Hearst Castle

Tuesday | 1 May 2001 | Carmel, California: We had a very exciting day - touring the Hearst Castle in San Simeon and driving north on Highway 1 - like a roller coaster ride! We left Morro Bay at 10 a.m., just as the fog was lifting. It turned out to be a fabulously beautiful day - not a cloud in the sky and the sun made the sea absolutely glisten to our left all day!

The Hearst Castle is now a California State Park. The Hearst Corporation gave it to the State of California in 1958 - probably because they could not pay the taxes??? Or possibly the up-keep???  Our tour began at the Visitor Center where we could choose our tour (we took Tour #1 - the basic), look through historical displays and examine the Hearst family tree.  We boarded a bus at the Visitor Center and rode along a five-mile steep and winding road to the Castle.  William Randolph Hearst inherited the property from his father - the family had been ranching and "camping" on the property for years. W.R. Hearst decided to build a little vacation home, contracted a - female - San Francisco architect/civil engineer, started building and never stopped. Nearly everything in the estate is imported from Europe - ceilings, walls, doors, art, carpets and furniture. It is beyond ornate. 11 million dollar statues sit around on tables. Ancient Greek columns stand by the pool.
 
Now the property consists of the Castle with a large servant quarter wing, 3 huge guest "cottages", indoor pool, outdoor pool, and tennis courts. In the 1920s-40s the property also included its own hydro-electric power plant (natural springs), telephones in every room, luxurious bathrooms, 100 head of dairy cattle, a poultry farm, beef cattle, stables, a dock - complete with 205' yacht at the beach below - and a zoo more diverse than the Bronx Zoo. 10 to 20 guests were always present - most of the guests were the notables of the day in banking, finance, government, the arts and (because W.R. Hearst's mistress was actress Marion Davies) many Hollywood actors and entertainers.
 
Our tour guide was interesting, well informed and had a strong voice.  Our tour began at the Neptune Pool, toured one of the guest cottages, the main floor of the Castle - the Assembly Room, Dining Room, Billiards Room, the Theatre and the Roman Pool. Here are a few photos for your enjoyment:

The Neptune Pool
 
 
The Dining Room


The Roman Pool


The Roman Pool

After our two-hour tour, we had a spin through the gift shop - postcards! - and headed north on Highway 1. It was a very beautiful, but extremely difficult drive for DT. He proceeded with skill, as usual, and I only squealed a few times!  I was a bit squeamish because the road is in such disrepair - washed-out everywhere, under repair everywhere else. We had to stop several times for road construction crews. Most of the day we were snaking our way up the coast at 800 feet elevation - with only a steep drop-off to the Pacific below. We promised each other to NEVER drive this road heading South - or I would have to be sedated. At about 2:00 we stopped for a rest and a late lunch - below is our view.

Our lunch time view


The wild Pacific, just south of Big Sur

We ended up in Carmel tonight. The campground we "discovered" is very old, very secluded (read that 5 miles from town) and "homey" (read that as a lot of people LIVE here). It has a "frog" theme, and we are staying in the "Lily" site (the sites are not numbered, they are "named".) We had to cross over a one-way bridge on a road not built for 38' motor homes to reach our lily pad. Just as you near the campground, there is a sign reading: "Well, you made it. Just hop around the corner to the campground." Where is Kermit when you need him? Never mind... it is on a river, quiet and clean.
 
Tonight we headed into Carmel. First we found the Aquarium - our destination for tomorrow - and then started scouting-out possible Italian restaurants. We settled on Favaloro's Restaurant in Pacific Grove. The restaurant was just lovely. Very nicely decorated, varied menu, and a friendly, handsome staff. Our waiter was very good and when I commented on the lightness of the gnocchi, he told me his father made the gnocchi! A real family restaurant.  Not only were the parents behind the stove, the kids - in their 30’s - were waiting tables AND Grandma, aged 94, was visiting from Sicily. Since I had commented on the gnocchi, Dad came out of the kitchen where we had a lively discussion on how to make the perfect gnocchi. He gave me his secret, which I will take to my grave. If any of my readers are lucky enough to eat at our place next month... you may be treated to gnocchi that float off your plate. Or maybe not. Just because Nino Favaloro told me how to make gnocchi, doesn't mean I can. I have failed before... I have succeeded before... He did give me a good idea about how I failed. Nino also gave us the condensed version of his life story - how he arrived in New York from Italy at age 16 and only stayed 3 days before joining his Uncle in the promised land of California. He wants to "retire" soon and open a small restaurant somewhere "warm". I didn't get the idea of retiring and opening a restaurant... but it would be a shame to deprive the world of gnocchi like Favaloro's.

RV Park: Carmel-by-the-River