France: Domaine de Chantilly
Starting France exploration with a bang of a beautiful royal castle in Chantilly – Domaine de Chantilly – long owned by French Bourbons and various Condé princes. The domain is a large estate that includes the chateau with surrounding man-made lakes and beautiful gardens and Great Stables. The chateau is a fairytale Renaissance structure, seemingly floating in water, built for Louis XIV and his cousins. Inside is a famous Condé Museum with an art collection that is second only to the Louvre Museum in Paris. Equally grand are the Great Stables, that at one time housed nearly 60 purebred horses. Today, there are 26 horses, 12 ponies and 3 donkeys here, that perform daily equestrian shows.
