Hearst Castle

This past weekend my boyfriend and I made our way to San Luis Obispo to meet up with his parents, who have a time share there. I had never been before so I was excited to explore a new part of California, and it did not disappoint! We arrived around 11pm Friday night (ew traffic), but as soon as we got out of the car I was welcomed with the smell of fresh air and a star filled sky. I was also welcomed by a wandering deer, which is always a nice reminder of home (my moms place is basically a deer magnet…partially because she’s a real life Snow White).

The next morning we made our way to Hearst Castle. We arrived with plenty of time to kill so my boyfriend and I decided to have a beer. I would usually opt for wine but being on vacation causes you to make weird decisions. We later found out that ALL the bathrooms were closed due to the California drought. Not chill Governor Jerry Brown. NOT CHILL.

After getting our drank on we wandered into the movie theater to watch the film on William Hearst. It was actually really well done and it left me wanting more. I guess I’m into documentaries now, so maybe I’m growing up. Maybe not though…

Finally we trekked up the mountain via bus and arrived at the castle. We opted for the Cottages and Kitchen Tour. We were met by our guide (who I think was named Jason) and made our way to the wine cellar. Jason (I’m going with it) was really knowledgable about the whole castle and spoke about William as if they were BFF’s (I think he thought they were, but more power to him). After the wine cellar we made our way to the first cottage, Casa del Monte and then to Casa del Mar, while stopping to enjoy the beautiful gardens. So many roses! The last stop of the day was the kitchen, which was actually really neat (yes, I’m using the word neat). It was enormous, especially for the time it was built. It really made me realize how lavish Mr.Hearst’s parties were and how many people gorged on fancy meals while staying at the castle. JEALOUS is an understatement.

After that we were allowed to roam freely. Unfortunately the Neptune Pool had been drained due to the drought (see above: personal comments on said drought). I was bummed but it was still cool to see, and absolutely ginormous. Like the IKEA of pools. If that makes sense?

The views were unlike any other I’ve seen. The ocean looked vast without tiny, expensive houses lining the shore. Just plain ole’ trees and water. Back to basics, just the way I like it.

We climbed stairs. Climbed some more. Got a little turned around. Stumbled onto a cool fountain. More stairs. Then we made our way to the last stop, the indoor pool. They really took “save the best for last” literally. This pool is insane. Covered in gold! GOLD.

Back down the mountain we went to the land of civilians. Sigh. Maybe someday I’ll have my own castle. Or at least a house on a lake. That would be nice.

After our adventurous day we went to lunch at this teeny, tiny deli called Sebastian’s Store. I went to check in on Yelp and couldn’t even find a sign with the name of the restaurant, that’s how small and secretive it is. I adore places like this, that don’t even need a name to be popular. I ordered the turkey sandwich (turkey, avocado, mayo, lettuce, no cranberry, add Swiss, on wheat) and it was absolutely amazing! French fries: also amazing.

Overall it was such a wonderful day, and I’m so glad I finally got to see one of California’s treasures & spend time with some amazing people!