Garrett Swisher

Blog May 23, 2015

​Dramatic is a good word to describe Cyprus. Today, we got to see a different side of the island. Our day started off slow as we all got up and had a leisurely breakfast followed up by a quick gelato run. We didn’t have any definite plans for our day so we went down to check out the beach. We spent a few hours swimming and relaxing by the crystal blue waters before heading back to grab a quick lunch from the supermarket to save some money. We ate and shared some laughs together over our food. In the afternoon, a few of us decided to go deeper into the city away from the touristy beachfront in hopes of finding some cool places to check out. We walked no more than half a mile and we found an old Roman theatre built into the hillside. Today it is left in ruins, a shadow of what is would have been like centuries ago. It was haunting to think how old it was and that today it is still standing quietly right across the street from someone’s house. 

We continued walking and found foundations of ancient buildings dating back to the time the theatre was built. Nearby was the quarry cut into the Earth to supply the stone for these Roman buildings. Walking through this man-made cave was very cool. Steps cut into the rock and little narrow tunnels led to other areas of the quarry before coming out in the large cavern were the large stone pieces were excavated for the Roman building projects. We left the underground quarry to come out across the street from the Pafos Mall, a huge modern shopping mall. It completely caught you off-guard as it brought you suddenly back to the 21st century. It just seems very strange having these breath-taking old places sewn into the daily life of people today. You would think these places would be somewhere much more remote, but the fact of the matter is that the history is all around you. There probably isn’t many places void of history here. It is rich with it. After travelling back to the modern age, we continued down the street to find Ag. Solomonis catacombs. We were able to walk into the catacombs for a short distance but a gate kept us from the deeper sections were bodies of the ancient people of Pafos were laid to rest. From here we made a short 10 minute walk back to the hotel.Later that evening, I caught up with Rosa’s crew at a Syrian restaurant and had dinner. We got to try some interesting dishes including eggplant and some amazing seasoned hummus on pita. After that we hit a little bar on the way back where a Michael Jackson impersonator was performing. We stayed for quite a while and all had a great time. 

This study abroad experience has been amazing coupled with our great group, we have been learning cool things and making memories that will last a lifetime.

Me on a rock

Entering the quarry

The main room in the quarry

Having fun after dinner