Swimming on top of the world

This week has been a bit weird and unpredictable. But as always, there's a highlight to every week, every day, and every minute of life. This week, the highlight was getting to swim at the famous Neptune Pool at Hearst Castle on California's central coast, which was owned by the American newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst (today, you might recognize the name on such publications as Cosmopolitan, Seventeen, or Marie Claire, as well as many others). The castle sits at the very top of a high hill overlooking the sea.

We even got to dress in the original dressing rooms! Loved them- they were so vintage!

One of the guest houses. Unfortunately, didn't get to stay in those!

Hi!

To me, Hearst was just some old guy who built a fancy house in a beautiful location, but I can see why others who lived in his time period might have respected him more. Normally, I don't like swimming much but since this was basically a once in a lifetime opportunity, who could pass it up!? The water was FREEZING, by the way! It has been said that Hearst always used to require his guests (who were mostly Politicians, celebrities, and other "important" people) to dress modestly even when swimming. So, to make my swimming experience feel more authentic, I took it upon myself to wear some swim suit shorts, and a cotton crop top with a stretchy cami underneath - as modest as I could get on such short notice! :)