Hearst Castle
August 22, 2010 by staff
Hearst Castle, Hearst Castle: “You can not eat the fruit, the guide reminds us.” It is only for ornamental purposes. “And it is Hearst Castle, the home of the late William Randolph Hearst, the publishing magnate legendary. It is only for ornamental purposes. But it is a unique decoration and fun to watch. Here you will find priceless paintings, sculptures and antiques ranging from ceilings and fireplaces and tapestries Castle Byzantine monastery Gothic Egyptian statues. This ornament on the larger scale the fear inspired by the 700,000 visitors who come each year to see how the other half lived.
Make no mistake, everything here is impressive, although not to their liking. Take, for example, the classic group of Neptune, an architectural masterpiece surrounded by Roman columns of the fourth century Italian bas-reliefs, statues and contemporary Paris. The marble pool has been rebuilt three times the size you see today. The marble was from Vermont, the statues were carved in the 1930s
Julia Morgan, a native of California, has designed the castle. It was the first woman with a degree in architecture, and has created more than 700 structures.
Hearst chose the site of the castle, 1,600 meters above sea level, because he had spent time with his father and later was camping in large tents with his wife and son. But he wanted something a little more comfortable than the tents.
The castle was an extremely complex project. It took two years to pour concrete for the first two plants and trees and vegetation had to be transported to the dirt road five miles of road to create a more picturesque setting for Hearst Castle “Enchanted.” Everything about the place is to develop and extravagant. Each of the 165 rooms and 41 bathrooms has its own style and decoration, furniture and nearly all are 300-500 years. Many are so fragile, that should be protected from moisture climate of California.
Hearst got most of their antiques in Europe, from the ten years when he went with his mother. With an allocation of 10,000 a month and could buy items spectacular (Hearst’s father had made his fortune when he discovered the money in Nevada. The young William Hearst began to believe he could do anything I wanted, which he did).
The castle is home to only two or three percent of the total collection of antiquities of Hearst, which is the home of his Spanish and Italian elements. Many other parts are stored in warehouses around the country.
Hearst loved to have guests at home on weekends, and was an honor to be invited. However, customers had to follow three rules: do not get drunk, do not use language or telling jokes in bad taste to sleep in separate rooms, if an unmarried couple. (It’s ironic because Hearst himself had a mistress, a young chorus girl named former Marion Davies, who spent most of his life.) The food was not allowed in the hotel if you want to eat, has to go to the kitchen “if you can find your way.
If you lose, every street had a phone that could call the operator for directions to anywhere. However, you must make a clear description of where you were and not say, as one guest did, “I’m in a room with a bunch of garbage.”
Customers do not see much of Hearst, who was reputed to work hard and expected the same of their employees. He has worked almost all day, seven days a week at any of its 27 newspapers, 138 magazines, eight radio stations (not bad for a man who asked to leave Harvard because it was too incomplete). However, this lifestyle workaholic who does not seem to cause any damage, lived to be 88 at a time when life expectancy was 54.
Hearst was more fond of the library. There, among all 5,000 books are gems such as Greek vases dating from the fifth and sixth centuries BC. The old Spanish ceiling, suspended by cables suspended, balancing in the case of an earthquake (but all the treasures are anchored, as it is Earthquake). Much of the collection come from the churches and homes abroad, but 90 percent of the items were purchased at auctions worldwide, offering a team of treasure hunters Hearst employees.
With all the wonders of the castle and its contents, is surprisingly simple Hearst room itself from the rest of the house. It is, however, the oldest of ceiling in the castle, which dates from 1300, and also the oldest painting, also from 1300. This is a picture saint who is believed to English, although its exact origin is unknown. All room Hearst, Marion Davies in the room, where two separate beds. They have been after the Hearst family has transferred the property to the Park Service, and probably have been installed to maintain an air of decency.
The castle has been warmed by its own hydroelectric plants. If customers felt too hot for their liking, they could go swimming. If the huge outdoor pool was not enough shade, you could use an indoor pool. This was designed with the ceiling representing the ocean floor and the bottom of the pool that represents the night sky with twinkling stars. The idea was that during a dive, which have been diving the ocean to the sky! The gold in and around the pool is 22-karat quality.
When you have finished your visit to the castle, do not miss the visitor center. Here you will find a more recent castle, Hearst Castle Theater with a giant screen five stories high, up to eight times larger than most conventional movie theaters. In the theater you can see the movie “Enchanted Castle,” which tells the story of the evolution of the castle from idea to reality. The film is an hour and costs, and 6 for adults and for children 4 and younger than 12 years.
Visits are made of the castles, but decided, for a period of one hour, 45 minutes, including bus trips to and from the visitor center. The cost is 14 and for adults, and 8 for children 6-12 years. Children under six are free. All tours include a walk of about half a mile and the steps 150-400. wheelchair accessible tours are available upon request. A visit is recommended for first time visitors.
Do not miss a visit to Hearst Castle for a delightful experience.
More to see and do
Other attractions include San Luis Obispo County wineries (more than 40 tastings offer) Morro Bay State Park Museum of Natural History, with guides available, the Madonna Inn, with extravagant furniture, paintings Chumash Indian Rock, the picturesque town of Cambria, to six miles (where a sign in a window, says, “now closed because of exhaustion”), and the historic Mission San Luis Obispo, 40 miles. San Luis Obispo, the new Performing Arts Center has exceptional acoustics, and the whole county numerous outdoor activities like mountain biking, sea kayaking, windsurfing, hiking, deep sea fishing, golf and tennis.
About the author: Sheila O’Connor is a freelance writer based in San Francisco. It has been widely published in countries like USA, UK, Hong Kong and Singapore. This is his first article for the Times Grande.
_________________________________________
Please feel free to send if you have any questions regarding this post , you can contact on
Disclaimer: The views expressed on this site are that of the authors and not necessarily that of U.S.S.POST.
Comments