Chantilly, France
I kept thinking this whole birthday trip surprise was just one elaborate April fool’s joke until we boarded the plane at CLT last night at 6:00 pm. I’m happy to report the trip is real and the flight over here was no joke either.
Definitely the worst turbulence we’ve ever been in. It lasted about 3 to 3.5 hours. Flight attendants were ordered to stay in their seats and we didn’t even get served dinner until after 10 p.m. At one point the pilot told us “A change in altitude won’t help the turbulence because every plane above and below us is screaming.” Screaming what, Sir?!?
Anyway, we obviously made it off the plane safely and out of Charles De Gaulle Airport with little more than some emotional trauma. The airport was so crowded and the train we intended to take to our hotel was not running. On top of that, the airport was filled with bomb-sniffing dogs and soldiers with assault rifles patrolling the ticketing area.
It, literally, took us HOURS to get out of the airport. A cancelled train and dead cell phone made restrategizing a little difficult. We eventually settled on the more costly but least stressful option of taking a taxi to our hotel in Chantilly.
Chantilly – like Paris – is gorgeous, but in a softer way. It is a small town north of Paris with cobblestone streets and an extensive history. The main attraction here (and where we spent most of our day) is The Chateau de Chantilly. The Chateau is a French country estate originally owned and occupied by the cousins of the French royal family. It is now a publicly owned museum to house the family’s art, furniture and collections.
Entry into the Chateau also included entry into the garden grounds and The Museum of the Horse (located in the former Grand Stables) which included real horses among other treasures!
The Chateau is about a mile from our hotel, so during the leisurely walk back we stopped at several of the shops along the route to pick up items for dinner – wine, cheese, baguette etc. . .
Now, we’re in the room trying to stay awake. We learned the hard way about succumbing to jet lag on our last trip to Europe. A nap on day one means many more days of foggy-minded misery. Our goal is to make it to 9:00 pm – lets see how this goes.
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