A Few Thoughts on Hearst Castle

 Leon and I went to Hearst Castle for the first time yesterday. While I was predisposed to be disgusted by the opulent display of wealth, I was surprised to find that I was actually impressed in spite of it. The tour and the film after the tour were quite informative. William R. Hearst was an interesting fellow, not at all like the infamous money grabbing ex president we all despise. 

His collaboration with architect Julia Morgan, a pioneer in the field, was both unusual (as it was a many years project with lots of re-do changes that I would think an architect would quickly become impatient) and it was also a very creative working relationship.

As is my particular bent, I was more impressed with the exterior of the building and more particularly the grounds and gardens and lush flora. The interior was grand, but to me somewhat dark and boring. I didn't take any photos inside the building.

The project of bringing all the concrete, iron, marble and other building materials up the very long, winding and steep road (that was not necessarily smoothly paved back then) was a daunting task in itself. The hill overlooks the Pacific at 1,600 feet above sea level. I could not get a good photo of the road but I assure you it was miles long and very winding and, in places, rather steep.

Here are a few photos:

The fact that there was an Emergency EXIT on the ROOF of the bus did not make me feel secure in the least.