Traveling to Larnaca
Yassas! Welcome to day 2 of my Cyprus blog! We started our day today with breakfast at the hotel, and a bus ride to the city of Larnaca. On the bus ride, our tour guide was telling us more facts about the history of Cyprus. One of the most interesting facts that stuck with me was about the terrain of Cyprus. The island has a variety of elevations and terrains, with many cliffs, hills, and mountains, as well as the plains and the beaches by the coast. Almost all of the ancient city-kingdoms were built atop flat, tall hills, which in Greek is called an “acropolis”. Acropolis means “high city” in Greek. I have heard this word before, but it was very interesting to hear the story of the origin of the word!
Hala Sultan Tekke Mosque
Our first stop in Larnaca was the Hala Sultan Tekke Mosque. This mosque is the burial site of Hala sultan, a woman who was the companion of the prophet. The people decided to bury her in this location many years ago, and since then it has been held as one of the most well-known mosques in the world. Visitors used to be able to enter the room of the tomb of Hala Sultan, but it has now been closed to the public. You can still see the room of the tomb through the windows of the building. The location of the building is beautiful, there are many flowers and trees in the area, and it sits right by the Larnaca salt lakes.
Holy Church of St. Lazarus
Our next stop was the holy church of St. Lazarus. The building is stunning on the outside, having both Gothic and Byzantine influence in its architecture. Inside, there were 3 holes in the ceiling which were patched with wooden panels. The 3 holes used to be domes in the roof before they were destroyed over time. The 3 holes represent the father, the sun, and the Holy Spirit. In the basement of the church is where St. Lazarus is buried.
The Mediterranean Sea!
Our last stop of the day was the Larnaca beach and promenade. We spent most of the afternoon on the beach together. We swam, played in the sun, and bonded as a group. The weather was so nice, such a change from Pittsburgh! In the ocean, most of us managed to swim far out to the red buoy! Today was a great day in Cyprus, and I am looking forward to beginning the company visits tomorrow. Andio!