Good evening! This was the first day we woke up in Limassol! Bright and early we started our 2 hour bus ride to Famagusta. This is on the northern side of Cyprus that is occupied by Turkey. Our tour guide Georgia provided us with so much history that would help us understand where we were walking and what we were experiencing. Famagusta was a huge tourist town with many hotels right along the water. The central square was the largest and most notable in Europe during the Frankish and Venetian times. They have a cathedral called St. Nicholas. In 1570, the Ottomans conquered the island. This is what gave Cyprus its Turkish population. High ranking officers would stay, and Christians were converted by force and trained for the army. In the 18th and 19th century Christians also changed their religion to avoid higher taxes and persecution. Greek and Turkish people would live in the same villages in peace and harmony. After the Ottomans were defeated in WW1 they detached from Cyprus. However they always wanted it back. In 1974 they finally took it back with two invasions on the northcoast. This resulted in a considerable loss of life and a displacement of 1/3 of the population. Georgia is so knowledgeable about all this history. In order to cross we had to show our passports and could not take photos. It is cool to see something not many people have or will be able to. I really tried to take pictures in my mind to remember it.
The reason Georgia is so knowledgeable is because she is a Greek Cypriot who grew up in Famagusta before 1974, the Turkish invasion. She was a part of the 1/3 who was displaced. When we were walking through the city, you could truly feel what she was feeling, and it put everything into perspective. This would have been such a tough time to live through. It looked like a city frozen in time. Signs were still up with their share of wear. Everything looked raided because it was by the Turks. Georgia told us a fascinating story about a Greek fur merchant who came to sell furs and fell in love with a woman. They got pregnant and were engaged. He was going out of town, so she insisted on dropping him off at the airport. Instead of going into the airport he went into a building owned by the Turkish army. She was worried sick because he could have been killed. She went to the police, and they figured out he was a Turkish spy and was never coming back. That story had my jaw dropped. I am extremely grateful to have never felt safety threatened due to war. To end on a lighter note, we finished off our day in Fig Tree Bay in Protaras. The water was beautiful, and it was nice to soak up the sun. Also, happy birthday Lauren and Arun!