Today was our first trip to Larnaca. It was also our first trip to the beach! Before the beach though, we had a company visit with Vasiliko Port (VTTV) executives. The managing director, operations director, and customer service manager all gave us a short presentation about the company. I found the cement part of the presentation very interesting. I didn’t know that cement was such a big business. We were given a short tour of where the cement is actually made. It reminded me of a water slide park due to all the huge pipes. We got to see the control room too. It had several different screens showing the different parts of the cement production. That is so the employees can keep an eye on the machinery. I also found the part about oil storage interesting. When we were looking at the port from above, the smell of the stored gasoline was very intense. I didn’t realize that oil/gas was stored like that. The managers emphasized how important it is to keep customers for the long term to ensure their future financially. The business done at Vasiliko is very important economically to Cyprus. 

After that, we had a really good lunch at the Fish Tavern. Although the food grossed me out and smelled horrendous, I had a great plate of veggies and bread to eat. I haven’t been disappointed by the food in Cyprus yet! 

After lunch, we then went to the Hala Sultan Tekke mosque. Unfortunately I could not go inside but it looked very beautiful. 

To end the afternoon, we went to Larnaca. My friends and I went to the beach and got to swim for the first time in Cyprus! The water was so clear and it was overall a really fun time. I am sad we are already a week done but look forward to next week!