Hearst Castle is located on California Highway 1, about halfway between San Francisco and Los Angeles, near San Simeon, California, on a hill overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Driving time from either city is four to six hours. Hearst Castle featured 56 bedrooms, 61 bathrooms, 19 sitting rooms, 127 acres of gardens, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, tennis courts, a movie theater, an airfield, and the world’s largest private zoo. The Indoor pool appears to be styled after an ancient Roman bath such as the Baths of Caracalla in Rome c. 211-17 AD. The mosaic tiled patterns were inspired by mosaics found in the 5th Century Mausoleum of Galla Placidia in Ravenna, Italy.

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Porto Moniz is located about 46 km from Funchal on the northwest tip of Madeira. The name Porto Moniz was a tribute to Francisco Moniz, who married a granddaughter of Gonçalves Zarco, to whom the place was donated. It is famous for its natural rock bathing pools that are filled by the tide with crystal clear water.

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