When you visit Chantilly, you step back into another time. The fairy-tale chateau and Le Nôtre’s gardens set the stage for mystery, intrigue, and imagination. And, on Nuit des Musées, the past was alive and festive. From (tattooed) maids-a-riding, their silk trains blowing in the wind … to friendly lords-a-leaping, their smiles saying “follow me” (so I did!) … to cantering horses moving gracefully through the gardens. We were at a fête of another age.
Then night fell, the full moon rose, and the castle—at least in my imagination—moved in a decidedly haunted direction. Menacing statues. Shadowy figures. Flickering candles. Colonel Moutarde did it in the bibliothèque with the candlestick.
And just as I felt I was about to be swallowed up by a revolving secret bookcase, fireworks lit the sky. We all turned to look, leaving the ghosts free to dance behind us, as they no doubt were before we came.
Meredith Mullins is an internationally exhibited American photographer, currently living in Paris. Visit www.meredithmullins.artspan.com to see more of the Paris images. Her award-winning book, In A Paris Moment (click here to order), and her 2009 Paris Calendar published by Browntrout Publishing can be ordered online or in bookstores throughout Paris and the U.S. Original photographs are available directly through the artist. She will be teaching several photography workshops this summer (and a special workshop for teenagers beginning July 20) and is available for private photography instruction/exploration in Paris. Sign up for an information-filled, creative half-day lesson! Contact: meredithmullins@earthlink.net
This feature is courtesy of Eye Prefer Paris and Richard Nahem, who offer fantastic walking tours and cooking classes in Paris. Learn more at EyePreferParisTours.com.
