William Randolph Hearst's Castle in San Simeon
After spending the night in Paso Robles, Marc and I checked out very early and headed to San Simeon for our morning visit of the Hearst Castle. I sure was glad we left early because by 9 am, the castle parking lot was full of visitors' cars and tourist buses.
I was so happy to visit Hearst Castle once again. It was approximately twenty years ago when I first went for a day trip.
There were many tours available, but the one I wanted to see were the grand rooms. I had seen them before but I specifically wanted to see them with the beautiful Christmas decorations. The Admission was $25 per person. I think it was worth it. After the hour long tour, we were free to tour the castle grounds.
Although the castle looked very much like a church as can be seen through its façade, nothing about the castle was religious. In fact, there was no chapel inside at all. Apparently, Mr. Hearst purchased a lot of the materials used for his dream castle from Spain and Portugal.
In front of the main facade of the Hearst Castle
The huge Christmas tree in front of the first grand room we visited on the tour
I loved this image a lot. It looked so grand.
The castle was full of people the day we went. This room only looked empty because I stayed behind the group I was with. When I had the room to myself, I just clicked and clicked my camera away. Our companions had moved on to the adjacent room. This reminded of Europe, no doubt.
