This morning we have breakfast with great pancakes at our hotel after which we leave towards Hearst Castle. We drive along the coast line through the 'Big Sur'. An amazing route and it takes us about 3 hours to reach our destination because of the many stops with beautiful views. We see two baby seals, elephant seals from very close, the McWay Waterfall House and beautiful views of the fog above the rough coast.

At the Piedras Blancas Elephant Seal Rookery, near San Simeon, we see some hundred elephant seals laying on the beach. Is is fantastic to be able to see them so close, we take many pictures. We are very surprised by the very strange sound they make...

We finally reach our destination and take the shuttle bus to Hearst Castle. We booked the guided visit during which the guide tells us everything about the history of this place and we also get to see a home movie on which you see some celebrities such as Charlie Chaplin who was playing tennis at this location.

After the guided visit you are allowed to walk around outside the house, in the gardens, around the Roman swimming pools... You get to see an amazing wealth. This is really worth the drive!

After spending a few hours in the heath of the Californian sun we take the shuttle back to the parking lot. While driving down with our car towards the Coastal highway, we see far away, in between the cows, some strange striped animals... zebra's! These are the remainings of Mr Hearst's private zoo. What an experience to see these animals here!

Then we drive again next to the coast line back to our hotel, we make again a short stop at the elephant seals as this is so fascinating and some other stops to enjoy the spectacular views. Once at the hotel we have a refreshing shower and have dinner at the hotel where we enjoy the excellent seafood. This is a fantastic restaurant!!!

Daytrip approx. 310 km