October 4, 2012

C H A N T I L LY

I had heard about Chantilly from someone here in Vaujours who had recently been there for a picnic, so when Ron and Judy Taylor arrived Thursday for their long weekend visit (via Hong Kong) and we wanted to do something mid-afternoon, I suggested Chantilly.

Chateau de Chantilly & Forest ,owned by the Institute of France,  is set in the middle of a romantic moat in the heart of the forest. One of the most beautiful chateux around Paris, Le Grand Chateau was destroyed during the French Revolution but has been re-created and is now home to the Conde Museum, a fabulous art collection, and the Horse Museum and Great Stables (circa 1719). The Horse Museum is housed in a monumental stone building that at its height housed 240 horses and 300 hounds.  Dressage demonstrations are open to the public, and Chantilly is the site of one of France's major horse racing tracks.  Le Petit Chateau was built around 1560 for Anne de Montmorency. 

We only had a few hours to see the grounds and, unfortunately did not have time to see the Horse Museum or the Dressage (on my list for next time), nor did we get into the museum. It was enough for us just to drink in the sights before our eyes and imagine what it must have been liked to be either the owner of the chateau, preparing for a hunt with the foxes and hounds, or unluckier to be one of the servants which the chateau must have required just to keep running smoothly.  The day was cloudy, but the sun occasionally peeked out, and it was not a very long drive from Vaujours.

We enjoyed the grounds and the chateau enormously, and it was a great way for them to start their visit.

 Anne de Montmorency, soldier, statesman and for decades, an influential member of the French court, especially that of Francis I, was born in Chantilly in 1483. The Montmorency family acquired Chantilly in 1450 through marriage and built the chateau that stands today, one of the most celebrated domains in France.

We were not disappointed!