Hearst Castle

Nestled away on a hilltop in San Simeon, California is the beautiful one-time home to William Randolph Hearst. Years ago, Ritchie and I went to visit this home (appropriately called Hearst Castle because of it's size and beauty) and really enjoyed our trip. We told my grandmother that the next time she came to California to visit we'd take her to see the castle. Well, she didn't forget and happens to be visiting for Thanksgiving this year! So, it was off to Hearst Castle we went! Luckily, Ritchie has the week off and was able to make good on his promise to take her.

We arrived on what was an incredibly gorgeous Monday. The sea was sparkling, the little nearby antique town of Cambria was bustling, and the castle stood in all it's majestic glory proudly on the hill overlooking the ocean. It was the perfect day to see the castle. Unfortunately, see the castle we did not. After a delicious lunch at Linn's in Cambria we just made it in time to purchase tickets to the last tour at 3:20. It was sold out. Ever the optimists we held our heads up high. There was always tomorrow! We already had accommodations for the evening as it's a three hour drive to San Simeon so we could easily return on Tuesday to experience the magic of the castle. So, Grandma and Dad watched the movie while Ritchie and I tried desperately to squeeze in a nap for Max. We checked in to the hotel and relaxed, had dinner, and called it a night, excited for what the next day would bring.

See how excited he is to see the castle? Also, note the gorgeous day we were having!

The next day we awoke and proceeded to get ready for the day. However, as soon as we stepped out of our hotel room door we knew that today was not going to be the same wonderful experience that the day before had promised. It was cold. And raining. Not just drizzling rain, but windy, nose-biting, better have your rain gear rain. Good times. We went to breakfast and by the end the rain had slowed! Yes! Now was the time to get a move on! We scurried to the castle and purchased our tickets. Just as we were boarding the bus that takes you to that castle on the hill the rain really started coming down again. I'll just let the pictures tell you the story of how the tour went.

My two loves hanging around waiting for the tour bus to take off.

See how enthralled my group was with the outdoor portion of the tour?

Can we say move us inside, please??

Sure we all look relatively happy, but Max was miserably tired and cried for almost the whole tour (which was a whopping 1 hour and 45 minutes). Needless to say, it wasn't the best experience what with the rain and the screaming toddler. We made the most of it and then quickly got out of there to check out and get back home. I guess there's always next time, though I doubt we'll be bringing children to the castle any time in the near future.