Old City with a resident of Turkish-occupied Cyprus. The winding, mostly empty streets of the Old City had a hush about them—a quiet restlessness that hummed with history. And our tour guide helped unpack that history, taking us through the Ottoman period to British occupation and eventual Cyprus independence. This evolution was traceable in the architecture and symbols scattered throughout the city. When we visited a solider-guarded checkpoint, our guide had some pointed remarks to share about the Turkish invaders who seized 30% of Cyprus following the constitutional crisis in the 70’s. I am looking forward to learning more about Turkish occupation when we visit Famagusta.
What a beautiful, storied city. That’s all for today!
