I knew that it was going to be a long bus ride today; however, given that Georgia, our tour guide, was on the bus with us, I was not too worried. As we drove down the highway, Georgia began sharing with us some history of Cyprus. One of the first pieces of history she shared that really stuck out to me did so because it actually answered a question I have had since learning about Fig Tree Bay. My question was why is it called Fig Tree Bay? Georgia went on to share that the reason it is called that is because there was a fig tree growing near the beach, and that is how it got its name. I thought that was interesting, and it makes me wonder if there are any fig trees near the beach now. I also learned information that related to the languages that are spoken on the island. There is Greek, Turkish, English, and a new language that I did not know about previously. This language to my best guess is spelled Romaica, and is a Cypriot dialect. The people who speak this dialect are those who live in Turkish and Cypriot villages. One last piece of knowledge that I gained whilst listening to Georgia was that in the 1900s, when things were escalating between Turkey and Cyprus, the UN declared a ceasefire, however this was not kept by the Turkish troops, and they kept on invading Cyprus. After learning this, it made sense to me why lots of people on the southern side of the island, the Greek side, are not very fond of those on the northern Turkish side. I love learning new and interesting facts so being with Georgia today and listening to what she had to say was what made this day a great one.

During the second half of the day, we visited Varosi and Famagusta. Varosi is known as the ghost town in Cyprus, and it was very clear to me why. As soon as we exited the bus, I took a look around me and saw what was once a beautiful and vibrant city, as described by Georgia, who grew up there, as nothing more than a pile of rubble. All of the buildings had broken glass, warning signs saying not to go near them or they may collapse, and chunks of the foundation missing. When the Turkish troops invaded, they dropped bombs on these buildings, which helps explain why they look the way they do. It was also sad listening to how Georgia described her once beloved home. She said that there were festivals, great streets for shopping, and overall a place for anything you could think of. Now, all that remains are piles of rubble and glass. The building where she once got her id photo taken, or the building where she visited with her brother, both are now gone forever and only the memories remain. After that chilling walk through, we stopped through another area in which we looked at a gorgeous mosque. We also walked down some of the accompanying streets which were filled with local vendors and souvenir shops. Lastly we made a stop at the famous Fig Tree Bay. The temperatures were perfect, the sun was shining, and smiles were to be seen everywhere. Today was a great day that was once again filled with fascinating history, and great memories.