Читать книгу Looking for Aphrodite - David Price Williams - Страница 46

Coming down from the mountain seems even more precipitous than the ascent. The scree is loose and assists the general downward movement of the group, to the accompaniment of miscellaneous screams and thuds. I don’t look round until the intrepid acropolids have emerged at sea level again and trudged towards the landing stage where the tender is waiting. Each hiker passes me wearing the badges of their achievement - various cuts and bruises on their arms and legs and rips in their clothing. They look as though they’ve been through a small war, which in a way they have. But everyone looks victorious and, looking back at the Acropolis from the rail of the yacht as we glide past the outer moles of the harbour into the open sea, everyone feels they have skirmished with untamed nature up there on the mountain.

“Wow! That was some climb. That’s really steep up there you know. I bet hardly anyone has ever gotten up to that fort.”

I forbore to mention that it was probably part of everyday life in Knidos two thousand years ago.

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