We started our day touring the Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement (BSM) Maritime Training Center located in Limassol. Upon our arrival we met with BSM employees that walked us through how their company operates. They explained that BSM only owns about 100 ships and instead mainly relies on ships from 3rd party companies. BSM then independently seeks out brands that need to transport their products. Essentially BSM is an intermediate. After learning some preliminary information about the company we were given a tour of the facility which included a peek into the dorms and two different simulation rooms. The employees did a great job explaining the strenuous training required to operate a cargo ship, the different roles that are needed to be filled on a ship, and the importance of communication. What surprised me the most is that everyone that goes through training at BSM has to eventually work on a cargo ship no matter what their end goal within the company is. These crew members have to undergo up to eleven months on a ship without ever leaving the boat. After hearing this information my respect and admiration of the crew members grew immensely. Everyone relies on goods that have been transported via ship so this is a job that is truly a necessity. 

After our meeting with BSM we had a delicious lunch at a tavern. They served several different courses including creamy mushroom pasta, pork and chicken skewers, and fresh orange and apple slices. This was another example of a family style meal which is very different from most restaurants in the U.S.. We later had free time to explore the surrounding area and got to go inside the Timios Stavros Monastery. That was my first time ever going to a Monastery and it was very peaceful and beautiful. After visiting a local bakery and some souvenir shops we took the bus through the mountains to Troodos Square where we were able to take a nature walk that had the best views! Overall, today was a very picturesque day filled with new experiences and adventures