We interrupt this week’s normal agenda with the winning entries in our world’s most inspirational place contest. Today’s entry is by Elyse Andrews, who will win a Odyssey travel guide of her choice courtesy of our sponsors. Congrats Elyse!
My most inspirational place is one that I’m fortunate enough to visit frequently, my parents’ house on Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire. From the moment I step out of the car, I feel a sense of calm and relaxation. The rest of the world falls away and I truly become myself. I am home.
It starts with that first breath of fresh, clean air. The smells of the forest and lake mingle to create an earthy scent that awakens the soul. My favorite time of the day here is morning in the summer when all is quiet and peaceful.
Drinking a cup of fresh-brewed coffee outside in an Adirondack chair while watching fisherman catch bass and other lake fish is the best way to begin the day. It is so serene, you almost believe you are in a postcard.
The silence is broken only by the sounds of birds calling to each other from so high up in the trees that it seems that they must be in the heavens. They flit from nest to tree to birdhouse, free in this most beautiful place.
The lake reflects hundred-year old houses and even older trees, which seem to grow taller here and tower above the shimmering lake. The water is so clean that it invites you in for a morning dip.
The water is cool and gentle, cleansing not only your body, but also your mind. Some of the more old-school people on the lake still bathe in it, nourishing themselves through nature.
Venturing to Lake Winnipesaukee can feel like traveling through time, when people appreciated the simple things and neighbors were your closest friends. People are content to spend an entire day just sitting by the lake, soaking up nature. There is a joke that our part of the lake is called “The Island” because we so leave it so infrequently during the incredible summer months that feel as if they will never end.
Special thanks again to our contest sponsors, Indie Travel Podcast and Odyssey Publications:
Photo by Elyse, logos courtesy of their respective brands.
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Thanks so much for selecting me as a winner! I’m honored to be chosen and to represent my lovely corner of the world here.
What a beautiful photo, very calming.
What a perfect description of what it’s like to be at a lake in the early morning. I live among the Finger Lakes of New York State – 11 glacial lakes. That special combination of forest and deep lake water is a sensory memory your nose never forgets – you described it perfectly. We’re so blessed to have our life-renewing lakes.
Just lovely! Makes me want to visit.
You should.