And the way I knew this, that I was certain of this, was because I looked up, and saw this.
I remember that I literally held my breath, and that, after, the tears came, crowding the back of my eyes, prickling hot and impatient, blurring my vision of the glory above me as I dashed them away with the back of my hand.
I am reminded of my only trip to Africa, a tourist trip to Egypt & Greece as a teen (the same trip that included the visit to Delphi I mentioned). We all went out to the three great pyramids at night for this rather cheezy sound and light show, but sat there for half an hour before it started, and during that time, I looked up. The pyramids were a couple of miles from Giza, and there was literally no other artificial light for many, many miles. Combined with the brilliantly clear desert sky and being very near the equator, and I saw the milky way as I had never seen it before - I looked up and all the classical myths I'd read as a child about the stars and the milky way suddenly became real - the stars had a presence and a shining weight that I had never seen before. The stars were not small and distant, but just beyond the reach of my fingertips.
I remember that I literally held my breath, and that, after, the tears came, crowding the back of my eyes, prickling hot and impatient, blurring my vision of the glory above me as I dashed them away with the back of my hand.
I am reminded of my only trip to Africa, a tourist trip to Egypt & Greece as a teen (the same trip that included the visit to Delphi I mentioned). We all went out to the three great pyramids at night for this rather cheezy sound and light show, but sat there for half an hour before it started, and during that time, I looked up. The pyramids were a couple of miles from Giza, and there was literally no other artificial light for many, many miles. Combined with the brilliantly clear desert sky and being very near the equator, and I saw the milky way as I had never seen it before - I looked up and all the classical myths I'd read as a child about the stars and the milky way suddenly became real - the stars had a presence and a shining weight that I had never seen before. The stars were not small and distant, but just beyond the reach of my fingertips.
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