Hearst Castle

The day dawned grey and rainy. We can't really complain, as we have been so fortunate with the weather to date. Luckily we had planned to be indoors today anyway.

I did live to tell the tale of us all sharing one hotel room, however, it did not end well. Just ask the girls how sympathetic they are of me now with Jason's snoring. They claimed to have had "NO SLEEP" at all!

We drove the short 6 miles to Hearst Castle and paid the exorbitant entry fee to see 4 rooms of the 'castle'. The term "castle" should be taken fairly loosely here to describe what is essentially a really big house. We as a family have been very spoilt and seen actual castles and treasures around the world.

William Randolph Hearst built it in the 30's, taking 15 years to complete it as he kept changing his mind about details. What is just as remarkable to me, is that it was designed by a female Julia Morgan, and the first female to complete a degree in architecture from Paris. It was a place of pure indulgence and a little egocentric in my opinion.

However, it can't be argued that it does present as a wonderful museum for art and artefacts from all over the world. It almost sent him and the family bankrupt. Mr Hearst loved to entertain here, and would often hold exuberant weekends with other people of note and high society of the era.

Outside photos:

The entrance

Inside:

Sitting room and entry

Fireplace in the sitting room

Dining room

Smoking Room

 My favourite:

Roman pool with real gold leaf tiles

Diving board of the Roman Pool

Mr Hearst had a zoo on site which included Polar Bears, Giraffes, Kangaroos and Zebras. Apparently some of the Zebras escaped, and their ascendants can still be seen today grazing along side the beef cattle on the Hearst ranch.

Our view from the top of the hill showing the road up to the castle

We had a late lunch back in Cambria which turned out to be a quaint touristy seaside village. Much to Jason's delight there were plenty of antique shops and he found a long sought after Beatles record which he said has been a highlight of the trip!

The first part of the journey was wet, but then we had dry roads which was good for the four hour drive to LA. We are now ensconced in our Airbnb apartment in West Hollywood planning our day for tomorrow.