"Like the Wheel that Keeps Travelers Traveling On"

At the Louvre in Paris

Hangin' out in Salamis, Cyprus

 Today's post title comes from "Like the Wheel" by The Tallest Man on Earth. I started with Tallest Man on Earth lyrics for the Title of this blog, so it is only fitting that I end with his lyrics too since he's my favorite! As hard as it is to believe, this post concludes my study abroad adventure. Those three 

months certainly flew by! Having arrived back in the States on December 18^th after a 17-hour flight journey, I have had time to adjust and unpack. The flight home seemed rather long, and I almost missed the second one due to a short layover in Heathrow and because Heathrow is ginormous, but luckily I got to the gate one minute before it closed after running through the airport.  (Phew!) My suitcase was overweight at 27.5 kilos, but luckily I read on Cyprus Airways’ website that students in Cyprus are allowed up to 30, so I argued my case and didn’t have to pay a cent- Woot! Because I can’t sleep on planes, I watched four movies on the second flight to pass the time, and I was looking forward to seeing my twin sister Cassie and little brother Cameron waiting for me at the gate.  Cameron just got his license in November while I was away, so it was a strange concept to imagine him driving me home!

Cliff jumping in Agia Napa, Cyprus

  Anyways, let’s start wrapping up the tale of Courtney in Cyprus. First of all, a study abroad experience is unique to each individual. I’d like to say that I’ve changed a lot or learned something profound about myself or had some life changing realization, but I’m not sure I can claim any of those things. It’s funny because most people expect me to say something to that effect, but an experience of this caliber is hard to describe to anyone who wasn’t there. I’ve tried to convey my adventures using this blog, but I feel as if even my words cannot fully describe what it was like to travel to so many places in such a short amount of time! I think if I can claim anything, it is that I’ve strengthened my definition of what makes me: Courtney Amanda Haines. I will explain what I mean by this in a second.

The Pyramids of Giza

The Map of my Travels

            With Global Learning Semesters, I truly saw the ‘World in One Semester’ by traveling to 15 countries: Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Vatican City, Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia, France, Luxembourg, Austria, Belgium, and the Netherlands with GLS, and Egypt, London, and Ireland independently.  Highlights of

 course include seeing the Coliseum, the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, the Berlin Wall, the Pyramids of Giza, Big Ben, and the canals of Amsterdam, but my favorite moments were the ones that paralleled with a certain trait that defines who I am. For me, studying abroad proved to be the most rewarding when I put my already existing traits into the experiences rather than waiting to see how an experience would ‘change’ me.

Astronomical Clock

Vienna State Opera House

The Cliffs of Moher

Scuba Diving in Paphos

I have a fascination with intricate clocks, so the Astronomical Tower in Prague was a special treat. I love the joy found in a simple bike ride, so renting a bike to ride around the river in Strasbourg made my day. I enjoy attending theatre events, so my trip to see ‘Il Barbiere di Siviglia’ at 

The Vienna State Opera House was perfection. The Sound of Music is one of my favorite movies, so The Sound of Music tour in Salzburg was a magical experience with snow included! I am obsessed with nature, so experiencing the Cliffs of Moher in Ireland was my favorite experience of all time! A good hike makes me happy, so traversing the Troodos Mountains in Cyprus was a highlight. I am independent, so I was able to plan a visit to the Cyprus Handicraft Service on my own. I’m always looking for the next adventure, so scuba diving in Paphos, Cyprus on my 21^st Birthday was better than any birthday I would’ve had at home. I like cultural experiences, so I will never forget trying escargot in Paris, halloumi cheese in Cyprus, Belgian waffles in Belgium, and Grill Cheese and Trdelnik in Prague. Dancing is fun, so I attended a Greek/Cypriot dance lesson, researched the cultural tradition, and wrote a paper and did a presentation on Cypriot Dance for my cultures class. I am an extreme budgeter, so keeping track of my expenses abroad in an excel spreadsheet became an amusing daily activity. As I predicted, food was the largest expense.

The Expenses Chart....haha

Goodbye, Cyprus!

            And last but not least, I am determined, which is how I ended up studying abroad in Cyprus in the first place! For those of you who have been following my blog since the beginning, you’ll know that I started learning about Cyprus 8 years ago in 7^th grade, and after researching the country, it became a dream to visit Cyprus someday. 8 years ago, I never would’ve thought that I would travel to Cyprus before graduating college let alone study there for 3 months in addition to traveling the world! The fact that I have fulfilled this dream makes me excited and inspired to see where else my goals and dreams will take me! Only time will tell, I suppose. Where will I be 8 years from today?! Perhaps there’s another blog in store for my next big adventure.

            One thing I have realized by studying abroad is how big the United States is! Cyprus is the size of Maryland, and traveling so easily between countries in Europe made me think about what I’m missing with so many unvisited states! I hope there are many road trips in the future to find adventures right here in the good ol’ US of A.

            This is the first blog I have ever done, and I am proud that I kept it up to date rather frequently. With over 1,300 page views to date, I must of course thank all of you for reading and being interested in my travels!

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

-Courtney <3

"You Must Know Life to See Decay"

Hello again, readers! Thanks for keeping up with my posts. Tomorrow morning I will be leaving at 5:30am to travel to Germany, Austria, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Luxembourg, Belgium, the Netherlands, and France! My journey will last from October 22^nd -November 7^th, and I can’t wait to travel to so many places! I’m not sure if I’ll have time to blog while I’m traveling, so my next update might be when I return. Stay tuned!

Also, I’d like to make a shout out: HAPPY 50^th BIRTHDAY, MOM! Sorry I can’t be there to celebrate. Love you!

 

Now I’d like to tell you about yesterday. I took charge of planning a trip to Famagusta and Salamis, which are ancient cities in Northern Cyprus. I’ve always wanted to visit Famagusta after researching it in 7^th grade, so I was happy to plan the trip!

Kyle, Kristi, Lauren, Danielle, Me, and Katie on the bus to Famagusta!

We left our comfortable home, Nicosia, and headed into Northern Cyprus via the Ledra St. crossing. Since Kyle and I figured out where the bus stop to Famagusta was the day before, we knew exactly where we were headed. Plans changed, as they often do, when a bus pulled up next to us and said it would take us to Famagusta. His price was higher than the bus we knew of, so we were about to walk away until he changed his price and we hopped on. An hour later we arrived in Famagusta, which is called Gazi-Mağusa in Turkish.

Kristi and Me outside the walls

It was so exciting to see the walls surrounding the old part of the city built by the French Lusignans and strengthened by the Venetians. 

 

Danielle, Me, Kyle, Kristi, Katie, and Lauren hanging out on the Salamis ruins

Gymnasium ruins at Salamis

From there we took a taxi to Salamis, an ancient city about 20 minutes from Famagusta. It was amazing to explore the ancient ruins! The ruins stretched across over 2 miles of land, and although we saw a large portion of them, we didn’t get to see everything. I wish we had more time at Salamis because we only had an hour. Our taxi driver agreed to take us to Salamis, wait an hour, and then drive us back to Famagusta at a decent rate, and since our Republic of Cyprus cell phones don’t work in the North, having transportation waiting to take us back to Famagusta after exploring the ruins for an hour was a good solution to the problem.   

Ancient Theatre

Navigating the ruins was probably my favorite part of the day. I got to see the gymnasium columns, roman baths, ancient theatre, fish market, and some other things I have yet to identify because the map was in Turkish. Haha. Exploring something so old makes you appreciate history and the importance of preserving what is left of the past.

posing at the Theatre :)

Photo ops were hard to resist! haha

 

Salamis ruins

 

Being ancient statues

Shadow art at Salamis

Yeah, we took the coolest pictures at Salamis. haha :)

Lala Mustafa Pasha mosque

When the hour was up, we headed back to discover what Famagusta had to offer. Within the walls we traveled through the city and visited Lala Mustafa Pasha Mosque that used to be St. Nicholas’ Church, St. George of the Latins, the Sea Gate, the ruins of St. Francis’ Church, and Othello’s Castle. My favorite was Othello’s Castle. The reason it’s called Othello’s Castle is because Shakespeare mentions a fortress/port in Cyprus in ‘Othello’ and it is believed to be this one in Famagusta!

Othello's Castle

Tower of Othello's Castle

Sign on Varosha fence

Abandoned, broken house within Varosha

Next we headed to the Ghost Town of Varosha, which is the abandoned, fenced in area of Famagusta previously owned by Greeks. It is now guarded by the Turkish military. This area has been empty since 1974 when the Greeks fled due to the Turkish invasion, and the Turkish military has left it that way as a bargaining tool for future negotiations. Peering beyond the fence, it was sad to see the grand hotels that used to be the most popular tourist places in Cyprus but are now beyond repair after being bombed and left to the elements since 1974. There are also several cranes in the skyline, halted mid-construction of new hotels. As I learned on this website, there is even a car dealership in the Ghost Town that still houses brand-new models from 1974! Everything beyond the fence is frozen in time and left exactly as it was in 1974, which leaves an eerie feeling in your heart and makes you feel the struggle between the Greek and Turkish Cypriots. My visit to the Ghost town is what inspired today's post title to be from "After the Storm" by Mumford and Sons

Bombed hotel with Ghost Town (Tower of Terror, much?)

We continued to walk around the outskirts of the fence, which brought us to Palm Beach. The hotels along the coast were in the fenced in area, and it was strange to swim in the Sea with the deteriorating city as a backdrop. Nevertheless, the beach was lovely and it was a great way to relax after such a busy day. One of the hotels along the beach reminded me of the Tower of Terror because the elevator shaft was bombed and open to the world.

Palm Beach

St. George of the Latins ruins

Knowing we wanted to catch the 5pm bus back to Nicosia, we left the beach and headed to the station. When we got there the owner was very rude and demonstrated that the next bus was coming at 6pm by waving a clock in our faces. Previously we were told that a bus was coming at 5pm, so we were annoyed that we left the beach early only to have to wait another hour for the bus to come!

Eventually we made it back to Nicosia and crossed the buffer zone into the South. When we arrived in the South, a group of peaceful protestors were parading down Ledra St chanting about anti-fascism.

Palm Beach

It was an exhausting day traveling through ancient ruins, traversing the city of Famagusta, peering into the Ghost Town, swimming at Palm Beach, riding buses, and observing protestors. The more time I spend in Cyprus, and the more I travel around the island on both sides, my understanding of the Cyprus Problem increases and I am left wondering if a solution will ever be found. Being exposed to the Ghost Town in the North and the protestors in the South makes me realize that the issue continues to span generations of Greek and Turkish Cypriots, but hopefully their issues can be resolved one day and maybe the Ghost Town will flourish once again. Only time will tell, of course, but for now I am thankful that Cyprus is in a ‘peaceful agreement state’ that allows free passage between the North and South so I am able to experience the island from the Turkish and Greek perspectives.

As I mentioned previously, I wanted to visit Famagusta since I had to research it in 7th grade. As part of the cross-curriculum research project, we had to write a poem about a city in our chosen country as if it would be printed in a travel brochure. I would like to share that poem with you even though it is not very good and some of it is inaccurate, as I have learned by traveling there.

Fantastic Famagusta

The Sea Gate

By Courtney Haines (2004)

Come to Famagusta, one and all!

Walk up to and touch the mighty wall.

Go to the beaches and surf the waves,

Or have an adventure in one of the caves.

You can visit the many historical towers.

Maybe stop and smell the flowers.

Take your time and stay up late.

Visit sites like The Sea Gate.

Time will fly, so make it last,

But don’t rush through things way too fast.

Eat a good dinner at the Lime Light;

You’ll be in heaven with your first bite.

In Famagusta there’s adventure galore,

And not even that, there’s so much more!

 

I decided to write a new poem to reflect the actual Famagusta I discovered from my visit.

 

 

Faded Famagusta

By Courtney Haines (2012)

So grand an image I used to be,

Where tourists flocked here to the sea.

Born to resist with walls so strong;

Beyond those walls, something went wrong. 

Despite towers and ruins to explore;

My spirit changed in 1974.

Depends who you ask, the South or the North,

To discover how the issue came forth.

The subsequent struggle made my beaches grow dim,

But luckily now, some tourists will swim.

Frozen in time is a city so still;

The desolate scene gives my bones a chill.

I hope one day that city will shine,

And the divided country will have no Green Line.

 I know I’m not a poet by any means, but I wanted to share those with you. As always, thanks for reading, and look forward to posts about traveling through Central Europe!

Till next time!

-Courtney <3