Saturday 8 June - Spent the morning doing a guided tour at the extravagant and spectacular Hearst Castle: the joint concept of William Randolph Hearst, the publishing tycoon, and his architect Julia Morgan. Hearst began building this castle in 1919 on his ranchland overlooking the village of San Simeon and continued to add and change buildings and layouts until 1947. A real life Gatsby, Hearst hosted many of Hollywood’s rich and famous at his castle.
Everywhere you looked there was something more over-the-top to see; the terraces offering 360° views of San Simeon, the marble Neptune Pool, the meticulously manicured gardens, the weird Christian influenced architecture, and the Roman Pool with it’s tiles containing actual gold… we had never seen anything like it. What’s more, Hearst used to have a private zoo, complete with zebras and polar bears!
