What I didn't anticipate on this trip was house hunting, but that's kind of what we ended up doing today!
Granted, this was a slight exaggeration on what I want my dream home to be like, but a girl can dream, right?
Today, Mum and I decided to drive over and take a tour of the incredible and iconic Hearst Castle, located up there on the hill overlooking God's creation with the sea at the very tip of the land.
What a jaw-dropping place. Castle can't even sum up what it's all about because truly, it's also like a museum based on the pristine and rich artifacts collected and displayed inside. And the history of some of these pieces? Truly priceless.
Anyhow, although I took loads of pictures, pictures can't really due justice to what the Hearst Castle really is, because it is something really special, and you have to see it in person. But in case you're not near, here are some photos as to what it's really about. Enjoy!
Knock knock, anyone home?
Up we go.. Can you imagine walking these?
Now although I don't remember all the proper history of these things, I know they're pretty valuable, old, and from out of the country, for Hearst liked to collect on his travels (can't blame him!).
All I know is that this is the drawing room where his guests waited for Hearst to come out and pronounce dinner.
The front door.. from the inside.
Ladies and gentleman, dinner is served.
And now for a closer look..
We then walked through more elegantly decorated hallways and into the "game room."
How wicked would it be to play pool here?
Or perhaps you're of the musical sort?
This particular room also caught a fancy with me, naturally, for it was the theatre room. With proper blankets and a cozy aura, I can only imagine what it was like to sit in here and enjoy a film.
And into the great outdoors we go to spend our break time exploring!
And if you thought the inside was heavenly.. just check out the outside.
Remember that front door I was telling you about? Yup, this is it.
And the views surrounding the castle are simply incredible.
Walking about, Mom and I stumbled across this little alcove swamped with a brilliant hot pink plethora of flowers.
See? Look at all the little things you stumble across.
Now unfortunately, we came to the magnificent Neptune Pool that my mom had only been raving about (she's been here twice before back in the day) only to see it empty of water. It only makes sense to drain the pool, considering that California is in a severe drought (especially Northern Cali), but I also learned that there had been some serious problems with the pool, problems that included severe cracks that leaked 5000 gallons of water a day. So while I understand that it needed to be restored, I was nonetheless saddened to see it empty and without water. That being said, it's still every bit as incredible!
Online photo of pool with water:
And without..
By the way, see those columns there in the background? Real Roman columns. Mhm.
And yet still, there's more exploring to be done!
Let's go down to the tennis courts.. one of my mom's past time sports she played!
And here we enter one of my absolute favourite rooms: the Roman Pool. Luckily, this one had water in it, and it was so intoxicating and desirable that I simply would've slipped right on in had there not been a barrier.
Really? I would honest to goodness live here.
And this beautiful gold decor? Actual gold. Only at the Hearst Castle do you literally get to walk on gold.
Just a simple climb down the marble staircase and into the depths below..
And look how it glows on the bottom of the pool!
Mom and I were grinning hard.
And then we took a walk through the flowers.. my goodness was there no shortage of flowers!
Little fairy flowers.
And still more exploring to be done outside! It's like every time you pass a spot, you notice something new, for there truly is an abundance of visual treasures here.
We then met up for our second tour of the day which took us through the upstairs suites. Sweet, indeed.
To imagine living, or even staying the night in a room such as this is mind blowing. Just how exactly does one get invited for a weekend away here at the mysterious Hearst Castle? And how can I get on that list?
I loved how they even had laid out outfits.. takes you right back to the twenties and thirties.
And if you look up, you're exposed to a whole other world on the ceiling!
Guest bedrooms..
Welcome to the library!
Actual Roman and Greek pots..
We are then taken up to the Hearst hovel, starting with a look at the closet.
Then the bathroom.
And finally the bedroom!
And then we go to the lady of the house's quarters.. starting with the closet.
Then the bathroom.
And then the bedroom!
Then, I believe we are taken to the study of Hearst. Or is it simply another library?
Yet even more guest bedrooms, for there are many!
And then we were led down a corridor to the most unique room..
Your typical bedroom, right?
Well does yours have a loft?!
Just climb the stairs and there we are.
We had to walk through the Roman Pool once more on our way back (boo hoo right?) and saw that the sun had moved to create a different look. Naturally, I had to stop and take snaps.
Ironically, Mom and I found ourselves back at Madeline's for dinner tonight, for last night was so excellent, that we had to come back for more! This time, we had our own entrees and they were nothing shy of perfection.
I chose to have the Louisiana Seafood Gumbo with with assorted seafood and and spicy sausage in a spicy gumbo over rice.
Mom sprung for the fish special. I guess you take a little Alaskan with you when you travel!
Dessert though. Holy. Heaven. A meal is simply never complete without a proper dessert, or at least a glance at the dessert menu, where you end up ordering something even when you feel as if you have no room left for anything else (you do). Mom and I split the melt-in-your-mouth, complete with satisfied groaning, bananas foster sauteed in butter, sugar and flamed table side in a spiced rum and served over homemade vanilla ice cream.
I highly recommend grabbing a bite here, seriously, or you'll be missing out on epic food and a delightful evening.
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