What happens to a city when people are forced to leave? Famagusta was once a thriving tourist destination in the 60s, but during the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974, Greek Cypriots fled the city and have not been allowed to return, leaving Famagusta to be abandoned for the past 48 years (nearly half a century). On October 8th, Turkey illegally re-opened the Varosi Beachfront in violation of UN Security Council Resolutions 550, 789, and 2537. Today, after showing our passports at the military checkpoint, we got to walk around the Varosi Area. As we walked, we saw what once were pharmacies, souvenir shops, and boutiques. We also saw apartment buildings, restaurants, and barber shops. All of these businesses had not only been damaged by the destruction from the the invasion, but also by time. I was surprised to see how modern these business were because it is not similar to what we expect a ghost town in the United States to look like. Our tour guide explained to us that most of the buildings had just finished being built when the invasion occurred.

We then left Varosi to explore the Old City in Famagusta. We walked along ancient walls, built to protect the city. We also saw ancient ruins. Our tour guide explained to us that rounded arches come from the byzantine era while the pointed arches are from the gothic era. I thought it was interesting to see them side by side, within the same piece of architecture. We also grabbed lunch at a bakery in the Old City. The bakery had baklava, Turkish delights, and various savory pastries. I ate a delicious spinach pastry for lunch. I was so excited to see handmade Turkish delights because I have only ever seen them as prepackaged candy.

In the afternoon, we stopped by Fig Tree Bay. There, people relaxed on the sand or swam in the sea. Some friends and I decided to walk along the beachfront to explore the coast. This beach was much larger than the other beaches that we have been to in Cyprus. It also had the clearest water. As we walked, we noticed an area with rocks in which the pockets were filled with salt. I know that the Mediterranean Sea is salty, so I thought it was neat to see the salt deposits on the rocks. I also tried rose flavored ice cream from a Papafilipou stand. I enjoyed the cold fresh taste of it because today felt like the hottest day of our trip in Cyprus. We ended our day by visiting the Sea Caves in Ayia Napa. I had never seen water as blue before.