Part 1 ~ The travel
Our journey began at the Pittsburgh Airport, where we then flew to Washington DC, Munich Germany, and finally arrived in Larnaca Cyprus! This was a long day of flights and travel, I felt very jetlagged once arriving in Cyprus, but so excited to be here! Once we settled into the hotel in Limassol, we all went out to dinner at Limassol Marina, then got a good rest to make up for the jetlag.
Part 2 ~ Kourion Ruins
This morning, we got up early for breakfast feeling refreshed from the long sleep, then we took a bus to the Kourion Ruins in Kourion Cyprus. We had done previous research of the Kourion Ruins during our predeparture classes but learning more facts from our tour guide made seeing the real ruins in person even cooler! The Kourion Ruins were mainly built during the Roman and Byzantine e periods in history, and most notably were built by King Richard the Lionheart. The terrain of the location consisted of a hilly area, with large natural cliffs. These cliffs were crucial to the defense of King Richard’s settlement, which is ultimately why he decided to build his settlements there. The ruins are home to an outdoor theater with large stone seating structures and an old “spa” built by King Richard. The outdoor theater was built with the intended use of entertainment, however eventually it was used for a battle arena which was a form of entertainment back then. The “spa” features beautiful and symmetric mosaic floors which are still intact today. There was a cold bath, a warm bath, and a hot bath where King Richard and his men would go through in order, then in the reverse order on the way out. We spent time in Kourion learning more of the history and taking photos, then we took a scenic trip to the Kolossi Castle!
Part 3 ~ The Journey to Kolossi Castle
While on the bus ride to Kolossi Castle, our tour guide was telling us more history of Cyprus in general. She told me one of the coolest facts I have ever learned, which was where the term “24 karat gold” originated. In Cyprus there is a native tree that grows these beans called Cabot Beans. In old Cyprus history, it was discovered that no matter the shape or size of the bean pod, the seeds were always the same size and weight. This led to the use of these Cabot bean seeds to be used to help measure the weight of an object. When 24 bean seeds were weighed, it was determined that it equaled “1”/ a whole. The term karat derived from the Cabot beans in Cyprus. From this knowledge, when pure gold was discovered in Cyprus, it was called 24 karat gold. I thought this was a very interesting fact to learn, and I will be telling my family when I return home to Pittsburgh!
Part 4 ~ Kolossi Castle
When we arrived in Kolossi Castle, we gathered outside of it to learn more facts about it before entering inside. Surrounding the castle were some Cabot bean trees, so it was cool to see the beans that we just talked about on the bus ride. The original castle was estimated to be built around 1210. The castle is home to one of the longest standing sugar cane production facilities in the world, making it a hub for exports. Inside the castle, there are two floors of large, arched rooms, with a roof where the cannons were kept for defense. There is also a large wooden drawbridge for defense. There is a basement where all items were stored in case of a siege.
