Cyprus - Our first stint as houseguests in Europe

Written by Megan: Our trip to Cyprus gave us one of the most personal, and therefore most meaningful glimpses of any of the countries we've been able to visit so far. The inspiration for this trip began last summer when we were still in St. Louis. Ismet, one of Nate's St. Louis co-workers, is from Cyprus. Though he was about to move to London, Ismet suggested that Nate and I visit him in Cyprus during one of his visits home. Fast forward over a year later, and there we were - staying in his family's beach house.

During our five-day stay, Ismet's family welcomed us into their home - we had delicious, leisurely breakfasts every morning. I always looked forward to coming downstairs and spending an hour listening to the ocean and talking to Ismet's family about our plans for the day.
The Turkish side of Cyprus is beautiful - and though it seems a lot of British have discovered how ideal this part of the island is, there were still significantly fewer tourist crowds than anywhere we've been this summer - during the height of tourist season. This made everywhere we went extremely affordable and accessible! One of our favorite sites was Salamis - a site of Roman ruins, with a remarkably well-preserved temple, bathhouse and theater. The best part - we were able to walk around the site and see the statues and mosaics and columns up close. The entire site would have been roped off in Greece, but here we were able to climb around and explore. I expect that won't be possible in about ten years, so we were extremely lucky.

While beautiful and uncrowded, the Turkish side of Cyprus is also experiencing its fair share of political turmoil and hardship. The military presence there is ever-present - we drove by multiple barbed-wire fenced bases and training camps regularly, just visiting everyday tourist sites. We had to be careful about what we photographed - the Turkish military frowns upon taking pictures of any of its facilities. We also saw more soldiers toting heavy-duty weaponry than what I'm accustomed to. Cyprus has a long and complex history of conflict tracing back to tensions between Greece and Turkey. Half of the island is affiliated with Greece, while the other half is affiliated with Turkey. The history is tumultuous and complex, and the tension is still evident, as most residents from either side don't typically cross the border. Ismet gave us a balanced breakdown of his country's history during our five days, which helped us to understand more about why people behaved the way they did (ie. why our Greek Cypriot taxi driver at the airport ripped us off and treated us rudely when we asked to go to the Turkish Cypriot border).

The five days flew by, culminating in a barbeque with Ismet's family. After five days of climbing castles and ruins and laying on beautiful sandy beaches, we reluctantly toted our slightly tanner bodies back to the airport. We were so fortunate to have had this experience, and are extremely grateful to Ismet and his family for opening their home to us - we hope to return for a visit again someday!

Other Firsts for Megan & Nate in Cyprus:

• Walking within a few feet of a 6-foot black snake - it was out of there before Megan had a chance to scream.
• Eating a whole fish - eyes and all - at the family barbecue. (Someday I'll get over that, but eyes just get to me)