After a long day of flights, I finally made it to Cyprus—and it was totally worth it! This morning, we went straight from our hotel in Limassol to visit the ancient city-kingdom of Kourion, which is a wonderful site on a natural slope with interesting ruins. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable about the area, talking about how the city was destroyed by an earthquake, leading us around the old bath house that was built afterward (thanks to a rich man who wanted to lift the people’s spirits after the tragedy) and explaining where things were and how it worked, and then showing us the impressive open-air theater still used today (part of which was taken for the stone and used to build the Suez Canal, interestingly enough). It was all very cool to learn about, and I couldn’t stop taking pictures, especially of the incredible surviving mosaics.
After Kourion, we hopped back on the bus to see Kolossi Castle, which was once occupied by Richard the Lionheart and other knights during the Crusades. Though the original structure was destroyed, laying in ruins around the site, the rebuilt castle was completed by the Lusignans (people of French origin) and still stands to this day. On the grounds, we also got to see the sugarcane that was grown there (a very important and rare thing back then), as well as the carob tree (which produces a pod-like bean that is used as a healthier substitute for chocolate, which was called “black gold” and the biggest export during the British period), and lastly the citrus plantations (also a very important crop in Cyprus). The inside was even more interesting, as I got to physically observe the remnants of the past in the structure, including a wooden drawbridge at the entrance (used for defense), the battlements (with the designated areas for archers to fire with protection), and the fireplaces (once used for cooking). After climbing a long and slightly precarious spiral staircase, the view from the top was also breathtaking as well.
We finished off the tours for the day with a relaxing guided walk through Limassol’s Old Town, a cute and historic area with lots of local shops and restaurants. After grabbing a nice lunch at a nearby restaurant (and gelato for good measure), we set off through the narrow streets to learn more about the area. First, we saw the Old Limassol Castle, which was once occupied by Richard the Lionheart and the knight orders during the Crusades (yes, again, I know). He even married and crowned his queen there, which I was surprised to learn. Afterward, when the Ottomans took over, the structure was cut down and repurposed into a prison, and then later converted into an archeological site by the British, where it now houses the medieval museum. Then, we passed by an old mosque from the Ottoman period, which had once been a church. Our guide pointed out some half-circular structures near the bottom, which remained from before the conversion, and spoke about what was added to the building to convert it into the mosque it is now. Lastly, during my favorite part of the walking tour, we walked through the cute little shops on the side streets. It was very interesting to learn about how the Cypriots have revitalized the old area by building up the shops and restaurants and even using the historic surroundings to make the experience richer. For example, we saw a restaurant that was built inside an old building and had outdoor seating that expanded out into the ruins of these old pillars, which made the place even cooler. Although most of the places were closed today (yesterday having been Orthodox Easter, the biggest holiday of the year here), it was definitely a very nice little area and I’m hoping to go back and explore it more later.
Overall, the entire day was packed with intriguing historical information about Cyprus. Even our bus rides in between the tours were educational and fascinating, including facts about the traditions and development of producing wine, an essential economic product and piece of the culture in the country, and how Cypriots measured weight in the old days (by using the seeds of the carob bean, which never grow in size or weight despite the varying sizes of the beans themselves, which led to the establishment of the carat measurement for weight, which is about 24 seeds to one carat). The welcome dinner also introduced me to the variety of types of dishes traditionally enjoyed in the country through a delicious mezze experience, including many vegetarian-friendly choices. While it has been busy, this was definitely a great start to this trip and I am looking forward to what comes next!
