This was mostly a driving day to get us started on our road trip. We have had a gentle day of getting the hang of driving on the 'wrong' side of the road, and using controls that are placed differently in the car.
We followed the coast road south. The Pacific coast is pretty rugged, with jagged rocks and smashing surf. There weren't many beaches, and those we saw had warning signs about dangerous currents.
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| The indoor pool |
At San Simeon we went to Hearst Castle, which was built in the 1940s by multi millionaire William Randolph Hearst, owner of a San Francisco newspaper. He hired architect Julia Morgan to design his dream house, perched on the top of a high hill. The job was expected to last two years, and took twenty, mostly because Mr Hearst kept changing his mind. There are several large guest houses but the main house has huge rooms filled with art works, sculptures and wall panels Mr Hearst brought back from European travels. There is a huge outdoor swimming pool, an indoor pool and tennis courts. The indoor pool has a mosaic floor, including gold tiles, of the night sky. The ceiling has paintings of the sea floor.
Today the mansion and guest houses are open to the public. People are ferried up the hill by bus, and taken through by guides. It is a glimpse into the life of wealth and power of that time, and the many famous guests who visited.
We drove on to the pretty town of San Luis Obispo for the night.
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