http://www.tiara-hotels.com/hotel.asp?id_hotel=9&idioma=FR
The girls were up bright and early the next morning. We enjoyed a lovely breakfast in the dining room. Elisabeth and Kate enjoyed the bacon, croissants and butter. Elisabeth and Kate were well behaved. Although when Kate wants to sit on your lap and be held during breakfast it is a sign that a meltdown is coming! Rich and I quickly finished our coffee for a "no fuss" exit.
Domaine de Chantilly
From La Chapelee en-Serval we drove 10 minutes to Domaine de Chantilly. We arrived early at 9:30am. We were the first to arrive in the parking lot. There was a slight dusting of snow on the ground that morning and a breathtaking view of the Chateau. It didn't open until 10:30am so we walked past the opulent stables into an adorable French town adjacent to Chantilly. We bought a traditional French pastry to celebrate the new year at a Boulangerie. Inside the pastry was a tile and whoever found it was Queen or King for the day. We bought two tiles and pastries so that each of the girls could be Queen! Elisabeth was the Queen of France, Kate was the Queen of Belgium. Elisabeth and Kate wore their crowns over their snow hats as it was quite a cold morning.
Chateaux de Chantilly: The Duke's Private Apartment & Gardens
We walked back to the Chateaux. First, we enjoyed a tour of the Duke's private apartments. I would highly recommend paying for this extra tour. We were able to see so much more of the daily life of the royal family. In each room the tour guide, undid the rope and let us walk into each of the rooms! The tour was in French and was very interesting. We were most impressed by the toilet: an impressive view of the extensive grounds from the window.
Elisabeth listened attentively and said that she could understand French (and that she could read in French!). Kate on the other hand didn't last long. When she wanted to be carried, we knew she was done (as were we!) We didn't bring the stroller to Europe!
We left the tour and walked around the extensive grounds and garden. We ate lunch at the lovely restaurant buffet at Chateaux de Chantilly. Only the French can make a buffet so upscale and sophisticated. The desserts were magnificent - I think we all gained 10 pounds in just one weekend. Their secret: butter (lots of it!). The French make everything taste incredibly delicious, including the spinach!
Later in the afternoon we visited the impressive horse stables at Chantilly. Apparently, the Duke believed in reincarnation and that he would be reincarnated as a horse. The Duke built sumptuous stables for his horses and for him to live in the afterlife. The horse stables resembled a castle.
http://www.chateaudechantilly.com/chateauchantilly/uk/index.html
Spectacle de Noel
At Chantilly, there was a Spectacle de Noel at the Grand Stable. We bought four tickets to "Le Chevalier Lancelot et la foret Magique" in the stadium in advance. The show was sold out. An incredible performance combining music, acrobats, choreography, acting and the elegance of the horses. At the end, Santa rode out into the stadium in his carriage with four tiny ponies pulling the carriage. Elisabeth and Kate were in awe. Kate sat on the edge of her seat and watched and listened attentively. Remarkable for a four and six year old.
After the show we enjoyed hot chocolate and crepes outside the stadium. We visited the stables and the horses. Elisabeth liked Santa's ponies the best. Kate liked the white Andalusian horse.
http://www.museevivantducheval.fr/uk/index.html
We had bought a day pass to Domaine de Chantilly so we walked back to the Chateaux and enjoyed walking through the snow covered gardens. We also enjoyed visiting the public rooms and exhibits. My favorite was the library - a wonderful collection of books. Elisabeth loved the sculpture gallery.
Later in the evening we walked into town and ate at a French crepe restaurant. We ordered a pizza crepe, potato and ham crepe, pear and ham and another crepe with ice cream. Delicious!
Hiking in the Chantilly Forest
The next morning we enjoyed a lovely breakfast as well as hiking through the Chantilly forest surrounding the Chateaux. It was a cold crisp winter morning with blue skies. The moon was still out. Elisabeth and Kate pretended to be horses galloping along the trail. At one point Kate stopped and came back to us. She held our hands and said that "she needed an owner".
Chateau de Pierrefonds
After our hike we set off to visit another castle and medieval town, Pierrefonds. It was a lovely drive through the French countryside. Initially we drove south to Plailly before merging onto the highway. We enjoy the country roads and the scenery although we do appreciate the speed of the highway! The castle in Pierrefonds sits high on a hill overlooking the town and river. We parked down below and walked up to the castle. We enjoyed a quick (and free!) one hour tour. Apparently, museums and castles are free to the public on the first Monday of the month in France (NOTE: In Belgium, the museums are free the first Wednesday of the month after 12 pm).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Château_de_Pierrefonds
Pierrefonds is a reinterpretation of a medieval castle. It is quite impressive, but the restoration has been criticized. I think the girls were most impressed by the chapel, specifically the rose window and stain glass. Elisabeth enjoyed taking pictures of it with her new camera from Santa.
Elisabeth and Kate enjoyed running around the main courtyard (see photo below). We walked down the hill and we ate lunch at a little brasserie in Pierrefonds along the river. We enjoyed French "pizza" before we drove back to Belgium.
We fell in love with France. It is remarkably kid-friendly, the food is delicious and we can wait to go back! We would love to spend the month of July in France (although it might be hot!).
