Hearst Castle ~ Part One

We had the opportunity to tour Hearst Castle while on our anniversary trip last week.  It’s something I've always wanted to do – I've read a lot about the Hearst family and have always wanted to see the castle first hand.

We went on two separate tours.  The first one was an overall tour of the grounds and two of the houses.  It’s almost more than you can take in, visually.  Unfortunately, you can’t just stand and hang out and look at things or soak it in.  You have to stay with the group and the group moves through in about an hour and a half.  Then you have to get on the bus and head back down the hill to the visitor’s center. 

The ceilings are spectacular.  I’ve never really thought of a ceiling as much more than the top of a room.  These are inlaid, painted, three-dimensional pieces of art.  It was pretty cool going into every room and looking up! 

The artwork is old and uninsurable – there is no replacing most of the pieces throughout the houses.  The swimming pools are incredible – you do really want to try them out and take a dive in, but my favorite room on the first tour was the gathering room.  There were tables and chairs and couches.  Amazing tapestries adorned every wall.  The ceiling once again, was part of the enhanced room.  My favorite piece in this room was the fireplace.  It was a “mantle over the mantle” style – large enough to burn an entire tree.  When the fireplace warmed up, it heated the upper metal mantle which then radiated heat throughout the huge room.  Great idea!

We then went into the dining room – quite elaborate and formal, although the ketchup and mustard containers – along with paper napkins showed that the owners had a sense of style and formality, yet a fun attitude!

It was a beautiful day with fantastic weather – I’m still smiling about the experience!

J