We arrived at Larnaca at night, actually early morning. The aim of our visit was the first project meeting at the partner school. Larnaca, (Greek: Λάρνακα, Turkish: Larnaka) is the city of the Republic of Cyprus situated on the southern coast of Cyprus. The island's largest airport, Larnaca International Airport is located on the outskirts of the city. It has a population of 72,000 and is the island's second commercial port and an important tourist resort. The city of Larnaka is well-known for its picturesque seafront which includes rows of palm trees. Here you will also find Larnaca Marina, one of the four official entry points, by sea, to the island. We have seen there a lot of interesting places and the people and the city left very good impression on both of us.
People, teachers and students, at school were very kind and tolerant. We were interested in their school system and met the principal of the school Mr. Dimitris Dimitriou and the vice – principals or the deputies of the school Mr. Panikos Anaxagorou, Michalis Theocharides, Michalis Angastiniotis, Savvas Palechoros, the project coordinator Soterios Vassiliou and other important people.
Larnaca is well known not just because of the seaside and beaches, but you can see there a lot of historical places of interest. We could see: District Archaeological Museum, the fort, Agios Lazaros Church, Aggeloktisti Church, Paleontology Museum, Agios Minas Convent, Hala Sultan Tekke and Lefkara - a picturesque village, 40 km from Larnaca, partly restored and protected, famous for its local lace known as 'Lefkaritika' and for its silver-ware. According to tradition, Leonardo Da Vinci visited the village and bought an altar cloth, which he donated to the Milan cathedral. We have visited the village with our Czech friends.
The capital city is Nicosia /Lefkosia/, one of the oldest cities, today is a sophisticated and cosmopolitan place in the Eastern Mediterranean, rich in history and culture and combines its historic past with the amenities of a modern city. The heart of the city, within the 16 th century Venetian walls has a number of interesting Museums and art galleries, Byzantine churches and a number of medieval and neo-classical buildings and the narrow streets retain the romantic atmosphere of the past.