Day Two: Hearst Castle

Our day started off with a breakfast of vegetable frittata and olallieberry granola French toast (drizzled with olallieberry syrup) plus fresh fruit with olallieberry yogurt. Our host informed us that olallieberry is 1/3 raspberry and 2/3 blackberry. According to Merriam-Webster, it is “a blackish berry that is a hybrid of a loganberry and youngberry, resembles an elongated blackberry, and is grown chiefly along the western United States coast.” I would classify it as 100% delicious.

As we stepped into the crisp morning air, we noticed tiny pinecones on the ground. Turns out they were from the enormous Sequoia sempervirens (a.k.a. Coast Redwood) growing in front of the Olallieberry Inn. Planted in 1885, it towered over all the other trees and homes nearby. It’s amazing how something so tiny can produce something so impressive and beautiful. It just takes time.

A short drive up the coast led to the gates of Hearst Castle. Before our tour, we watched “Hearst Castle: Building the Dream,” a beautifully-filmed documentary at the visitor’s center. The film chronicled William Randolph Hearst’s childhood along the Central California Coast (his family owned a huge chunk of California at the time) and many trips around the world with his mother, which inspired Hearst (along with architect Julia Morgan) to put sticks of dynamite in the side of a hill near San Simeon and level out enough ground to build an expansive estate. The estate, known today as Hearst Castle, consists of verdant gardens, a towering main house, and several luxurious guest houses (oh, and let’s not forget the swimming pools), all of which were constructed from a patchwork of architectural elements “collected” from around the world…obelisks from Egypt, a wooden ceiling from the Moors, brilliant azulejos from Spain, intricate statues from Italy…truly a home befitting of the term “castle.”

Some have argued that these historical treasures should be returned to the lands and people from which they came. Doing so would involve dismantling Hearst Castle and reducing it to rubble. I believe these artifacts should be regarded as objects in a museum; after all, how can we truly appreciate and develop a respect for other cultures and peoples if we do not have the opportunity to first experience them from within the comfort of our own familiar communities? Such exploration propels us forward, into the world, where we seek to learn even more. It’s why I watch so many foreign films…to experience the world and better understand the varied perspectives and life events of individuals other than myself. Plus, it doesn’t hurt that the cost of a movie ticket at a film festival is less than the cost of a plane ticket and lodging halfway around the world. And that the cost of a digital, 360º visit to some of the Hearst Castle highlights is only a mouse-click away (make sure you have your speakers turned up):

http://www.regal360.com/clients/hearst/hearstcastle/index.html

Our first tour of the day took us through the esplanade and gardens, Casa Del Sol guesthouse, Neptune and Roman Pools, and the first floor of Casa Grande (including the assembly room, refectory, morning room, billiard room, and theater). On our drive back down, we failed to see any of the zebras still roaming the grounds even after the rest of the zoo animals (yes, there was once a zoo on-site) have since moved on.

Prior to our second tour, Mom and I stopped for lunch at Sebastian’s General Store, just down the road from the castle. Mom had a BLT and I had a Southwest Turkey Stack: turkey, pepper jack cheese, cheddar cheese, Ortega chiles, pepperoncini, avocado, lettuce, red onion, tomato, pickle, and chipotle sauce. My hand could barely wrap itself around it. It was the thickest, most delicious sandwich I have ever eaten (yes, that includes you, Potbelly’s), and Mom rather enjoyed hers as well.

After lunch, it was back up the hill for tour number two. Highlights included the Doge suite, “The Cloisters,” the library, Gothic suite, kitchen, and Hearst’s private suite, library, and study. I think that one of my most favorite elements of the castle are the imported ceilings. I guess I’d never really thought of a ceiling as having potential to be anything other than painted a shade lighter than the walls. The fanciest ceiling I’ve ever had was the one in my childhood bedroom, across from the hall in the house on Mignon. It had the texture of cottage cheese with little sparkly plastic things mixed in (in lieu of pineapple, I guess). When I was little, I would sometimes close my eyes and throw my shoes up against said ceiling in an attempt to send down a shower of shimmering “magic dust” (a.k.a. little pieces of the aforementioned iridescent plastic). Sadly, when I opened my eyes, the only magical changes were a dirty shoe-mark on the ceiling and the presence of a bunch of powdery, white stuff I needed to vacuum up. That, and a healthy dose of asbestos.

With the sun drifting slowly toward the horizon, Mom and I headed back down the coast to Piedras Blancas to visit the elephant seals, followed by a walk along Moonstone Beach. It’s amazing how different beaches can be. Oak Street Beach in Chicago is a man-made fixture stretching alongside skyscrapers and multimillion-dollar condos near the Magnificent Mile, with lighly lapping “waves” from Lake Michigan. Playa Flamenco in Culebra, Puerto Rico (see March 2008 blog for photos) is a tropical paradise with soft, pristine sand, warm, clear water that slowly changes from clear to aqua to indigo and coral reefs perfect for snorkeling off-shore. Moonstone Beach features crashing waves, ruddy cliffs, monstrous beached kelp (home to an army of sand flies powerful enough to pick you up and carry you across the Pacific), and some interesting rocks that Mrs. Behling thought would be perfect for her second-grade science class.

By the time the sun went down, the temperature dropped below 65ºF (brr!) and we needed our jackets for the walk down the street to Indigo Moon. A cheese plate of Midnight Moon, Cotswald Cheddar, and I-can’t- remember-the-name Gouda was followed by mac-n-cheese with manchego and white cheddar for Mom and lobster bisque and cauliflower horseradish gratin for me. I. Love. Cheese. So. Much.