Hearst Manor

HEARST MANOR OR HEARST CASTLE

Mostly this place just gave me anxiety. This house is worth millions and millions of dollars. I can't remember how many million, but it was intense. It is so large that there are 5 different tours available. We took the overview tour which was an hour and 45 minutes. We only made it to about 6 different stops. It was crazy. You could only step on the specific carpet and you couldn't touch anything. Therefore I was constantly watching others as they stepped off of the carpet. A couple brought their 2 and 4 year old. I about screamed when I watched the 2 year old lean over the marble pond. Marble touching was permitted. Also the dad stepped off of the carpet at one point and stepped onto an antique rug. The whole place was wired and a small alarm went off. 

The outdoor photos turned out great. Indoors we could not use flash due to the millions of dollars worth of artwork. This guy was a piece of work! This was a vacation home. He was in the newspaper business. The tour guide had us look into the distance "See all of these mountains? He owns all of it. He bought this ground when it was 75 cents an acre. Which was really expensive back then." 

During the depression he lost a couple million dollars, but don't worry, he earned it all back and continued to work on his theater, 3rd pool and guest headquarters. Did I mention that he had bears, cheetahs, zebras and numerous other animals on the property? Zebras and other animals still wander around, although we didn't see any on the bus drive up. Anthony wants to go here again and do 2 or 3 tours in one day. It sounds exhausting to me and a lot of anxiety. But, it was really awesome and amazing! 

8th picture down. Indoor pool. Every tile in the pool was either glass or gold. Crazy!