By: Sarah Healy

Every morning, before we reach the dig site, all the vans stop by a bakery in town called Zorba’s, where students and staff can grab something to eat and drink for the day. All the students usually gather around the vans around 5 am, except for the ones assigned to work at Terra Ombra, and leave for the dig site. About two minutes away is the bakery called Zorba’s. They are open twenty-four hours a day and serve a variety of items. Upon entering, you’ll find a fridge stocked with sandwiches, wraps, salads, and cut-up fruit. They also have a bakery area where you can grab ham and cheese croissants, as well as other stuffed breads and baked goods. They have a wall dedicated to drinks.

Most people would grab a large bottle of water to keep in a cooler along with other drinks such as canned coffees or juices. The confectionery section was my favorite. Zorba’s cookies are the best food they offer. You can choose from a traditional chocolate chip cookie to cookies stuffed with Nutella.  My favorite was either the pistachio or the white chocolate and cranberry cookie. My roommate and I would grab a few cookies and let them warm up in the sun a little before eating them on the breaks on the dig site. They also offer whole cakes and pies. I tried their Dubai chocolate cake, which is stuffed with kataifi and pistachio cream, and topped with a chocolate ganache. The cake was around twenty euros, and it was well worth the money. They also offered hot foods near the back. I never tried anything from that section, but people in the group said the food offered back there was delicious. If I were to go back, I would love to try the warm food that was offered there.  The employees all knew about the program we were a part of, and would frequently give us free food. Most of the time, they would provide us with little bread twists topped with sesame seeds. Most of what I tried from Zorba’s was delicious; the only thing I didn’t care for were the sandwiches. They weren’t bad, but very bland. However, I especially liked the Caesar salad they offered. During the dig, we were allotted two breaks. One fifteen-minute break and one thirty-minute break.

I always bought a small bakery item to eat during the short break and either a sandwich or salad for lunch. There were also coolers available on site to store your food, so nothing would go bad. Zorba’s became part of the everyday routine for everyone, so much so that even when we didn’t go to the dig site, we’d still find a way to go get something from Zorba’s. There are a few Zorba’s bakeries around Larnaca. Someone from the group stopped by Zorba’s before going to Terra Ombra one day, which was about a twelve-minute walk away. They brought back sandwiches and cookies for my roommate and me to snack on while we washed pottery. Out of everything I’ll miss the most about Cyprus, I think this bakery will be top of the list.