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8:29 p.m. September 17, 2012
Chantilly: The Saving Grace of France
By Jeaneane Payne
Our Paris getaway began at a beautiful, quaint Bed & Breakfast Inn situated just outside of Chantilly, France.
My son-in-law, Logan, serves in the United States Force. He is stationed in Germany where he and my daughter, Rebecca, live in a very lovely village.
I flew into Frankfurt, Germany from the U.S. for a three week visit which was to include a getaway to Paris and various parts of Germany, including Trier, Kaisersloutern, Ramstein AFB, and Dachau.
We had decided to find a B&B close to France so that we could experience the countryside and warm hospitality. Our travel experiences usually include the mom and pop businesses because we appreciate the wonderful service they offer in a home-like environment. They are also more affordable and gracious.
Before leaving the states, I had attempted to request availability at various lodging places near Paris, including B&B's, a houseboat on the Seine River, quaint hotels, and apartments. Twelve requests were sent without a single response.
I eventually gave up and decided to wait until I got to Germany and sit down with Logan and Rebecca and do a joint search for lodging.
Logan and Rebecca got out their laptops and began searching and searching. Logan decided to search Google maps for Bed & Breakfast inns near Paris.
From the map that appeared, he clicked on an area close to Paris. A lot of numbered inns were on the map, and he randomly chose number 2.
Number 2 on the map turned out to be an inn situated in the very, very small commune of Le Plessis Luzarches, France located approximately 10 miles from Chantilly.
Aux fleurs de Cerises Bed & Breakfast; Chantilly, Paris. Image by Jeaneane Payne
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He was able to make contact with the innkeeper of Aux fleurs de Cerises via email and successfully booked two rooms at the inn for two nights.
The inn was a six hour drive from Logan and Rebecca's home in Germany. Eventually arriving at the inn, we were shocked to find such a beautiful, quaint Bed & Breakfast. Located in a secure, gated area Logan called the innkeeper to let her know of our arrival. She met us at the gate with a warm welcome and, after giving us a complete tour of the inn, she showed us to our lovely rooms.
We were ready for dinner and inquired about nearby restaurants. She advised us to drive into Chantilly where we would find a number of very nice restaurants.
We discovered an absolutely beautiful city and drove through the marketplace to choose a good place to have dinner. After deciding on an attractive cafe with indoor and outdoor dining, we found a parking place nearby. We briskly walked to the little cafe looking forward to relaxing after a long day of traveling and getting accustomed to a strange country, trying to find a commune in the countryside, and driving into a city where few people spoke English.
Upon our arrival at this cafe, we were refused seating even though there were a lot of empty tables. The hostess told us we couldn't be seated and told us to go to another restaurant. As we left, a man in a wheelchair requested to be seated at a table but was also turned away. We assumed were were rejected because we are Americans.
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Logan and Rebecca at Giorgio Trattoria Italian Restaurant; Chantilly, Paris. Image by Jeaneane Payne
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We walked across the street and enjoyed a pleasant dinner at Giorgio Trattoria Italian restaurant where we were warmly received and experienced excellent service.
We went back to our inn and enjoyed a good night's sleep underneath down comforters while listening to the hooting of the owls. Awakened by a rooster crowing the following morning, we prepared for a wonderful day in Paris.
Our day in Paris turned into a nightmare, and we decided to return to Chantilly.
On day three of our getaway, we drove back into Chantilly to discover more of this charming city.
We had not been successful in getting directions from the French people and thought we should venture out on our own to see what we could find.
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L'Etrier Cafe; Chantilly, Paris. Image by Jeaneane Payne |
Driving down some side streets, we came across a little cafe, found a convenient parking space, and chose a table on the outdoor patio.
The menu was easy to interpret at L'Etrier, the food was wonderful, and the service was excellent. We arrived at the restaurant about ten minutes before the lunch hour. Shortly, every table was filled with business people in groups of 6 to 10.
Across the street was a Catholic church which we visited after lunch. Being raised as Baptists, it was interesting to view the beautiful interior and see things we were not familiar with.
After slowly inching our way out of the spacious parking space we had found but had been blocked in by another vehicle, we took off to discover Chantilly.
The cafe was located half a block from what appeared to be a city gate made of large stones. Choosing to drive through the gate, we discovered Castle Chantilly (Château de Chantilly), a magnificent castle which also houses the Musée Condé, one of the finest art galleries in France.
Musée Condé, Chantilly, France
We were very attracted to Musée Condé; however, it was closed that day.
The Petit Château, part of Château de Chantilly, has a library which contains over 1300 manuscripts and 12,500 printed volumes, including a Gutenberg Bible that is part of the collection of over 700 books printed before 1501 in Europe), and 200 medieval manuscripts.
Chantilly is popular for its race course. Located in the country's main horse training area on 65 hectares next to the Chantilly Forest, the racecourse hosts the Prix du Jockey Club, the third of the French racing season's five Classic Races.
Chantilly was well planned. Its streets are beautifully laid out, and its upper-class neighborhoods flaunt its riches.
An average size 4 bedroom home in Chantilly will cost 720,000 euro ($922,840 USD).
This wonderful city is very rich in culture and should be a definite stop on a European tour.
Chantilly is a wonderful place to visit and, for us, it was the saving grace of France.
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