HEARST CASTLE VISIT

On Monday , We made a trip to the HEARST CASTLE, situated in San Simeon , California.

This time we didnt make the trip alone.
We accompanied Mr.Gangadharan and his Family.
Actually the plan was initiated by them to which we agreed to go.
We planned for this trip earlier before Thanksgiving for the reasn that this Castle will be closed on Thanksgiving Day.
The day before the trip, we made preparations for our stay in San simeon for a day.

So Ravi took the charge of booking hotel situated near San Simeon , 3 miles away from the castle.

Me and Brehanya(Mrs Ganga) talked over for lunch preparations to take with us as we had the least idea of wasting the day , searching for a restaurant.

On Monday we started around 10 am in Mr. Ganga's car.

Believe me it was fully loaded!!! (LOL)

Around 1.30 when we were somewhere near the castle, we parked in a picnic spot for lunch.

Our lunch menu included:

Lemon Rice (by Brehanya)

Coconut Rice (by Brehanya)

Tomato Rice (by Saratha)

Curd Rice (by Saratha)

Vathals & Vadaams (by Brehanya)

We reached the castle around 5.00 pm and purchased our tour tickets for 5.15pm.

Our tour was the basic tour which described the basic rooms of the buildings.

We boarded the Tour bus to head to the Castle which was situated high up the mountain. It was pretty to look. On our arrival, our guides for the day was waiting for us to start the tour.

ABOUT THE CASTLE

By 1947, Mr. Hearst had created an estate boasting 165 rooms and 127 acres of gardens, terraces, pools, and walkways.

This legendary California manor sits at 1,600 feet above sea level; often just resting on the coastal fog. Hearst Castle presents guests with a choice of five different guided tours, including daytime and evening opportunities.

EXPLORING THE CASTLE

Hearst Castle is one of the largest of approximately 5,000 historic house museums in the U.S., with one of the most sophisticated guided tour programs in the country. Once the home of William Randolph Hearst, California State Parks strives to keep the estate looking like a private residence.

The tours take the visitor back through time exploring the life of William Randolph Hearst and his family, the art collection, architecture, gardens and history of the Castle. Formal guide training is an integral aspect of Hearst Castle®. Castle tour guides are initially trained a total of 168 hours with additional in-service training and ongoing independent study between tours, resulting in a high quality interpretive experience for all who visit "The Enchanted Hill."
The mansion was donated to the State of California in December of 1957 by the Hearst Corporation. Dedication ceremonies for the Hearst San Simeon State Historical Monument were held June 2, 1958 at the old visitor's center. Following the ceremonies, tours opened to the public at 1:00 p.m. on a first-come, first-served basis. Tickets were $2 for adults and $1 for children. There was only one tour, now called Tour 1: The Experience Tour, and its route was similar to today's; covering the first floor rooms of Casa Grande and one of the three guesthouses.
In the summer of 1964, the State introduced Tour 2 to provide viewing and explanation of the upper rooms of Casa Grande. In June 1968 Tour 3 was added, and in 1982 Tour 4. The accessibly-designed tour began in 1974. This tour covers the ground floor of the main house, the gardens and pools, and the main level of one guesthouse, Casa del Mar.

Over the years the public indicated an interest in touring the estate at night. In response, a pilot program for an Evening Tour was developed and presented for the first time on April 21, 1989. The interpretive objective of this program is to recreate an evening at Hearst Castle in the 1930's, with a general emphasis on the social history of 1930-1935 and, more specifically, on Hearst employees and former guests. Volunteers in the Living History Program, dressed in period clothing, provide representation illustrating the social history discussed on the tour.

Tours and Exhibits

Escorted by an experienced guide, tour Hearst Castle and personally witness the brilliance and wonder of this historical manor.

• The Experience Tour - The perfect Introduction to the Castle
• Tour 1: Be a part of Hearst Castle’s® most popular tour! The Experience Tour is highly recommended to first time visitors looking for an introductory overview of the Castle with the giant-screen, 40 minute companion film, Hearst Castle: Building the Dream, presented by National Geographic Theater. This tour takes you through the Esplanade and Gardens, Casa del Sol, and Casa Grande.
• Tour 2: The Casa Grande Tour gives guests a closer look at the main house’s upper floors, Mr. Hearst’s private suite, the library and kitchen.
  
• Tour 3: The Casa Grande North Tour explores the Castle’s North Wing, guest rooms, and the 10-room guest house known as Casa del Monte.
  
• Tour 4: The Garden Tour features the extravagant gardens and grounds, the largest guest house, the wine cellar with at 7,000 bottle capacity, and the Hidden Terrace.
  
• Tour 5: The Evening Tour highlights tours one, two, and four. This tour allows guests to experience the Castle as one of Mr. Hearst’s own visitors with members of the Living History Program.
  
• Tour 6: The Accessibly Designed Tour is an option for individuals who have difficulty with climbing up and down stairs, or who have difficulty with standing or walking for lengths of time.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS OF THE TOUR

GENERAL INFORMATION FOR ALL TOURS

All tours spend time outside as well as inside the historic buildings. The weather can be changeable on the hilltop and can range from very warm conditions to cold, foggy and windy conditions on some days. We have to plan to dress in layers to accommodate these conditions and wear comfortable shoes as the tour routes include stair climbing, standing and walking. Tours are conducted in the rain and are canceled only if the inclement weather conditions pose a hazard to the safety of the visitors and staff. The interiors of the historic buildings are not air conditioned in the summer. Visitors who have medical conditions, special needs or other conditions may want to consider the Accessibly Designed Tour or check at the Visitor Center for current hilltop conditions before proceeding on tour.

All tours include two 15-minute bus rides up and down the hill for each tour and this 30-minutes of riding time is in addition to the hilltop time for each tour.

Accessibly Designed Tour

The Accessibly Designed Tour is an option for individuals who have difficulty with climbing up and down stairs, walking, or standing for any length of time. The tour route is similar to the Tour 1 route but without any stairs. Visitors may use their own wheelchair, borrow one from our facility, or can walk at a slower pace using ramps. A specially equipped bus that can accommodate wheelchairs takes visitors up and down the hill to the historic estate. Trams are used to escort visitors on the tour route. The duration of the hilltop tour is 1 hour and 15 minutes.
Tour 1 (The Experience Tour) consists of approximately 170 stairs (up and down) and a 2/3 mile route to walk. The duration of this tour is 1 hour and 15 minutes with a considerable amount of stair climbing, standing and walking.

Tour 2 (Casa Grande Tour) consists of approximately 404 stairs (up and down) and a 3/4 mile route to walk. The duration of this tour is 1 hour and 15 minutes with a considerable amount of stair climbing, standing and walking.

Tour 3 (Casa Grande North Tour) consists of approximately 343 stairs (up and down) and a 3/4 mile route to walk. The duration of this tour is 1 hour and 15 minutes with a considerable amount of stair climbing, standing and walking.

Tour 4 (The Garden Tour) consists of approximately 240 stairs (up and down) and a 1 and 1/10 mile route to walk. The duration of this tour is 1 hour and 15 minutes with a considerable amount of stair climbing, standing and walking. This tour spends the majority of the tour time outdoors. This tour operates from April through October.

Tour 5 (The Evening Tour) consists of approximately 308 stairs (up and down) and a 3/4 mile route to walk. The duration of this tour is 1 hour and 40 minutes in length with a considerable amount of stair climbing, standing and walking. Visitors experience a variety of visual lighting conditions ranging from daylight to twilight to darkness with both exterior and interior artificial lighting, ranging from dim to very bright.

BROUCHER OF THE HEARST CASTLE (Click here)

Day 1 came to an end with this visit. We headed back to the hotel we booked, QUALITY INN.
Our night dinner consisted of Chapathis, Chana Masala, Remaining Lemon Rice, Tomato Rice.
We played with Baby Akshay for some time and then by 9 pm both our families dozed off to sleep to start the trip back home next day.

Next day, Nov 25th was forecasted to be rainy and so it was. We had planned some vista point stops on our way back home. But unfortunately the climate didnt help us continue our plan.
We had this movie ticket pending from yesterday's visit. It was a National Geographic Movie about the castle in a Gaint Screen. Screening time was for around 45 minutes.
We used that ticket to watch the 45 minute movie.It was nice to know more about the castle after having visited it personally.

Without having much to do after that we headed home down the mountains with the Oceanic View to our sides. The trip was overall facinating and that too,when accompanying with a friend and family it makes the trip even more exciting.