A Busy Day on a Bus

I've decided to take jumping pictures!

I realize that it has almost been exactly one week since I've posted a blog and I think that's largely due to the fact that I'm unsure how to sort through everything that transpired across the weekend in Limassol.

Friday, bright and early (at 9 AM here it is really bright!), my group from Tennessee boarded a tour bus along with the other American study abroad students: destination Limassol, which is a coastal city in Cyprus.

Along the way to Limassol, we ventured down to Paphos and back (Paphos is actually past Limassol in the opposite direction).

First we stopped in Limassol to pick up our tour guide, whom I believe was full of very interesting facts.  Unfortunately I was seated at the back of the bus and the speaker system on the bus was of poor quality (or she held the microphone too close to her mouth) so I missed the majority of what she said on the bus.

Kolossi Castle

Our first stop with the tour guide was Kolossi Castle.  Perhaps one of the most significant things to note about Kolossi Castle is that it's not (nor has it ever been) an actual castle.  It is more of a fortification and, to my understanding, is all that remains of a larger original structure.  It is still a beautiful structure, regardless of it's misnomer.  Kolossi Castle utilized all the latest defensive techniques such as pouring hot oil or dropping rocks on the heads of the insurgents.

The tour guide, after giving us a few facts about the fortification, informed us that we would have 60 minutes to explore the structure and grounds on our own.  So I leisurely strolled through the castle, taking pictures of this and that.  Suddenly, I realized that no members of the group were in the castle.  I ran back to the bus and found out that the tour guide had not said 60 minutes. She had said 16.  I guess I have a harder time understanding numbers and time limits when spoken with a strong accent.

All the World's a Stage.

Our next stop was an excavation site that overlooks the Mediterranean sea.  Atop this mountain, looking at the uncovered ruins of a house that contained 36 rooms and beautiful mosaic floors, my camera battery died.

So Kendra and Lindsey graciously allowed me to steal some of their pictures as well as take a few pictures of me.  I realized that the majority of my pictures were from my perspective, so how would anyone actually know that I was in that location, having those experiences?  So I've made a conscious effort to ask others to take pictures of me since then.

Aphrodite's Rock, the middle one. haha

At the excavation site, however, there was also an amphitheater in addition to three square miles of excavated structures.  But the view was breathtaking and the sea breeze was indescribable.  To be in the sun, under a cloudless sky in the heat of June looking over the crystalline blue hues of the Mediterranean sea while feeling a constant breeze... these are the moments I am thankful to be alive, to be given the chance to experience this.

There's no Aphrodite Ice Cream Bar....

Boarding the bus once again, we eventually stopped at a roadside pull off, overlooking Aphrodite's Rock, the location of the Greek deity's birth.  When I say "overlooking," that's what I literally mean.  We were up on the side of a mountain and could see the rock off in the distance, but we were unable to go down to the stretch of beach the rock is on.  However there was an ice-cream truck at the pull off...

After we crowded back into the bus, we eventually arrived in Paphos where we were given two hours to wander around before meeting at the gates of an Archeological Park.  During this time, we sought out lunch (because it was about 1:30 PM) before seeing what Paphos had to offer along the shoreline we were on.  Dr. Legg keeps referring to Ayia Napa (another beach here in Cyprus) to Myrtle Beach, but I have to say (having lived an hour from Myrtle Beach for the majority of my life), this street we were on in Paphos was pretty close.  There were so many plastic trinkets and touristy items for sale that it almost felt like a flea market.

Mosaic Personifying Seasons and Gaiea,
in Dionysos' house

We met the tour guide at the gate to the Archeological Park and she proceeded to lead us into the ruins of a house that belonged to a Cypriot named Dionysos (not to be confused with the Greek god Dionysus).  Upon learning about the multiple mosaics within Dionysos' house, the tour guide dismissed us as gave us 20 minutes to explore the rest of the park.  Kendra and I walked to a light house at the back of the park to take some pictures. Then we realized that we didn't see any of the other students.  So we virtually ran back to the bus, to discover that everyone had already boarded.

This park in Paphos was our final stop before heading into Limassol, where we would be spending the rest of the weekend.  We got to the hotel, which was really nice, and everyone decided that the pool would be a great idea since we'd been in and out of the sun all day and had gotten fairly sweaty at various points.

Who doesn't love a swing set on the beach???

Friday evening we had a quick bite to eat a small eatery next to the hotel and then Kendra, Chelsey and I went looking for a deck of cards.  I've rediscovered how much I enjoy playing cards on this trip!  The games we frequently play are Old Maid, Rummy, and Egyptian Rat Screw (which we've renamed Cyprus Cat Screw, in honor of the multitude of feral cats roaming everywhere).

Saturday was a day unto ourselves and our own devices and turned out to be a really great day!  Keep your eyes peeled for the details :)