After a week in the historic capital of Nicosia, we checked out of our hotel early this morning and headed down to the southern coast towards the port city of Limassol. Before we could see the town center, however, we made our way to an ancient archaeological site called Kourion. The site is an ancient Greek settlement in the hills, complete with the ruins of residences and a grand amphitheater that has a stunning view that overlooks the Mediterranean sea. The ancient baths were what I found the most interesting of the areas, which had some floor murals still intact. The ancient residents would rotate between a set of rooms which contained a cold shower, sauna, and warm shower in order to clean themselves. Following our tour of the ruins, we headed to the Limassol port and ate a delicious meal in front of the ocean.

In the afternoon, we visited the Limassol Castle, a wide site of a former castle which faced many attacks from various raiders around Cyprus. The castle is largely preserved and one can walk through the different chambers and rooms. There are cannons littered across it to protect against attacks. Downstairs, an ancient church is present where people used to worship and there are rooms that represented medieval kingdoms. From the top of the castle, one gets great views across the coastal town of Limassol and the blue Mediterranean Sea. The most interesting part of the castle was the underground chamber that contained prison cells that had continued to be used as recently as the 20th century. The castle was yet another reminder of how long the island of Cyprus has been inhabited, and how many different people have influences amongst the architecture and designs. Tomorrow, we will make our way to Famagusta, in Northern Cyprus, and I cannot wait.