Hello Cyprus!!! On our first full day in Cyprus, we started our day by visiting Kourion, which was an archeological site that included a bath house and an amphitheater. The site was located on a hill that overlooked the coast with its clear blue waters. The bath house used to be very large and sophisticated and was given to the city by a private owner after he finished construction. The building used to be very complex with a room where people could change, 3 sections of baths, and a well/basement system that held rainwater. The bath was broken up from cold water to warm water, to hot water, each section leading into the next. Each room was decorated with tile, each of unique design. As for the amphitheater, they would often host plays for people to watch. During the Roman’s occupation, however, they turned the amphitheater into a place where gladiators and wild animals would fight, which ended up blocking the view of the coastline from many of the seats sadly.

The next place we visited was Kolossi Castle, which was a castle built during the crusades. Next to the castle was the sugarcane production facility, which is the last remaining one in Cyprus from ancient times. To get inside the castle one must cross a small drawbridge. The castle itself is 2 floors made entirely out of stone as well as the roof and basement. On the first floor there was a spot near the ceiling where wooden beams could be placed that would create a place for the soldiers to sleep. Since there was no steel used in any of the castle there was a wall on the first floor that went north to south and a wall on the second floor that went from east to west to improve the structural integrity. The tour guide mentioned that there were spots where the walls were 9 feet thick to also improve the structural integrity.

During the bus ride, our tour guide told us about carob beans. These beans grow all over Cyprus and are similar to cocoa beans in a way. When these beans are opened, they contain sweet syrup and a seed. The shell around the seed can be eaten and can be quite tasty, however you do not want to eat the seed itself as your body can’t digest it. Another fun fact about them is that the seeds are what led to the 24-karat measuring system for gold and diamonds. 24 of the seeds became one karat and this is how we now have 24-karat system. The tour guide also talked about the many stray cats, which were introduced hundreds of years ago in order to lower the snake population.