Our day began bright and early again today, as we made our way to the Headquarters of the company Wargaming by 9 o’clock in the morning. Wargaming is video game developer behind war-based fighting games such as World of Tanks and World of Warships. I was impressed by their head offices and dedication to their employees. The building apparently used to be the tallest in all of Nicosia and overlooks a gorgeous view of the city and the mountains to the north. They also have many facilities inside the tower dedicated to their employees such as a cafe and a large gym and spa. I appreciate it when companies spend time and effort to better the lives of those that work for them. Wargaming uses the free-to-play model on their games, making the majority of their profits from in-app purchases such as skins for users’ vehicles. This, combined with their digital distribution through third-party apps such as Steam and Epic Games, makes it very simple for users to begin interacting with the game using their own device and an internet connection. This ties in to the world of supply chains as it cuts down on distribution costs, minus revenue sharing through the third-party apps which can be as much as 30%!

Following this company visit, we made the hour long trek all the way to the western side of Cyprus to the small village of Kakopetria. The ancient town is situated amongst large hills right at the foot of the tallest mountain on the island, Mount Olympus (the Cypriot one). The streets are very small there and the slopes made walking a tough task. The name Kakopetria comes from a falling rock the killed a couple that were walking in town and literally translates to “bad rock”. While small, the village was beautiful and offered great views of neighboring hills and valleys. There was also an abundance of wild cats, that roamed the village as they pleased and lived in harmony with the locals. There was also an interesting mix of nice buildings, made of beautiful white stone, and abandoned ones, symbolizing the struggles of such a remote village. After time spent eating lunch and roaming the town center, we made our way to a UNESCO world heritage site not far away, the Saint Nicholas of the Roof Church. The church is rather unassuming from the outside, but the interior was absolutely amazing, with painted frescos along the roof and walls, some of which being from the 11th century! Unfortunately, photos are prohibited in the interior to avoid damage to the ancient Greek orthodox paintings, many of which depicted Jesus and other figures important to the faith. Sadly, many paintings have been lost to time and the monastery that once was is no more, the final remaining monks having been described as being stuck in immense poverty many years ago, another remined of the struggles of living in remote areas anywhere in the world. Today definitely offered the best views of Cyprus today, and I am excited to continue tomorrow.