I once again woke up to an awesome breakfast in the Centrum hotel. Today we were traveling to the Troodos mountains, and I was very excited

During our journey to troodos, my ears started to pop as we ascended the mountains. First, we arrived at a little village at the peak of one of the mountains. As soon as we got off the bus, I noticed the crisp cool mountain air. It was the freshest air I have ever experienced. I then noticed the awesome landscape in front of us. We stood on the edge of the mountain for a long time, and eventually scaled our way down as it was not that steep. There was a big metal cylinder at the bottom that I was trying to hit with a rock, and after 20 minutes, my mission was a success. Next, we visited a gift shop and found a variety of… let’s say interesting collectibles.

After the mountain, we went to another small town in Troodos. This place was amazing in so many aspects. It felt like an amazing community that I could live in when I’m older from the architecture to the thin walkways to the beautiful views, it was also beautiful aesthetically. In this village, there was also an ancient monastery that has a piece of rope believed to be the rope that tied Jesus to the cross. Being in a holy place like this was definitely surreal, and I am very glad I witnessed it. The monastery also had exhibits dedicated to the Cypriots that died in the fight against British imperialism, and it was very cool to read their stories.

After touring the city, we went to a restaurant. We were once again served Meze style, and this meal had some of the best food I have had in my life. Highlights included truffle pasta with mushrooms, halloumi in sesame, chicken kebabs, and pork that fell off the bone. Everyone was stuffed after this extravagant meal.

After this we visited with the Cyprus port authority. It was amazing to hear their insight on the governmental side of the port, and their various positions on geopolitical topics facing the world today. These men were high ranking officials in the government, but kept the room light hearted and fun which lead to a great discussion overall.

Finally, we returned to the hotel. I instantly took a nap due to the busy day. Because of our huge lunch, I ended my night with a small and quick halal meal consisting of shish tawook, a type of seasoned chicken.