Sunday involved our most Western trip yet, as we were set to make the hour drive out to popular tourist city Paphos. However, we were not going straight there, as first we had some sightseeing to do at historic sites along the way. Our first stop was at Aphrodite’s Rock. In Greek mythology, Aphrodite is the goddess of love and beauty, and it is said that this location is where she was born. The famed rock is located just off the beach in Kouklia, and it is said that anyone who swims around the rock will be blessed with eternal beauty. Unfortunately, we were not able to swim around the rock, but the beach was beautiful in itself and contained thousands of unique (and much smaller) rocks. Most people grabbed one or two one the way out as a keepsake.

We then took our second half-hour stop at the Tombs of the Kings, where it is believed many high class officials and royalty on the istand was buried a very long time ago. It has since been excavated and rediscovered, and was filled with dozens upon dozens of tombs. After quickly checking these out, a few others and I decided to go for a quick hike, where we found a hill that was filled with hundreds of little rock stack towers built by tourists. With that said, we obviously had to put one up ourselves, and in my best business student representation I stood back and “supervised” while the engineers built the tower.

With the two sites officially visited, we were finally in Paphos. We began with a few hours of free time for lunch and self-exploration of the beach front. We grabbed lunch at a place called the Pelican on the water, where we shared a plate of calamari and all got our own orders of seafood dishes. Once we finished, we went for a walk along the promenade, where, believe it or not, we saw a real pelican! (it almost took my ear off when I tried to get a picture with it, but that’s besides the point…). We walked around some tourist shops, did a little rock climbing, and eventually met back as a group to do our final site visit with our amazing tour guide. We checked out a building full of ancient mosaics, which are art pieces created with no paint, but instead naturally colored rocks that are chiseled into shapes. It was very interesting to both learn of the history and admire the beauty of all the pieces. No two designs were the same. As I mentioned, this was our last tour from our great tour guide who was taught us everything we would possibly need to know about the island. Sad that she had to go, we took one final picture of her before heading back to Limassol. Next week we have many company visits and lectures at UNIC to look forward to.

Before I forget, Happy Mother’s Day Mom! I miss you!