Soothing nature: Greek waterfalls
Cinematography and writing for Medicinal Media by Dimitris Gotsis
From a remote and magical landscape in Greece, Medicinal Media cinematographer Dimitris Gotsis brings us the Souda waterfalls of Theodoriana. Dimitris scouted many areas around the country before choosing this location for us. We asked Dimitris to share any thoughts he may have had while scouting and filming in this environment.
Here is Dimitri’s generous and insightful field report:
Amidst this summer's unbearable heat wave, and a very dense and busy city atmosphere filling the streets of Athens, I chose to begin this therapeutic journey right after sunset to escape the boiling smog. I loaded my gear on my motorcycle to ride the initial 270 miles to where I was staying for the night. The following day, the final 27 miles took another 90 minutes with over 180 twists and turns climbing up the peaks of the Tzoumerka mountain region to reach the target location for this shoot: the legendary waterfalls of Theodoriana. After the mandatory 30-min hike, I discovered a stone pathway that was built at least three generations before us and could not stop thinking about how dangerous it was to carry all those stones and dig into the edge of the cliffs, all this so that visitors like myself can find their way to the waterfalls. With every step, a feeling of gratitude and inspiration kept me focused on my path.
As I was climbing closer to the spot, I could not only hear but also feel the altering climate. It was truly a heightened sense of the waters. The anticipation was building. With every tree that I passed, my nose was opening up to breathe more. A few more steps... and I became transfixed with the soil, deeply mesmerized by the view and sound of what I had only seen in photographs days before. I had arrived. I took a brief moment to strategize where to place myself and then went to action.
Dimitris Gotsis
I had the pleasure of visiting this place three times to gather this footage. The reason was to find the right window to escape the crowds. I spent so much time exploring and discovering life around the water. I greeted the passing animals that came by — a couple of sheep, guard dogs, roe deers, traces of wild boars and wolves, beautiful boobie birds singing and feeding from bush to bush, cicadas, and beetles. Although I was sitting alone for long periods of time away from other humans, never did I feel that I was alone. I had the pleasure to sit and meditate and had the joy to remember some old lessons from years ago, when I first started mindful meditation and mind-walking methods. I did have my share of sad memories as well, the feelings of loss and death from loved ones that have always kept me up at night. Even in perfect stillness, I am unable to release my deepest sorrows. I do not have a fear of death, never can I remember having any even in my childhood, yet I do always allow, somehow, for past grieving sorrows to hold on to me, and I know that I have to learn to let go.
Upon my arrival back to Athens, I had some time to reflect on the whole experience, and I felt very fortunate to be able to do this for a living and to be able to share these visuals with people globally through Medicinal Media. I honestly hope that it helps somebody that may need to see and hear this location, even from a tiny screen.
What I can say from my experience with old folk tales and legends around my home country is that in all naturally divine places, like this one, there are always stories of danger, anguish, disaster and misfortune, and somehow they keep people away from enjoying the wonders of nature. In the majority of cases, there is always the divine intervention, (especially from a miracle, a saint, or even priests and monks), that alters the location in a sad way. Always a tragic memory or legend attached. While I was speaking with a monk about this in a monastery that I was visiting a few years back, we discussed the metaphorical reflections that all of us "troubled" humans go through, and how all these stories need to be derived from personal sacrifices. Somehow with the quest of finding our personal truth, living and fighting for our personal myths and fights in life, we need to always surpass our own limitations, and it is believed that only through this personal sacrifice can we reach relief, forgiveness, or even enlightenment. I do feel that there is some truth to that, from my own experiences, and I do understand the limitations within the material self, and how unreachable it may be to attain the ethereal realm. Yet I do not believe that it has to be painful or traumatic in all cases. It is perhaps becoming more laborious due to how the world has evolved into a constant distraction and separation of self, but it does not mean it is impossible.
One local legend describes an older woman shepherd that kept her precious herd of hundreds of sheep just above the falls, in the peak of the mountain, where one day her kids were playing in the spring and somehow suffocated and drowned. From her deep sorrow, she wanted to take revenge on the water. She cut the wool from her entire herd and clogged the source of the fountain. The result was for the water to reverse its current, and flow from west to east, which created the waterfalls of Theodoriana. Some say the waterfalls reflect the woman's tears.
Another less macabre legend says that once there was a monk living in the area and leading the resistance against the Ottoman Empire, and had blessed the mountain and the region, and because that side of the mountain was unreachable and hard to conquer, it is the last true place to find refuge, when the "war comes once again.”
Dimitris Gotsis
August, 2024