Today started with a two-hour drive to the Turkish Occupied Territory where we would visit the ghost town of Varosi and the Old City of Famagusta. Along the way our amazing tour guide, Georgia, told us all about the history of the Turkish invasion and the establishment of British military bases on the island. When Britain signed a deal with Turkey and Greece to give Cyprus freedom, they included a clause that allowed them land for two military bases. The location of the island was well located for organizing missions headed to the middle east. The base on the Eastern side of the island houses satellites that receive nearly all British intelligence information. Because this information is so valuable the British military is quite strict about who enters the base from the occupied territory; you must have a European passport. It was interesting to see the hold the former colonists still had on aspects of Cypriot society. As we neared Famagusta, we were able to see the walls of the Old City. Georgia explained that, unlike the wall surrounding Nicosia, the Venetians didn’t have the resources to replace the existing fortification. This resulted in the addition of taller walls and stronger stone in hopes of repairing and strengthening the city’s fortification. This effort proved successful as the Ottomans were not able to penetrate the walls. Instead, the Venetians ran out of supplies and had to surrender.

Our first walking tour of the day happened in the ghost town of Varosi. This city was abandoned after two days of bombing in the early stages of the Turkish invasion. Walking through the streets was so surreal because the buildings were left to decay and the plants were growing out of control. Our guide, Georgia, grew up in Varosi and was still living in the town at the time of the bombings. Hearing her first-hand account of the tragedy and hearing stories of the town before felt kind of dystopian. It was like stepping into a time capsule, but each building held the story of a life ruined in 48 hours. The only other experience that gave me a similar feeling was when my family toured the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site in Germany. It is a strange combination of awe and horror that leaves you feeling grateful for what you have but baffled by how people can do such horrid things to each other.

After Varosi we walked around the old city in Famagusta. It was cool to see the ruins of gothic architecture surrounding the main square. The church in the central square was gorgeous and had beautiful arches surrounding it. After exploring the city for about an hour we reloaded the bus and headed to Fig Tree Bay which was not in the occupied territory. The crossing process and the checkpoint was very smooth. After 90 minutes on the road, we arrived. After a quick lunch we went to the beach where we spent the afternoon swimming and admiring the beautiful turquoise water. Our final stop of the day was gelato before heading back to the hotel in Limassol.