For our first full day in Cyprus, we spent our time seeing several of the important historical sites in the area of the city we will spend the first week of our program in, Limassol. The first location we visited was the ancient town of Kourion. Specifically, we were able to explore the remnants of the public bathhouses and the large amphitheater, both of which were situated on a mountain overlooking the coastline. Both of these places played important roles in this town’s community, by providing a place for people to keep up with their hygiene through the bathhouse, and with the theater bringing people together for shows, musical performances, and even animal fighting during a period of Roman rule.

After seeing Kourion, we took a short bus ride to visit the Kolossi castle. This structure is still standing completely intact, and is most famous for being where Crusaders on the Island lived during the Holy Wars. The castle also played a major role in the sugar cane industry on the island, housing many resources for its production. The building had three floors connected by a tight spiral staircase, in addition to a roof that provided more great views of the surrounding homes and coastline.

After our tour of these locations was finished, we took a bus ride to the nearby marina to enjoy lunch. During this ride, the weather changed dramatically from a clear and sunny day to a burst of heavy rain and hail. This prompted an interesting discussion from our tour guide about the recent climate change in Cyprus and how the usually rainy season was very dry this year. This changing pattern has caused a lot of trouble for the nation and a lot of uncertainty for the future.