Big Sur & Hearst Castle

For a fun weekend we decided to drive up the coast and enjoy the beauty of the beautiful state of California. We drove to Solvang, Big Sur & Hearst Castle. Our favorite part was just being together enjoying the beauty of the earth which we live on.

Solvang, Californa
We stopped to check out this cute little Danish town. Josh's family has a strong Danish line, he said he felt right at home. We got some yummy pastry's then headed over to "Bit O'Denmark" a quaint little restaurant for dinner that was delish.

Big Sur, California

Josh & Jenn. If you look closely at the picture you can see how the road just follows the coast. That was our drive from Morro Bay to Monterey. About a 2 1/2 hour drive. The fun part was seeing the ocean on one side and huge tall redwood trees on the other side of us.

Pfeiffer State Beach-Big Sur. This was just a short walk from the road & well worth the view. The beach is closed to the public to protect the beauty.

Josh & Jennifer enjoying the beauty of the coast.

Elephant Seal Beach located about 5 miles north of Hurst Castle. Each year hundreds of Elephant Seals travel here to give birth, & breed. It was a loud sight to see but worth the stop.

Hearst Castle

Hearst Castle owned by William Randolph Hearst built between 1919 & 1947. Mr. Hearst acquired his wealth in the newspaper business. He built a huge castle upon a hill overlooking the Pacific Ocean filled with numerous arts & antiques. Mr. Hearst even had his own private zoo which was the largest private zoo of anyone in the world.

A gorgeous view of the outdoor pool. Doesn't it just look inviting to jump in? This is where Mr. Hearst would entertain many guest while they staying in his castle. Our tour guide told us that every year in September every worker gets to invite 2 family members or friends to a pool party & swim in here. Where do we sign up right?! The parks department even installed a metal handrail for swimmers to get in & out of the pool (for the pool party they can't use the one made out of marble or get out of the pool any other way).

The stunning view from one of the many bedrooms inside the castle.

A view of Mr. Hearst personal library (our favorite room). Everywhere you looked there were books and priceless ancient artifacts.

The inside pool which is lined with gold. We enjoyed our trip so much were going to do it again with some of Josh's family over Memorial Day & we can't wait. If you ever get the opportunity to visit take advantage you won't regret it.