It was a full red eye flight from Honolulu. Madison wasn't comfortable sleeping in my lap that she kept on moving. I let J get some zzz's since he is the designated driver for the road trip.
By the time our flight landed to Los Angeles, I am depleted. We decided to stay in L.A. for the rest of the day and hit the road early tomorrow morning.
The drive was a good 3-4 hours to San Simeon. We intend to see the Hearst Castle and stay here overnight then head to San Francisco.
J's cousin recommended that we stop at this town called Solvang. The town was first inhabited by the original Danish settlers and the town kept its charm by its old world feel, windmills and architecture. We stretched our legs and walked around the area. We found a nice little Danish bakery and had some coffee and - guess what? some danish.
By the time we stopped for gas on a nearby town, I noticed that the temperature went on a scale lower. It was probably the breeze from the beach. It is definitely cooler here than L.A.
We were able to get the last guided tour to the Hearst Castle. There were 5 types of tours in the castle. We just took the tour number 1 and decided to take the rest of the tour on our way back coming from San Francisco.
Baby strollers are not allowed due to the evident number of stairs but they lend us a baby carrier. Food and drinks are not allowed. Only bottled water and baby formula are allowed.
What she pointing at?
Here are some photos from the tour.
The starting point - facade.
The Neptune pool. Caesars Palace in Las Vegas copied this one!
The indoor pool. It is deep, the small balcony is the diving ledge.
This reminds me of typical Spanish castle design, most of them have eastern influence. Look like a church, no?
Today, the castle and a portion of its acreage was donated to the state of California from the Hearst Corporation in exchange for a huge tax write off.
By the time our flight landed to Los Angeles, I am depleted. We decided to stay in L.A. for the rest of the day and hit the road early tomorrow morning.
The drive was a good 3-4 hours to San Simeon. We intend to see the Hearst Castle and stay here overnight then head to San Francisco.
J's cousin recommended that we stop at this town called Solvang. The town was first inhabited by the original Danish settlers and the town kept its charm by its old world feel, windmills and architecture. We stretched our legs and walked around the area. We found a nice little Danish bakery and had some coffee and - guess what? some danish.
By the time we stopped for gas on a nearby town, I noticed that the temperature went on a scale lower. It was probably the breeze from the beach. It is definitely cooler here than L.A.
We were able to get the last guided tour to the Hearst Castle. There were 5 types of tours in the castle. We just took the tour number 1 and decided to take the rest of the tour on our way back coming from San Francisco.
Baby strollers are not allowed due to the evident number of stairs but they lend us a baby carrier. Food and drinks are not allowed. Only bottled water and baby formula are allowed.
What she pointing at?Here are some photos from the tour.
The starting point - facade. The Neptune pool. Caesars Palace in Las Vegas copied this one! The indoor pool. It is deep, the small balcony is the diving ledge. This reminds me of typical Spanish castle design, most of them have eastern influence. Look like a church, no?
This one is of the typical medieval Scottish castle.
The tour took at least an hour and a half. The tour starts after a 10 minute bus ride from the ticket center. The tour guide would meet you in the front and start on the history and background how the "manor" was built.
The tour took at least an hour and a half. The tour starts after a 10 minute bus ride from the ticket center. The tour guide would meet you in the front and start on the history and background how the "manor" was built.
Today, the castle and a portion of its acreage was donated to the state of California from the Hearst Corporation in exchange for a huge tax write off.
Comments