Day eight of my motorcycle tour across Europe brought me to Berchtesgaden, Hitler's summer retreat in the Bavarian Alps. The morning started with a sticky-hot 29°c ride through the mountains to a little town called Königgsee, where I caught a ferry across to the other side of its deep black lake, which sits wedged on all sides by sheer rock-face.

Mid-way through the trip, the pilot stepped up, told us how amazing the echoes were in this valley and pulled out a trumpet. Standing on the side of the boat, he played a German folk song, while the mountain played its crystal-clear harmony in return. It was quite bizarre.

When the boat docked at the other side, I hiked a little way to another much smaller aquamarine lake called Obersee, hidden deep in one of the valleys. It was really quite a magical place. Farmers live and work there still; their small holdings only accessible by boat. After a bit of a paddle to cool my aching feet, I hiked for about an hour to find the epic Röthbachfall waterfall, but was disappointed to find nothing but a dried-up old scar up on the ridge.

These photographs were taken with my Canon EOS 5D Mark IV and the extraordinary Canon EF 35mm f/1.4 II.

Equipment used

Camera

Canon EOS 5D Mark IV

Lens

Canon 35 mm f/1.4 L II USM

Motorcycle

Triumph Bonneville Scrambler 865

About the photographer

I'm Alex Nichol. I'm an amateur photographer from the North of England. For me, photography is a way to share what I love most about the world. That includes everything, from family and friends, to wild animals and breathtaking places... or maybe just how the sun twinkles on a weed in my back garden. It's all fair game.

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