Taking a Ride on a Donkey in Lindos – IPSC World Shoot
The fourth day of the match was a day off for members of Team USA in Modified and Ladies Production. The Leathams, USPSA President Michael Voigt, Maggie Reese, my brother and I all piled into the rental van to check out the town of Lindos. Lindos is a popular tourist destination on Rhodes. It has everything from beautiful beaches, an acropolis with tombs to explore, a wealth of eateries, plenty of shopping, traditional Greek architecture in brilliant white against azure seas and sky, and… DONKEYS! More on the donkeys later though.
We arrived in town at lunchtime. We were starving so we stopped at the first restaurant we saw, Mavrikos. It proved to be an excellent choice and in addition to all the traditional dishes we found at most restaurants, it had some other delights on the menu. I ordered octopus ragu. It was delicious!
With full bellies, we were ready to explore the town. We walked through the clean streets lined with shops selling everything from pottery to t-shirts, handmade embroidered tablecloths to olive oil. That’s when we first noticed the unique taxi service taking tourists to the steps to the acropolis – donkeys! We kept on walking but it became obvious that it would be a difficult climb for Maggie. In August Maggie tore the ligaments in her knee. She’s been a trooper and a solid shooter for our team even despite her serious injury. The climb was too steep for someone with a torn ACL so she and Mike stayed back. That was until they found trusty steeds to take them to the top!
The views from the acropolis were breathtaking and standing among the ruins filled me with a sense of wonder and awe of the work that went into building such a place. Here are some of my favorite photos…
When we finished exploring, Maggie and Mike set off on their donkeys. I just had to try it too! Lindo’s donkeys travel in pairs so Kippi graciously offered to come along with me. THANK YOU, KIPPI! My donkey’s name was Margherita and Kippi was on Leala. Where Mike and Maggie looked like seasoned riders as they headed down the stone-paved street, I giggled maniacally the ENTIRE time. It was so much fun!
The day with good food, friends and fun was just what I needed to tackle the last two days of the match. Lots more photos from the trip can be found here.
