Hearst Castle Night Visit 12/18/2008

This is the view of the Hearst Castle from along Highway 1 on the California coast north of San Simeon. When William Randolh Hearst inherited the 250,000 acre ranch from his mother in 1919, he began a building program that continued throgh 1947, when he stopped due to failing health. Most of the buildings were designed by architect Julia Morgan.

The Hearst Castle viewed from the visitor center where you park, purchase tour tickets, view a movie (by National Geographic), visit the store, and look at a display prior to taking a bus ride to the Castle for a tour.

The spacious Visitor Center. There are five or six different tours available, depending on the time of year and time of day, including one providing access to those with physical limitations.

Viewing items that can be purchased in the store: The Dancer, about 10 inches high.

Aphrodite

Winged Victory

Melos

Birth of Venus

An attractive art deco lamp.

We really liked this lamp.

Pluto and Proserpina

The Kiss

This is part of a display at the Visitor Center discussing the history of Hearst Castle. The display includes a touching space with various objects at hand, since there is no touching at the Castle.

In the main space at the Visitor Center there is a display of renovation work in process and completed.

In the main space at the Visitor Center there is a display of renovation work in process and completed.

In the visitor center, next to the displays, there is a waiting area (for snacking or waiting until a tour is called) including a fire engine used at Hearst Castle.

The tours have assigned starting times, when the tourists load these 52-passenger buses. One bus per tour time slot (at least in the evening). A full bus is split into three tour groups at Hearst Castle. Eager participants load up.

52 people, eagerly awaiting the start of the five-mile trip to the top of the mountain.

By the time we started our trip on the bus, the clouds had dissipated.

Our tour started at the spectacular outdoor Neptune Pool.

It's hard to tell what displays are actually ancient, and what has been reproduced as a decoration. This Roman temple was transported in its entirety from Europe.

When the castle was in use, this pool was heated, and proper apparel was required of the guests. At this deeper (near) end, there was a diving board for the guests.

This is our tour group with our leader. It was pretty cold, so most people were dressed warmly.

The statuary is spectacular, everywhere.

These are some of the period guests who walked around the Castle while we visited.

They shared their stories of visiting during the 1930s. We could ask questions, like which guest rooms they had been assigned.

The decorations are beyond oppulent.

This is a lady's dressing room above the Neptune Pool, and appropriate swim apparel was supplied for the guests. There were many dressing rooms.

This is a gentleman's dressing room - rather spartan compared to the facilities provided for the ladies.

More guests encountered during our tour. Hearst loaned fur coats to the ladies when the temperature dropped.

Climbing from the pool toward the Castle, each level of patios and gardens provide a new view of the pool complex.

The guests seemed to enjoy their time spent in this unique setting.

From the top of the hill, the views are spectacular.

It would have been fun to hear what topics the 1930s guests shared.

This sculpture is a relief in the wall next to the top level of patios, next to Casa Grande.

The gardens and walks are beautiful and well laid out. There are unique displays encountered everywhere.

This view of the top of a Casa Grande tower appeared through the trees along a walk.

Our first inside visit was to one of the three guest houses surrounding the Casa Grande. Guests stayed in the cottages and the main house (Casa Grande). It was in this house that Hearst spent the later years of his stay at the Castle, being unable to climb to his former top-floor suite due to a heart condition.

The metal doors (with glass inside surfaces) are spectacular, especially decorated for the season. We took part in the sequence that would by typical for guests at the Hearst Castle. Guests would prepare for a casual evening in the accommodations.

This was Marion Davies' room in the cottage. She liked to sew her own outfits.

The ceilings in the rooms throughout Hearst Castle are interesting and attractive.

The guests seem very comfortable in this sitting room, awaiting their invitation to join the others in Casa Grande for drinks and socializing before dinner.

Hearst had all the bathrooms provided with up-to-date facilities, including showers that look very contemporary today.

This is a wonderful place to prepare for a social evening.

The guest we visited looked ready to join the others in a social evening.

This was Hearst's bedroom in the cottage.

The decorations are always interesting, especially in the details.

We're renovating our bathrooms at home, so we have a particular interest in these facilities.