After a long travel day from Pittsburgh, to DC, to Munich airport, we finally arrived in Cyprus! The first evening we relaxed by taking a walk around the marina and getting dinner. One thing that I immediately noticed was the abundance of roaming cats. Apparently these roaming cats have existed on the island of Cyprus for centuries. Originally they were sent by the emperor Constantine’s mother to deal with the snake infestation on the island, and they have stayed around ever since then!
The next morning, we went on a tour of the Greek-style amphitheater, Kourion. Additionally, we got to see the ancient mosaics and ruins of the bathhouse next to Kourion. Cyprus has a lot of Greek and Roman influences in its culture, and additionally, Christianity seems very important to the culture of Cyprus. One of the mosaics in the bathhouse had some of the oldest known inscriptions dedicated to Christianity and also depicted many religious symbols like fish. Interestingly, I’ve also noticed that the ancient Greek and Roman religions seem just as important to the culture in Cyprus. Our tour guide, who was very knowledgeable, told us that she was named after the goddess of agriculture, Ceres. In the future, I’m excited to see more of this influence in Paphos, the ancient city of Aphrodite.
After visiting Kourion, we stopped by the medieval castle which housed Crusaders during the Holy War period. At the top of the castle, there was a great view of the city of Limassol, which is where we are currently staying! From the top, you could also see where cannons and arrows used to be held for defensive purposes. After the castle, our tour continued and we passed by some citrus plantations on the way to lunch in the “old city” part of Limassol. Our tour guide told us that citrus fruits are grown in abundance in Cyprus, along with olives, and grapes due to the warm climate. I learned that a major issue in Cyprus right now, which is effecting growing seasons and daily life on the island, is climate change. The rain is less predictable and the summers are becoming more hot, which creates water shortages on the island.
Today was a great start to the trip and I cannot wait to see more of the island! There are pictures of the mosaics and castle below.
