Cyprus

Early this morning, we dropped anchor off the coast of Cyprus, a Greek island that is an independent republic. Most of the island is Greek, but about ten percent is under Turkish control, and the two do not get along all that well. But you may have noticed I said “dropped anchor.” We did not pull into the port as it was too shallow. That means we had to take “tender boats” from the ship to the coast. And that was an experience!

Paul preached here and converted the governor of the island to Christ. Not much is known archaeologically about that visit, so we visited three sites that give a sense of the history and culture of ancient Cyprus. The first was called the “Tomb of the Kings,” though there were never any kings buried here. It was a fascinating network of tombs, caves and wells that we had a chance to explore and climb through.

We also stopped at a Greek Orthodox Church on the island. Cyprus is over-churched; there is about one church for every four people. I’m not sure how they all keep going. It’s certainly a different model for church than we have here. Inside the church, in addition to viewing the beautiful frescos and icons, we learned a bit about Orthodox worship. The services are usually about three hours long, mostly singing without accompaniment, and they stand through most of the service. So, no more complaining about standing for a few minutes while we’re singing in worship!

Our final official stop was the Cyprus Archaeological Park, where we viewed a whole lot of ancient mosaics. These mosaics were floor coverings, walked on every day by the most likely wealthy people who lived here. Could the governor that Paul preached to have been one of those? We don’t know, but it’s interesting to speculate. However, there were far more mosaics than we could begin to look at; I think our guide was disappointed when we wore out on her.

After lunch on the boat, we rode the tender boat back into the city (Paphos) and walked around…did some shopping…when what to my wondering eyes did appear but a green awning with some familiar words on them…Starbucks! Rachel and I enjoyed our first chai tea latte since leaving Chicago.

We came back to the ship just shortly before we set sail for Athens, our final stop. Tomorrow is a day at sea. For Rachel, it will be a day in the spa. We will also enjoy two final talks from our on-board teacher and pack up. Many are leaving when we arrive in Athens, but I am still looking forward to touring both that marvelous city and the ancient city of Corinth. But tonight, we must sleep.