Riley Stockton
On our days off from the dig, we have a few days off where we are free to roam about and explore the wonderful city of Larnaca. These days it is great to try many different cuisines found in the city and explore the various shops in their niches throughout the city.
On one of these days this week, I recorded what I did with a few other students participating in the dig to give a day in a life blog about a typical free day for me while here. If we do not have to get up before sunrise to go to the site, I usually sleep till about 8 am and prepare for the day. Then Mason, Kayra, Ella, and I headed to get brunch at Onar Larnaca. While there I got an eggs benedict that had prosciutto, blueberry jam, and goat cheese on top of brioche bread with an iced latte. The meal was great and definitely one of the most unique eggs benedict I have had, but I would recommend it. Plus the service was great and our waiter showed us his new Charmander tattoo.
We then all headed back to the hotel to lounge for a bit after getting so full from breakfast. Shortly after, we headed out once again to go souvenir shopping and came across the most amazing copper art store, Halkoessa Copper Art. This store was crowded floor to ceiling with amazing works from statuettes to door knockers to beautiful jewelry most made from copper, but a few other metals and materials mixed in there as well. One could spend a while in there looking at all the objects and it was great to buy some things for the ones back home, as well as pick up a few things for myself.
After commencing our shopping trip, we went to the beach to get refreshed in the water after walking around the streets. The Larnaca beach is a staple where I have probably spent most of my free time. After dig it is a great place to get cool after working in the heat, but it is also amazing on free days to pay a couple of euros for a chair and umbrella and read a good book (shoutout to my Kindle). The water is so clear and once Kayra purchased goggles a week ago… game over. It is great to do flip contests in the water or float while the waves push you further and further from your original location. However, all the sun and swimming made me starved so we headed out to shower and get ready for dinner.
For dinner, we went to Dimitris Kebab House which I think has been one of the best dining experiences while in Larnaca. We got two mixed grill platters that came with fried halloumi, sausages, pork and chicken souvlaki, and sheftalia with chips, pita, and salad on the side, and the owner gave us some tzatziki on the house. The food was endless but absolutely delicious. The owner was very sweet and tried teaching us a little Cypriot Greek when he came by the table, there were a few friendly cats that came up to us, and the atmosphere was overall just amazing. We left with many leftovers and ventured home. This is a much-recommended place while in Cyprus and I will definitely go back before I depart.
All in all, I would definitely come back to Cyprus outside of the dig on my own time, everyone here is so welcoming and nice and there is just so much to see.