The Eye of Ūla Fount
In case you are visiting in district of Varėna and would like to see a magic treasure of nature you should visit the spring of mystical fame, the Eye of Ūla. Not many will remain indifferent to this small lake sitting 4 meters above the river level. It is a unique sight indeed: spring water, bubbling as if boiling, is fiercely lifting sand up from the lake’s bed. Local people say that ‘the spring is boiling, oozing.’ Some visitors are inclined to see all the parts of an eye in this boiling water source, while others think that it reminds more of the shape of the heart instead that of an eye. The legend has it that this eye was once the size of a lake, yet an ox fell into it. The ox swam until he reached Daugai Lake. Yet Ūla Lake grew smaller and smaller until it became the size of this water source, similar to an eye. Local people use its water for drinking and t believe that it helps to battle many diseases, especially if you draw your water after sunset.
You will also hear stories that fresh, soft, no fragrance water with the taste of iron boasts extraordinary magic powers. People believe that if under the full moon, you come at midnight to the Eye of Ūla and shower in this water, you will regain youth. Even in the summer, this spring is surprisingly cold, while in the winter, it never freezes yet stays steaming.
This national treasure, assigned the status of a hydrogeological natural monument, can be reached either by kayaking the Ūla River, or simply by travelling to the district of Varėna. Give it a try to go down the 138 narrow steps leading you across a wooden bridge with the padlocks of lovers on it, and to the meadow nearby the steep river slope. You will be happy you did it.
