The Isle of Cyprus

Here is a map of the country. I am there sort of in the middle, in Nicosia (pronounced "nick-uh-SEE-uh"). As you are all hopefully aware, Nicosia bears the honor of being the last divided capital in the world. I walked across the border yesterday, and spent some time in the old town of Turkish Nicosia. It was vaguely uncomfortable - the buildings look mostly the same as on the Greek side, but the atmosphere is palpably different. Far less busy, poorer...even though I stand out just as much in comparison to a Greek as to a Turk, I felt far more out of place over there. It didn't even quite feel like Turkey, the words are the same, but it's just different in ways that I can't quite identify. I didn't get so much as a smile for using my Turkish. Though the buildings were lovely, I don't want to go back to the old town. The next time I cross, I will definitely go into the new part of the city. Maybe it will feel more normal.

On the plus side, I met a Canadian architecture student at the checkpoint. We spent our time there together, wandering then having (a terribly overpriced) lunch. I got so excited to see my favorite Turkish meal, lahmacun, on the menu at our chosen restaurant (finding this meat-pizza-like-dish was half the reason I wanted to cross over). But they were out. Errr.

So, look at the map. The excursions that the program facilitates will take us to Limassol and Paphos (this weekend), the Troodos Mountains (where Mt. Olympus is; next weekend), Larnaca and Ayia Napa (on the coast north of Larnaca; where the party's at, they say), Kyrenia (near Lawrence Durrell's house!), and Polis (close to some of the most beautiful hiking trails and virtually the only unspoiled beaches left in the South).