Road Trippin'

For our Christmas gift to each other, my boyfriend and I decided to go on a mini-getaway trip over to wine country and our location of choice was Paso Robles. Funny thing was.. we thought that Paso Robles was only 4 hours away! As we made our way up the 101 freeway, we soon figured out that it was going to be more like 6 hours. Nonetheless, we made like road warriors and weathered through the extra distance unfazed. Once there, we made our first stop at Tablas Winery, which came highly recommended by Matthew's coworker, Keith, a transplant from the wine country area.

This was definitely our most favorite winery. Our host Cindy at Tablas Winery was such a pleasure! After 6 hours on the road, it was sure nice to have someone that was as interesting and genuinely personable as Cindy. Since we loved all of their wines (especially the Syrah) and Cindy, we took home our only bottle purchased on our trip: their 2006 Esprit de Beaucastel. Although we would like to crack that baby open immediately, we have mutually decided to let it sit and age.. to enjoy at a later time! The other wineries that we were able to do tastings at were Summerwood and Dark Star. Both I would definitely recommend visiting, but Tablas Creek was indeed the winner. Unfortunately, due to the long road trip and a lack of food in my stomache, I quickly became intoxicated. Luckily for us, Matthew was thinking on his toes and found this super cute hotel room at the Adelaide Inn.

This picture definitely does not do the hotel any justice. The rooms were quite big and the decor was fitting. We had a relaxing time in the room that night, but we were too spent to make it to downtown Paso Robles.

The next day we did not waste any time. Our first real meal since Friday was at Margie's Diner, located catty corner to our hotel. Big hearty portions = happy couple. I would definitely recommend anyone that comes across Margie's Diner to go ahead and pay them a visit. They pride themselves in using all-natural and made to order food, which is unfortunately almost unheard of in today's times.

With no itinerary, we start driving and decide to check out downtown Paso Robles. It was still a little early, especially it being a Sunday so it was almost a ghost town when we arrived. On the freeway, there was a sign for Hearst Castle so that's where we decided we would spend our day. We drove west on the 46 and landed on the Pacific Coast Highway 1 on the way to Hearst Castle. Upon arrival, we were miffed initially by the high cost of admission of the Hearst Castle tours. $24 per person! Since we were already there and this was our Christmas gift, we went ahead and paid the stipend.

Wow. That pretty much sums up the entire experience. Hearst Castle was so extravagant and lavish, our 1hr 45 minute tour was not enough time for us to see even the surface of what this castle had to offer. Our tour included a view of the outdoor and indoor pool, guest house, living room, dining room and game room. The entire place is filled with art spanning from all eras. My favorite was the Egyptian statues in the villa that were almost 3500 years old! After our tour, we decided to take the PCH 1 back to San Diego. Since we were going to pass it, we ended up making a quick stop in Santa Barbara to grab a bite to eat. After driving up and down State Street, the Santa Barbara Brewing Company is where we had a couple of beers and yummy bar food.

That was our last stop on the ride back. Man was it a long drive! At the very least, however, we did not encounter any traffic in Los Angeles. Phew!