The lake’s Byzantine princess

Gazing beyond the old fishing boats, my mind wandered back to when my dad would bring me here to show me the “lake’s Byzantine Princess”, the town of Kastoria. A town, which according to the Belgian historian Henri Grégoire, “would be enough to recover the Byzantine tradition if it were ever to be lost.

Stories about the aristocratic lakeside mansions and the innumerable Byzantine churches dating back to the 9th century flooded my thoughts, while the summer scent of an indigenous flower known as “travellers joy” soothed my senses.

I took my time indulging in the moment for a while, thinking that scents and images can be fleeting, yet conjure up precious memories capable of making one’s life journey worth-travelled.

Time to get going, I thought to myself.

I sighed  and smiled at the thought of what new experiences the future still holds for me. I can’t wait to taste more of it…”

– J –