Hearst Castle Part II: The Interior

So while I'm in the midst of another trip, I should finish up telling you about my spring break trip! Here's part 2 of a glimpse into the Hearst Castle: the interior. (In case you forgot--and it's totally OK if you did since it's been 2+ weeks-- here's Hearst Castle Part I: The Exterior.) My friend and I took the upstairs tour. You get to see a ton of bedrooms (including Heart's bedroom and the bedroom of his mistress), the library, and Hearst's office.

My favorite part of all the rooms was the ceilings. They were all imported from various parts of Europe. Hearst was lucky in the sense that he happened to be building when the war-ravaged European countries were in greater need of cash than maintaining their heritage. Art and architecture were easily obtainable for the right amount back then. The most impressive ceiling in the collection was the one in Hearst's bedroom (pictures 17 and 18), which is allegedly the last complete Moorish ceiling in the world, dating back to the 14th century. The tour guide said that no other interior ceiling from that culture has survived. Who knows if it's true, but it makes you feel special when you're looking at it!

Some other interesting tidbits: the library (in the first 3 pictures) has the largest US collection of Greek pottery outside of the Met in NY. And the only reason the Met has more is because Hearst donated over half his collection there! Pictures 12 and 13 are not a chapel. That's Hearst's private "office." It sure makes my Ikea desk look lame. The picture of the right side of the picture 14-15 duo looks like a music sheet lamp shade. Turns out that's exactly what it is. Hearst took pages from old monk chant books and repurposed them as lamp shades. He was ahead of the upcycling trend by like 75 years! Finally, pictures 19 and 20 are ridiculously fabulous the indoor pool underneath the tennis courts. In case the outdoor pool was just not fabulous enough!