Today was our last day in the city of Limassol, and we spent it by venturing out to the northern, Turkish-occupied half of the island. First, we took the long bus-ride to the UN Buffer Zone, where we had to show our passports to cross the border and had to have a Turkish tour guide accompanying us at all times. We then got off in Varosi, an abandoned ghost town on the coast. The town was entirely abandoned when the Greek Cypriots moved south after the Turkish Army invaded back in 1974. After the war, the UN declared a ceasefire, thus prohibiting either side from using the land, which is why it turned into a ghost town. It was so interesting to see the buildings with signs that said they will collapse if you enter them, and the beautiful beaches with nobody on them. The town was really nice but very eerie at the same time, giving this a very cool start to our day.

Next, we visited Famagusta, which was a city more like the ones we had explored on the Greek side of the country. We saw a huge church, and a Venetian palace from their time of rule over the island many years ago. We ate lunch and walked around a bit, seeing many dogs walking around which I found especially interesting because the Greek side of Cyprus definitely has more stray cats that are spread across the area. It was also very interesting to see the contrast between the ghost town of Varosi and then the vibrant city of Famagusta. It really made me wonder how two places so close together could be complete opposites, and this definitely brought an interesting dynamic to our visit.

Overall, today really put into perspective how a country can operate while being completely divided. It was sad to hear that most Greek Cypriots do not choose to enter the northern side just because they have to show identification to pass through, something enacted because Turkey is the only country that recognizes that side of Cyprus to be a part of Turkey, whereas everyone else deems it to be Cyprus. All in all, it was a great week in Limassol and visiting all of these locations, and I cannot wait for what is ahead in Nicosia.