Three Friends Find Serenity at Lake Doxa

On a Friday afternoon, just as April had begun, two of my friends and I took the road to the village of Trikala at the mountains of Corinth, in northeast Peloponnese. The area’s name originates from the Greek words “tria” (three) and “kala” (goods) that refer to the natural holy trinity offered by the fresh air, the fertile vineyards and the fresh water of the region. As you can imagine, my friends and I were eager to explore all three.

During our stay at a charming hotel, we were encouraged to visit the famous Lake Doxa, an artificial reservoir of captivating beauty, completed in the 1990s. Without second thought, we got into our car, turned the music up at full volume and headed to the lake.

The journey to the lake took us through winding roads and fascinating mountain paths, filled with pine trees, flowers and overpowering fragrances. You could feel the spring’s bewitching energy everywhere. Upon arriving at the lake, the main feeling I recall having was one of gratitude as we were so blessed to be greeted  by nature in full bloom.

Walking further into the woods, we encountered a medley of colors and were blasted with a myriad scents and sounds. We lay on the grass and let the sun’s rays caress our faces. We didn’t talk for some time as we cherished this quiet moment, until I got up and started doing handstands just for the fun of it!

Throughout this time, we could hear a constant sound, which we interpreted as ducks quacking. Only there were no ducks around, just horses; so that definitely didn’t make sense! After asking around, we were informed by the locals that the quacking was actually the croaking of frogs who live around the lake. We ran to the water and there the frogs were, all jumping around, small and large ones. When they sensed our presence, however, they stopped all movement and sound.

After enjoying the leaping frogs and petting a few lovely horses resting nearby, we visited the charming church of ‘Aghios Fanourios’, located in a small peninsula stretching out into the lake. Friendly vendors touting local products welcomed us before we entered the church and offered us an a bevy of local goods: tsipouro (strong distilled spirit), dry biscuits, local sweets, etc.

It was some time afterwards when we realized that we were all quite thirsty. Driven by our craving, as there was no drinkable water around, we took the road back.

While driving, it dawned on all three of us that we could not stop smiling. Each of us felt abundant, happy, calm – all thanks to this wonderful place. The least we could do was to thank Mother Earth out loud, to let her know that we acknowledge her beauty and that appreciate her offerings.