July 31: San Miguel, San Simeon, and San Luis Obispo
Today we were up at about 6:00 a.m., a little earlier than usual, but we were anxious to get away before the heat pounded us once more. We were off to San Simeon, but made an intermediate stop in San Miguel, specifically at the Mission San Miguel Arcangel. It is still a parish church. The 1797 mission has many original decorations and paintings, including interior frescoes by 19th c. artist Esteban Munras. The vaulted corridor is noted for its arches. The church reopened for Mass and events in 2009 after a 6-year, $6,000,000 preservation and seismic retrofitting project. We walked all around the compound, admiring the doors, ironwork, and windows, as well as the tile roof. The we stepped into the church, where the stenciling and delicate tracery delighted the eye, and the sound of Gregorian chants pervaded the space and added their own mystique to the celebration of this sacred place. Our last stop on the premises was the cemetery next to the church, as well as the old bell tower with its original three bells intact. A beautiful and hallowed site!
From there we were off to San Simeon for a 12:30 tour of the Hearst Castle. Much has happened since I had been there last. There is now a Visitor Center, and guests are taken to the Castle by bus. There are three kinds of tours, and we were on the Grand House Tour, incorporating three rooms. The whole castle consists of 165 rooms that include 115 rooms in the main house and 50 rooms in three guesthouses, as well as 127 acres of what was once the estate of newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst. The grounds and dwellings are on a 1,600 ft. mountain named "La Cuesta Encantada" or "The Enchanted Hill," overlooking San Simeon and the Pacific Ocean.
The main residence is a huge Mediterranean-Revival style building called Casa Grande, and three guest cottages, where Hearst's art collection and antiques are displayed. Pools, fountains, and statuary grace the landscaped gardens. Construction began in 1919 and continued until 1947, when ill health forced Hearst to abandon the project. He still had not completed Casa Grande at his death in 1951.
The Grand Rooms tour that we were on visited the ground floor of the Casa Grande, covering the assembly room, refectory and billiard room. Another type of tour, which we did not take, included Hearst's private suite, the library, and guest suites. A third tour featured the wine cellar, kitchen, and two guest houses. However, at the end of our tour, we strolled the gardens and terraces, viewed the iconic Neptune and Roman pools (to my mind, the Neptune pool is the most beautiful swimming pool on earth!), and enjoyed the views of the surrounding coast and mountains. We spent a total of about 3 hours up at the top before taking the bus back down, seeing a 40-minute film on Hearst and the Castle in the theatre, and eating a hot dog and French fries in the restaurant on the premises--a very late lunch, as we were famished. From there we drove south on California State Hwy. 1, also known as the Coastal Highway. We passed Cayucos, Morro Bay with its iconic and gargantuan sea stack, and then hit San Luis Obispo, stopping several times along the way to get out, photograph the panorama of sea and sky that lay in front of us, and feel the wind rush through our hair. In San Luis Obispo, where we are this evening, we are staying at a wonderful Air B & B, in a lovely room with views of the town and its mountain backdrop. The breezes are streaming in, billowing out the curtains, and the celling fan is whirring contentedly overhead. We have an unusually well equipped bathroom with an enormous countertop featuring two sinks, and there are a separate shower and deep tub on a plinth. And it is much cooler, as we are very close to the ocean and the breezes are cool and delightful. In a few minutes we will have cheese, crackers, and fruit, and might even break open a bottle of wine. A glorious day, and not soon to be forgotten!
From there we were off to San Simeon for a 12:30 tour of the Hearst Castle. Much has happened since I had been there last. There is now a Visitor Center, and guests are taken to the Castle by bus. There are three kinds of tours, and we were on the Grand House Tour, incorporating three rooms. The whole castle consists of 165 rooms that include 115 rooms in the main house and 50 rooms in three guesthouses, as well as 127 acres of what was once the estate of newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst. The grounds and dwellings are on a 1,600 ft. mountain named "La Cuesta Encantada" or "The Enchanted Hill," overlooking San Simeon and the Pacific Ocean.
The main residence is a huge Mediterranean-Revival style building called Casa Grande, and three guest cottages, where Hearst's art collection and antiques are displayed. Pools, fountains, and statuary grace the landscaped gardens. Construction began in 1919 and continued until 1947, when ill health forced Hearst to abandon the project. He still had not completed Casa Grande at his death in 1951.
The Grand Rooms tour that we were on visited the ground floor of the Casa Grande, covering the assembly room, refectory and billiard room. Another type of tour, which we did not take, included Hearst's private suite, the library, and guest suites. A third tour featured the wine cellar, kitchen, and two guest houses. However, at the end of our tour, we strolled the gardens and terraces, viewed the iconic Neptune and Roman pools (to my mind, the Neptune pool is the most beautiful swimming pool on earth!), and enjoyed the views of the surrounding coast and mountains. We spent a total of about 3 hours up at the top before taking the bus back down, seeing a 40-minute film on Hearst and the Castle in the theatre, and eating a hot dog and French fries in the restaurant on the premises--a very late lunch, as we were famished. From there we drove south on California State Hwy. 1, also known as the Coastal Highway. We passed Cayucos, Morro Bay with its iconic and gargantuan sea stack, and then hit San Luis Obispo, stopping several times along the way to get out, photograph the panorama of sea and sky that lay in front of us, and feel the wind rush through our hair. In San Luis Obispo, where we are this evening, we are staying at a wonderful Air B & B, in a lovely room with views of the town and its mountain backdrop. The breezes are streaming in, billowing out the curtains, and the celling fan is whirring contentedly overhead. We have an unusually well equipped bathroom with an enormous countertop featuring two sinks, and there are a separate shower and deep tub on a plinth. And it is much cooler, as we are very close to the ocean and the breezes are cool and delightful. In a few minutes we will have cheese, crackers, and fruit, and might even break open a bottle of wine. A glorious day, and not soon to be forgotten!
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