We'd had to wake up long before first light and it was a frigid morning when we exited the bus, with light so cool I kept thinking of the song 'Blue Christmas' so that the velvet sound of the voice of Elvis seemed to echo across the water in front of me as I took this photo in Schwangau while we waited for our tour of Neuschwanstein Castle to start. And then I was told that Ludwig II, who built Neuschwanstein, swam laps in this lake every day for his exercise. Maybe it was the sleep deprivation combined with the cold that made it feel so surreal or maybe this spot really is almost painfully beautiful. What do you think? Many in our group were standing around talking, seeming to huddle for warmth but all I wanted to do then was stand by myself, watching the rising sun slowly light up the distant mountain peaks, quietly meditating on the beauty and soaking it in so that it would be burned into my memory and I would never forget it. 💙 #VisitBavaria