Whims are a curious thing. Even the word is sort of amusing. "Whim". Sounds funny. Try it. No really, say it. Whim. See?
And luckily for me, a whim, courtesy of a fellow traveler, is exactly what has brought me to Lacu Rosu. It also took a bus ride, sleeping over in Bicaz, where I walked a couple of hours with my gear to find a place to sleep, and some hitchhiking to get to the "Red Lake" the next day. But I could regret none of it when I arrived there.
That's the funny thing with whims. They definitely don't make your life easier. But they might just give you what you need in the end. Something you might not have known you needed at all actually. It could be no wifi, and stretches of tall trees as far as the eye can see. Or it could be the peace and quiet of a young lake that makes your thoughts clearer. Anyway, motivational posters aside, whims that you follow give you moments to truly live, and stories to tell. Or if you're whim-ing with a ukulele or two, short songs to sing.
I said "young" lake, because as it turns out, this "Red Lake", or, "Killer Lake" as it used to be called, is only roughly 200 years old! Basically, in July 1837 (which, incidentally, is also the year Felix Mendelssohn got married... fun fact), a violent storm caused big bits of the surrounding mountains to collapse. The landslides blocked nearby rivers and the lake grew on an area covered in trees. Which is why many trunks of giant fur-trees still peak out of the lake. The text by the booth to book rowing boats says that it is a "witness to the originality and specificity of the lake even today". There you go.
Another very scientific theory about the formation of the lake involves a beautiful young woman called Eszter, "her eyes greyish-green", in love with a beautiful man, "so strong that he could kill a bear with his embrace and played the pipe so beautifully that he moved all hearts around" (wow, right?) (still quoting from the same poster by the way). Long story short, she was kidnapped, and sad, prayed, and then a big earthquake killed them all. The Killer Lake appears, and, it now reflects the colour of her "greyish-green" eyes, a beautiful colour, that surely deserves a more elegant name.
It's safe now though you'll be glad to hear. And if ever a whim does take all the way to Lacul Rosu, you won't need legends to make this place feel very special to you. You can be sure of that. Whims make good things happen.
As for now, just like this wild migrating ukulele, I'm flying off (not literally) to my next destination. Hope to hear from you in the mean time. And feel free to share this post and song. Follow your writing and sharing whims!
