Today we had a jam-packed day filled with museum
tours, orientation, a nice welcome dinner and lots of walking. We started the
day by eating breakfast at Altius Hotel before heading over to the Cyprus
Archaeological Museum. The museum ended up only being a ten-minute walk from
the hotel but in the heat it felt like miles. When we got to the museum we were
separated into two groups and led on a tour guide. The museum houses the
largest collection of Cypriot Antiquities in the world and it was really
fascinating to learn about the history of Cyprus. Cyprus, being in the middle
of the Mediterranean, is a cross section for so many different empires such as
the Roman, Byzantine, Ottoman, and Persian, as well as having really strong
Greek roots and influences. The tour guide explained how Cypriot art from
specific time periods reflected the empire Cyprus was a part of at the time.
All of us at the
Cyprus Archaeological Museum
After the museum tour we walked to the Old City
of Nicosia and we were able to see the divide between North Nicosia and South
Nicosia. Nicosia is the only divided capital in the world. The North is Turkish
occupied, and the South is part of the European Union. The Green Line is No
Man’s Land, and is the distinction between North and South. Directly around the
border is the Old Town, Nicosia’s historic center. Old City is enclosed by
Venetian Walls and a little removed from New City, Nicosia’s more modern side. The
streets in old town are cobblestone and filled with beautiful historic churches
and buildings that are very reminiscent of Greece.
For lunch we were able to walk around Ledras Street in the
old city. Ledras Street is kind of like LA’s Abbot Kinney, super cute and chic,
usually where people go to hangout, and filled with picturesque cafes and
restaurants. The tour guide from the museum came with us to old town to explain
the buildings and give some restaurant recommendations that I’m excited to try
later on.
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| Ledras Street |
After getting to know Nicosia, we walked to the
University to start our orientation and get a campus tour. The university was
mostly empty because there aren’t that many students taking classes over the
summer. Compared to UCLA, The University of Nicosia is pretty small, however it
has a really modern feel. On the university tour we passed by our future
apartments and got to check out the restaurants included in our meal plan.
Since they are getting renovated we’re staying at the Altius Hotel for the time
being, but they told us that future programs would be staying in the new dorms
for the entire time. The program coordinators also provided us with meal
vouchers that work as our meal plan. The meal vouchers are good for 3 different
restaurants located 5 minutes away from the university, and a 24-hour bakery.
We concluded our day with a welcome dinner in Old Town at To
Anamma Traditional Restaurant. Here they served us Mezze, which is a huge
collection of small dishes. The dishes include a variety of meats, a Cypriot
Salad, dips, pita, and halloumi, traditional Cyprus cheese. Through dinner we
were introduced to traditional Cyprus food and the rest of the people on the
program. The program is mostly comprised of UCLA life-science students, however
there are 3 people from UC Davis. The
mezze was really the perfect way to end such a long day.
