New year, new chateau

We are rounding out the end of our second year.   Even though our life here is comfortable and at times routine,  we are still trying not to take our situation for granted.  We've continued to make friends, find new sites to visit, and explore our area.  This weekend, we decided to head north of Paris to the Domaine de Chantilly.

The original chateau in this domaine was burned down during the French revolution.  A new one was built the 1870s.  The grounds are stunning (the garden was designed by Andre Le Notre), but the chateau is also the location of the Condé Museum which has an impressive art collection.  Second only to the Louvre (according to Wikipedia).

There is also a renowned equestrian museum next to the chateau.  It was a bit too much for us to do in one day, so we saved it for next time.

 Most of the chateaux we've visited so far have dragons or lions at the entrance. This one had hound dogs.  There was a strong hunting theme through out the chateau, so the statutes at the entrance were quite appropriate.

 Beagles in the house!

 Rarely do I see non-Europeans in French paintings, so this piece caught my eye.

The museum has three Raphael's on display.  The three graces above was tucked away in one of the small galleries of the museum.  The museum is not very big, but you must take care to visit all the little nooks and crannies lest you miss a fine piece of art.