Hearst Castle

 

Hearst Castle is located on the central coast of California.

It was built for newspaper tycoon William Randolph Hearst  between WWI and WWII.

Architect Julia Morgan used treasures Hearst amassed from around the world as inspiration for the castle.

Hearst hosted wild parties for the Hollywood elite during the Roaring Twenties.

To visit the castle, you purchase a ticket at the bottom of the hill it's perched on.

Alex Trebek extols Hearst's virtues over the loudspeaker on the bus you take to the castle.

Europe's economic devastation enabled Hearst to acquire many artistic masterpieces and earned him the nickname the "Great Accumulator."

I enjoyed this dining room with flags from Siena's contrade.

Nice use of Persian tile

The land Hearst Castle is located on was actually acquired by William Randolph's father, George, a successful miner and California Senator.

A statue from the castle's  movie theater

The Roman pool was inspired by mosaics from Ravenna.

A beach popular with elephant seals is located near the castle.

It is one of the few beaches you can easily see baby elephant seals.