Mavic Air - DJI - Lake Doxa 4K

Reflecting on nature's beauty
It’s been an unusually cold and wet Winter in Greece, so when our mountaineering friend Eliza suggested taking a day trip one sunny Sunday to upland Corinth, in the Peloponnese, we jumped at the chance.
Our destination was Lake Doxa, situated in Feneos, and it would take a good three hours to drive the 189-kilometre route from Athens.
Though the toll booths are many, the drive along the Olympia Odos highway is a breeze. The turn-off at the town of Derveni leads to a two-lane road that snakes its way through peaks and valleys, with views of Mount Ziria, the second highest mountain in the Peloponnese.
It’s an enjoyable route through pine and fir forests and, in Winter, you’re not likely to encounter too many fellow travellers. In fact, the road was pretty much empty most of the way.
At various points of the journey, snowfall reached right down to the road’s edge and it was obvious that the local authorities regularly sent snow ploughs to keep the asphalt clear.
Soon enough, the mountain’s tallest peak - Great Ziria, at 2376 metres, appeared up ahead, covered in a generous dusting of snow and we make a pit stop to witness its grandeur.
Following signs, some of them more faded than others, we reached a dirt road that was a little muddy in parts but easy enough to navigate. Creeks flowed through leafless trees and snow melt trickled down hillsides onto the roadway, following its natural path.
Lake Doxa, a muted shamrock hue in the early afternoon, appeared out of nowhere. We made our first stop at a grassy patch and absorbed our first view of the small picturesque lake which sits at 900 metres above sea level. You would never guess that it’s artificial, created in the 90s to irrigate the area.
From there, we could see the tiny Agios Fanourios chapel which, from there, looked as if it was situated on a tiny islet not far from the lake’s edge.
A circular road surrounding the lake leads to the chapel, which we found is actually built on a minuscule peninsula. Our visit coincided with that of a tour bus carrying chatty pensioners from Athens. They filed one by one into the church which can barely hold 10 people, leaning into its narrow, low doorway and taking turns to light a candle and kiss icons.
The nearby fertile plains of Ancient Feneos are renowned for their fine pulses. Local producers set up stalls on the weekend at the peninsula, where visitors can peruse the varieties on offer, which include split yellow pea and lentil.
A sole organic farmer had a substantial array of packaged beans spread out on a table, including gigantes, a large white bean used to make richly-flavoured oven-baked gigantes plaki. It’s hard to find good gigantes that become tender with cooking, so we snapped them up, knowing they would be leagues ahead of those we see at the supermarket in Athens.
The farmer provided directions on how to prepare this Winter warmer, soul food Greek-style, whose ingredients are tomato, onions, garlic, parsley and plenty of olive oil, of course.
One honey producer, who wasn’t pushing the hard sell unlike some of her colleagues, expertly swiveled three different varieties of the nectar on toothpicks and proffered them to us to sample. We departed carrying bags heaving with pulses, a generous jar of thick fir honey and thick slices of yellow graviera cheese and a delicate hard white cheese known as mizithra that is normally grated and drizzled over Greek pasta.
A few hundred metres from the peninsula is another grassy lakeside lookout point, which we had completely to ourselves. Standing amid towering black pines, we gazed out over the lake, which had turned a dreamy shade of emerald by the late afternoon.
Before us stood a majestic sight - a snow-capped mountain whose image was reflected amid reeds in the still waters of the lake. The only sound was that of birds chirping invisibly in the treetops.
It was time to move on though, as it was a day trip and stomachs were rumbling. Driving past the plains of Ancient Feneos, which was once a lake, we reached a stone-built roadside taverna. There, we tucked into the day’s special - tender braised veal, along with wild greens, scooping up a spicy feta cheese dip with crisp village bread.
Consulting our kindly waitress for the best route home, she advised of an alternative route to that on the map, avoiding a weather-damaged bridge.
Our lungs freshened with mountain air, minds graced with images of alpine beauty and stomachs filled with home-style upland Corinth cuisine, we made the trip home and promised to return to this soothing corner of the Peloponnese very soon.
Videography by Carlo Raciti (carloraciti.com) & Helen Iatrou (thisbluelife.com)
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