In the spirit of our honeymoon, we drove off, this time south, for an adventure together. Driving through the vast expanse of central California, we decided that California is called the Golden State because it's golden brown.
Not quite as scenic as our drive to the Redwoods.
Steve used to anxiously pose for me. 20 years later, it took a little coaxing.
How do you like my fancy honeymoon attire? UCLA sweat pants--very classy.
Is this the only sweater in my closet? No, but it is a favorite.
We really enjoyed our first breakfast together in the Claremont overlooking the San Francisco Bay.
This was also our one and only time ordering from room service (thanks again, Dad!).We certainly enjoyed our meals overlooking the Pacific on this trip as well and especially the restaurants' fabulous views.
This was the view from our first lunch in San Simeon. Below is the view from dessert.
Nothing says vacation like eating dessert at 5:00 in the evening and then having a cozy dinner at 8:00.
Strangely enough, it was rather enjoyable having a cucumber slice floating in my water. Who would've thought?Our first trip together included strolling through the beautiful little town of Ferndale and enjoying the beautiful architecture.
This trip also included some architectural enjoyment.In his fine tradition of making my dreams come true, Steve agreed to whisk me off to a castle--Hearst Castle. Having dreamt of this touring this wonder for years, you may be concerned that it would not live up to the expectation--you would be wrong! So wrong. It was AMAZING!! We even made an attempt to go back the next day to take another tour, but we arrived too late. Alas. There are 5 different tours--we are just going to have to make more trips.
When you've just turned 40, it's really nice to find yourself one of the youngest in a crowd.
To reach the castle, you take a 5 mile bus trip from the visitor's center to the top of the hill. Views from the bus:
Steve tried to get me in trouble by having me rest my elbow on this priceless statue. The rear tour guide gave me the evil eye for the rest of the tour. Oh, that's just a reproduction you say. Oh, no. It's not. That's the amazing thing about this place. Some of the items were made for Mr. Hearst, but many, many are priceless artifact he had collected over the years benefiting from a post WWI,cash poor wealthy class and destroyed historic churches, etc. He was born in 1874 and had been collecting art since he was 10. On the grounds is an Egyptian statue that's 3,000 years old.
No, the Neptune Pool did not fail to deliver--all 345,000 gallons of it. Amazing.
I could definitely get used to hanging out here.
This incredible room is the Assembly Room in La Casa Grande (the castle). Renaissance tapestries (not tapestries of the Renaissance, but tapestries actually created during the Renaissance) hang above 400+ year old walnut choir stalls from Italian monasteries. The fire place and ceiling are from great estates and churches of Europe. This professional picture doesn't do it justice.
Steve took this picture. This indoor Roman "bath" is visually stunning. Incredible. The gold-leafed ceiling makes a perfect optical illusion--making you think that the indoor pool is as deep and contoured as the high ceiling. Imagine how fun it would be to drive off the platform on the side. Amazing.No family trip is without its more humorous moments.
On our honeymoon, Steve was amazed that I could crash a three-wheeled bicycle. He is no longer amazed by such feats. My attempts to reach the restroom without wetting my pants during our beach-side walk from San Simeon to Cambria amused him this trip.
We discovered some very interesting shops...
On our way home, we stopped at Andersen's Pea Soup.
Here's a great Dane eating in a Danish restaurant reveling in its Danish heritage. It was a short yet wonderful little trip, and we thoroughly enjoyed it.
5 comments:
Fun to see the pics. Thanks for sharing! Isn't it nice to sneak away. Doug and I haven't done that in ages.
You got that close so Solvang and didn't go? It's a beautiful area. I wish I could have enjoyed it more but alas I was busy selling pest control and cleaning carpets. A great place to be for your summer jobs though.
We saw signs for Solvang and were intrigued--such an unusual name but didn't make it down there. Looking forward to hearing more about it from you.
I'm glad you guys had a fun time. The pictures of the castle are beautiful. I also enjoyed the flashback photos, especially the one of Steve at the beach and you with your bike. You guys are awesome!
We are looking forward to our trip in June.
Hearst Castle and Solvang aren't that far away from LA. Hearing about them makes me want to visit. I bet the castle doesn't have very many private spots for nursing a baby though.
It looks like you guys had a lot of fun. I'm glad that you were able to go and that you got to have a moment with Steve.
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