Hearst Castle, La Cuesta Hearst

San Simeon, CA, December 30, 2010: Hearst Castle is almost 5 miles from, and 1600 feet higher, than the visitors' center just off the Pacific Coast Highway.

A reproduction of Donatello's David oversees the terrace in front of the Casa del Sol guest house:

















From the terrace, one sees this view of the road from the visitors' center:



















Nearby is the Neptune Pool, which was a filming location for Spartacus:




























































We toured the Casa Del Sol guest house, one of three besides the Casa Grande:













One room with its view:

The lights are carved from alabaster to simulate moonlight.

The Casa Grande and its view:


















































Hearst owned whatever the eye could see from La Cuesta da; these Ancient Egyptian Sekhmet figures are the oldest artifacts at Hearst Castle:
















Hearst's guests gathered each evening before dinner in this Assembly Room, the main room in Casa Grande:

In the day, guests ate all their meals in the Refectory. Although the setting is over the top, the table setting reflect the relative informality of a ranch, including the ketchup and mustard bottles set on the table:

Beyond the Refectory was a cozier drawing room:

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In the movie theater we saw documentary footage of Heart and his guests during the castle's heyday:


















Roman Pool is underneath the tennis courts: