A visit to the Hearst Castle.

The Hearst Castle is truly a magnificent estate.  Built by News Paper publisher William R Hearst in collaboration with architect Julia Morgan from 1919 to 1947.  To this day it is considered unfinished because it was only the death of William R Hearst that terminated the work on the estate.  The Hearst Castle is also called La Cuesta Encantada.  It is located in San Simeon by the coast of California up in the hill halfway from LA to San Francisco.  Today the Hearst Castle is owned by the California State Park because it was donated by the Hearst family to the state for 11 million dollars of tax right off. 

The estate boast a main house called Casa Grande, 3 guest houses (Casa del Mar, Casa del Monte and Casa del Sol), one magnificent outdoor pool called The Neptune Pool, an indoor Roman Pool, 2 tennis courts and several courtyard/fountain/terrace.  It even had a zoo when Hearst was alive.  Now the enclosures for the animals are empty.  The present day fauna found in the estate are domesticated cows along with wild animals.  The only way to the castle on top of the hill is a meandering private road from the visitor center below.  The Castle does boast a fine prospect as one approaches it.  From the castle itself, the view of the Pacific and the surrounding mountains are truly breathtaking and serene.

Inside the Casa Grande, WR Hearst filled the rooms with antiques and art work from his vast collections.  Tapestries, paintings, panelings, furniture, sculptures and religious items from Europe.  Works ranging from the 16th century to the 19th century from many Masters.  It is a museum inside I say.

For California residents who have little opportunities to visit the grand castles of Europe, I say this Castle is one that should not be missed.  It is very accessible by car from SF and LA.  Just a mere 2 hour drive.  And the tickets for the  different tours are no more than $30.  Very reasonable indeed for what one gets from the visit.  I enjoyed my visit so plan a weekend trip now.