Today was our first full day in Cyprus, and we spent the day getting adjusted to our new environment by visiting some historical sites.

Ancient City of Kourion

The first stop today was at the ancient city of Kourion. Our wonderful guide Dmitria showed us around an ancient bath house which the citizens of Kourion would have used, and described how the water in different rooms would have progressed from cold to warm to hot. A few of the floor mosaics are incredibly still intact, as are parts of the pipes which would have brought water to a well. The city also had a Greco-Roman theater, where the people would have gathered to watch events. It was a very pleasant visit, and it was interesting to get a glimpse into the kinds of lives people would have lived thousands of years ago.

Kolossi Castle

Our second stop was at Kolossi Castle, a castle built by crusaders who came to Cyprus. Granted control over a handful of villages in the area, the crusaders that lived here protected hospitals, being named the Knights Hospitallers. The remaining part of the castle was beautiful, being surrounded by lush grounds. The spiraling staircase to the top was narrow and steep, but the trek was worth it for the view of the surrounding countryside. A thousand years ago, soldiers would have stood at the top, firing arrows down on anyone trying to invade.

Wines of Cyprus

Between locations, our guide Dmitria discussed the history of winemaking in Cyprus. We learned how prehistoric man made the first wine here, now known as Commandaria. We also learned that Cyprus played an instrumental role in the revival of winemaking in France, with grape varieties from Cyprus being transplanted following a grape plague. In the modern era, winemaking in Cyprus itself has undergone a revival following Cyprus’s admission to the EU in 2004. I was grateful to learn about such a culturally significant part of the Cypriot and mediterranean diet.