Today was our first and last venture into the Northern-occupied areas of Cyprus. It was a little intimidating but also an extremely interesting cultural experience. It was very odd to see the process of crossing over to the Turkish side. We were required to have a Turkish escort with us at all times, even on the bus. He was a very nice man! The warnings about being careful about what you take pictures and videos of, especially staying away from anything military-related, were the intimidating part. Other than that, the area was absolutely astonishing. We visited the ghost town of Famagusta that had just recently been opened back up to visitors. We were some of the first few people to walk through its streets since its invasion in the 1970s. It was incredible to see the remains of all this architecture but also sad to think about the people who had to leave this town behind. We could see the signs for many restaurants and shops, barely visible after being covered with overgrown and unmaintained vegetation. The beach was also beautiful but was deserted, with no one to enjoy the clear blue waters. The saddest part was considering the families who had to leave their homes behind. I wonder if some of the buildings still have some forgotten belongings in them. It was also crazy to consider how much infrastructure was sitting there as wasted potential.
After the short tour around the ghost town, we visited the medieval walled city in Famagusta. The Cathedral of St. Nicholas here was beautiful and I loved the surrounding stone structures and archways. It was really cool to see the cannons and dungeons and to consider the rich history they carried with them. This city held a mixture of French, Greek, Genoese, Venetian, Ottoman, and British heritage throughout it, making it a very diverse and unique area. Through its architecture, the layers of history in the buildings made by the successive waves of invaders and settlers can be seen. This area was also very lively, with tons of shops and restaurants. I bought some traditional Turkish delights and Baklava which were delicious.
Next, we headed over to Konnos Bay where we had a little over an hour to enjoy the beautiful beach. We went to Fig Bay Beach, which is the best beach in the area. It had crystal clear water but, like the other beaches, had some rough rocks that ended up giving us all some cuts. This was clearly a very touristy area because it was lined with tons of hotels and souvenir shops. Our final stop of the day was the sea caves. We were able to climb into one of them and take some pictures and the view was absolutely stunning. We also saw a natural rock bridge that was closed off so people could not walk on it because of its potential dangers. My favorite attractions are the natural ones made by earth like this bridge.
