Wednesday was probably our most informative day yet! We started the day with breakfast then went to Larnaca, the city we flew into when we first arrived in Cyprus. It was nice to spend time in the city what we only saw through the windows of the bus. Our first stop was CMMI, the Cyprus Marine and Maritime Institute, where we had three hours of lecture from the different units of their organization. As environmental protection and sustainability is important and interesting to me, I really enjoyed learning about the nonprofit, which is devoted to educating the locals on protecting their island from the effects of sea pollution through prevention. We also heard from their digitalization and robotics departments, among others, and I found it inspiring that this institute devotes so much money and effort into their mission despite the fact that they don’t profit off of it.
After listening to these presentations, we had a couple hours of free time for lunch. A few of us settled upon the Coffee Corner, expecting a limited cafe menu but liking the interior. We were surprised and excited when the menu showed pictures of their many enticing items, and we enjoyed this food with a nice beach view. We then met back up with our favorite tour guide, Demetra, and walked to St. Lazarus church, the oldest of the city. While the outside was beautiful, the inside was even more spectacular. As we sat listening to the history of this space, which was built where the sarcophagus of Lazarus of Bethany was presumed to be found. The Byzantine icons that filled this space which was nearly covered in gold were beautiful to look at, and I found it crazy that spaces like this are never talked about while the Sistine Chapel is known worldwide as I thought the artwork was just as spectacular. We then journeyed to the Angeloktisti Church and were able to see the merging of gothic and Byzantine architecture, with a mosaic from the 6th century. Seeing such a range of history in one building was amazing and I was in awe of the pristine preservation of such an ancient building.
We ended our day with a visit to Lefkara, a village in the mountains. After a brief walk through this gorgeous town, we had time to explore and shop, and enjoyed talking to the locals. As this village is known for the dying arts of silver and lace making, I loved being able to support the people that talked so passionately about their craft. I’m excited to be able to show off these pieces back home, knowing that they each carry a unique and special history. This village was not just historical, but also insanely picturesque and I would love to venture back there one day.
As we were all tired from a long day in the sun, we opted for a short dinner and then enjoyed some live music while sitting outside at the cafe where we enjoyed coffee and dessert.
