We spent the weekend in Paphos and it was hands down my favorite city in Cyprus so far. I love the beach and the vibes were simply immaculate. On Saturday, we started our journey towards Paphos while also making stops at cultural places along the way. The first place we visited was the ruins of the town of Kourion. We saw the amphitheater that was created in the second century BC and has been restored. I thought it was really cool how they still put on plays there and I would have loved to see one of them. Next to the theater was the remains of the House of Eustolios. It is believed that when the people needed refuge, the owner opened the villa up to everyone so that they could have a place to stay. The size and organization of the house was impressive. Next, we went to Aphrodite’s rock. The location itself was beautiful and since it was cloudy the rocks were really the star of the show. I didn’t want to climb up the big rock but I did a little dip in the water because the tour guide said that its legend that when you swim in those waters you look younger. I also made a wish because apparently Aphrodite makes them come true. Then, we went to visit the tomb of the kings. The tombs were very intricate and the compartments to hold the bones seemed a little creepy. I also saw some pigeons nesting inside the rocks which was pretty cool. Next, we went to get lunch at a restaurant called the pelican which had a live pet pelican that was walking around the whole time we were eating. I have never seen a pelican before so that was pretty amazing. Finally, we went to see these mosaics from the floor of the House of Dionysos. That was my favorite visit of the day as the mosaics were all beautifully constructed and the stories and meaning behind them full of legends. After that visit, we checked into the hotel and I enjoyed watching the sunset on the beach. Even though it was cloudy, it was still very pretty.
On Sunday, we spent all day at the beach and I got to tan a little. The weather was perfect with a little breeze and just the right amount of sun. I spent some time swimming as well and mingling with the Cyprus 1 and 2 students. I was sad when we had to leave and come back but overall it was an amazing time. And the post-beach nap on the bus back to Nicosia was some of the best sleep ever. Once we got back, we heard there was a soccer game at the nearby stadium and so we decided to go see if we could watch it. When we got there, we learned that you need a special membership card to get into the games because they have a huge problem with riots breaking out. Even though we didn’t get into the stadium, we could hear the chants and cheering from outside and it seemed like a lot of fun. To make ourselves feel better, Lucy and I treated ourselves to 2 crepes each. They guy that was selling us them thought we were weird for getting two but they were so good so we simple double fisted.
