Where Are We Sleeping Tonight: Days Inn Windmill Buellton, California Heading North to San Simeon, we stopped in the town of Cambria for lunch. With Linn's looking like it is very popular, we decided to give it a go and boy am I glad we did. With an omelette named after me (sort of), how could I not order it, especially as it sounded delicious - and it indeed it was! After a wonderful desert, we had a quick stroll around the town and found a store that sold rubber ducks - hundreds of them. They were all different sorts and so we bought some for some friends back home. We paid a visit to Antiques On Main where we bought a couple of bulk rolls of 35mm film - we will have fun with this when we get home :)
Continuing on our way, we arrived at Hearst Castle, former home of media mogul William Randolph Hearst. Ever since I saw the movie RKO 281, I have been dying to visit here. Hearst named it "La Cuesta Encantada" ("The Enchanted Hill"), but usually called it "the ranch". Although he was a bit of a hoarder, he was surrounded by art and most amazingly, architecture from all over the world. He had a habit of buying old churches which he would then have demolished so he could puts bits of them in his home!
After seeing the intimidating main reception room which was full of enormous tapestries, we entered the dinning room. Mr. Hearst and his architect Julia Morgan named it the Refectory, the term for a monastery dining hall. The high windows, bright silk banners, and gleaming silver candlesticks convey the atmosphere of a church from the middle ages - the ceiling is actually made from wooden walls taken from a monastery! Seeing the mustard and ketchup bottles sitting on the long table reveals that Hearst liked the simple things as well. The 24 seater table has seen so many famous people through history sitting at this table. Hearst himself sat in the middle (rather than at the head of the table) and he would have the guests he liked most sit near him. If you were seated at the ends of the table, he kind of had enough of you.
Guests of Mr Hearst who had been invited to stay at the property could play both billiards and pool in this impressive game room, which is also decorated with gaming themes. The 15th-century Spanish ceiling is painted with scenes of courtly life, including bullfighting and jousting. However due to years smoking in the room, guests would never have actually been able to see the design as it was cover in nicotine tar! They have been slowly cleaning the ceiling with cotton wool buds in an attempt to return it to its original glory. Walking by the Flemish hunting scene tapestry from the 1500s, we walked over to the theatre - now this is a home cinema! Hearst and his companion, Hollywood film star Marion Davies, joined the house guests every night at 11 p.m. for a full-length movie, preceded by a newsreel. Playing on the screen for us was a short film showing historic footage of the Castle’s talented architect Julia Morgan, Hearst and Marion Davies themselves, and many of their celebrated house guests—all having a wonderful time on the Enchanted Hill. No imagination is needed to see how much fun one could have here.
Enjoying a stroll through the gardens where several guests houses are located, we found the two pools on the property. The first, the Neptune Pool, is an outside pool that would have been lovely to jump in right now as it is a bit warm today. Taking 8 years to build, this Roman inspired pool would have felt at home in Ancient Rome. The main reason for this probably has to do with the original Roman marble features that Hearst bought for use in the pool. The second pool, the heated indoor Roman Pool, is decorated heavily with 24 karat gold! Hearst definitely had a taste for the lavish and the dramatic and this building (containing several full sized tennis courts on the roof) definitely highlights that fact.
When Mr. Hearst left his dream home for the last time in 1947, Marion Davies tried to console him saying, “We’ll come back. W.R. You’ll see.” Apparently tears rolled down his face as they drove down the hill for the final time. Due to the remote nature of the castle, they had to leave so Hearst could get medical attention. Sadly Hearst died on August 14, 1951 having never returned to his Enchanted Hill.
Back on the road again, and heading South this time, driving through Morro Bay again, we continued on to Arroyo Grande. We were trying to decide what we wanted to have for dinner when we heard a radio commercial for the Quarterdeck Seafood Restaurant. As it sounded like a nice place to eat, we decided to give them a try. Surrounded by kitsch decor, two plates of very brown food were delivered to our table. We enjoyed the food but as we have eaten so much seafood at wonderful places, the food here had no chance of winning an award for our favourite place to eat. Clare did enjoy a frozen margarita though.
We continued driving towards Santa Barbara but as we arrived in Buellton, we decided to stop here rather than spend another hour in the car. Besides, the Days Inn here has a dutch windmill!
We decided that we will stay here tonight and tomorrow night so we unloaded everything out of the car so we can pack it properly. We loaded it all on the king size bed - oh my god! We have bought so much stuff!! After a quick look at everything we have we have decided that we will need to buy an extra suitcase tomorrow. We will have fun when we get home opening everything - it will be like Christmas!
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