Our first day in Limassol was absolutely gorgeous, the perfect combination of sunny and breezy. We started our day in Kourion exploring the archeological site. The partially reconstructed theater is beautiful, and I was amazed that it’s still in use today. What I also found interesting is that when the theater was originally in use, attendance was free for everyone. The costs needed were paid for by a wealthy member of the community, all of whom were cyclically chosen by officials. The other building we toured was the home of Eustolios. Originally this was his private villa, but after an earthquake destroyed the region’s bath house, he opened it up for public use. During this tour I also learned about the bathing practices that were common in that time. The majority of people didn’t have the opportunity to clean themselves very often, so when they did it was in depth and spa-like. They started with a foot bath and cold shower, followed by a steam room and hot bath, and finally ended with another cold shower. Kourion was beautiful, and I learned a lot!
Our last tour of the day was in the Limassol Castle. The castle itself was very pretty and was filled with interesting artifacts. Some of the largest were tombstones from various religious figures that passed throughout the castle’s history. Although the worn stones throughout the castle made climbing stairs an interesting experience, the architecture of the castle was amazing to experience. The current iteration of the building is actually a reconstruction, as the original was destroyed under Venetian rule so it couldn’t be taken over by the Ottomans. I enjoyed learning and experiencing more about the history of Cyprus, and I’m looking forward to continuing this weekend!
