Back to Lake Eola

Business brought me back to Orlando, and with a few free hours, there was only one place I wanted to go. Lake Eola was my favorite spot when I lived there, and I wanted to see if it still felt the same.

It did. The swans still ruled the lake and the lawn, as unbothered as ever, and the ibis and cormorants worked the water’s edge. The pagoda still stood on the shore, and the amphitheater glowed in rainbow colors against the skyline. The Sunday farmers market was set up under the oaks, piled high with peppers and onions. Tucked away near the water, a mother duck was keeping watch over a nest full of ducklings.

Some places you visit. Others you come back to. Lake Eola reminded me that a city can stop being home without ever really letting you go.