Today we traveled to St. Mina’s Monastery and Lefkara village as our final excursion of the program. At St. Mina’s Monastery, we were able to observe some beautiful frescos and artistry inside the church. I found it interesting that the screen in this particular church was painted in an Ottoman style, as opposed to the Byzantine style we had seen in earlier churches. It was also interesting to see the new figures painted by the nuns living in the monastery, each with a name and a date. I think it is a beautiful way to commemorate leaders of the church. Outside the monastery, we were able to see some plants and pottery that were important to Cypriot history and culture. They had Cypriot cedar trees, which are native to Cyprus and characterized by their long, straight trunks and short firs. These were useful throughout history for ship building because the wood is strong and the straight trunks are more easily adaptable into desired shapes. We were also able to see some pottery that was historically used for fermenting wine, but is now more commonly used today as simple decorative planters. In Lefkara village, we got to learn more about silk making in Cyprus and see some of the local people working on their projects. It makes me so sad to think this is a dying art, though I do understand that it is an industry that it is difficult to make money in especially considering the amount of hours that go into each project. Still, these were amazing embroidery projects and patterns all done by hand and I’m so glad I was able to see them being created first hand. I loved Lefkara village and the way it embraced its history and culture–from building in the style of the original architecture to all the traditional handmade goods that you are still able to purchase there. We also got to visit the church of the village, which contains beautiful Frankish architecture. I especially loved all the paintings within this church, including the star pattern on the ceiling. What a great way to end the program!