Fog and Castles
On a recent trip to France my wife and I had a chance to visit the Chateau de Chantilly in the town of Chantilly. On the morning that we went it was quite foggy and admittedly I was a bit worried that we wouldn't be able to take any pictures. Luckily though, not only were we able to take photos, but the fog actually made the shots turn out really neat. In fact, I personally think that the fog made them a little more interesting then they would be other wise.
The first shot below was one of my favorites. For me the shot has a welcoming feel that is also sort of haunting.
The next shot is of one of the turrets of the castle. It also shows the moat that surrounds it. The castle courtyard is to the left of the turret and the main entrance is to the right.
The next is of the opposite side of the turret. I'm not sure what this building is exactly but it looks like a livings quarters to me. Maybe for servants?
The bridge in the next shot is for the main entrance to the castle. Again, with the fog it looks sort of haunting to me. I really like this one.
I thought that the spikes in this shot (below) were pretty neat. I assume that they are to deter or inhibit invaders from climbing up the wall. Spikes at entrances and surrounding the moats were a common theme at the castle. For instance, around the outer moat there was a stone wall in front of a ditch that had spear length spikes sticking out of it. It appeared that these were to stop people from jumping over the wall. When I saw them I said to my wife "those spikes would have been taken down long ago in Canada. They are a major liability. Imagine a kid jumping that wall at night and impaling themselves?" To that, my wife replied "I dont think they care about that sort of thing here. If you do something stupid and hurt yourself then you're an idiot and it's your fault. I dont think people here sue for their own mistakes like they do in North America."
I'm not sure if she's right or not but I think I agree and prefer her take on it.
In this next shot, I was really curious about the low windows with the bars on them. Unfortunately, I never found out what their purpose was. I dont know if they are a dungeon or simply a storage basement. I like to imagine that they are a dungeon though.
I don't read French all that well but I assume that this is Louis the 14th standing over his enemies after some major battle. It actually reminds me of the statue in "Game of Throne" of King Joffree standing over a beheaded Dire Wolf that represents King Rob Stark.
Was King Louis actually in and apart of the battle? Or is history just written to portray kings as courageous heros? I'm sure that most kings simply showed up to battle on the last day of war to kill a token enemy and claim victory for themselves. Forget about the soldiers who actually fought in battle - the king is the real hero. Its funny how history works isn't it?
Anyway, moving on.
This next shot is a profile of the church. At the top right you can see a statue of, I believe, a priest reading the bible. I thought that was a neat little detail in the architecture. It kind of says, "God is watching over the castle."
The next shot is of the inner courtyard. I really like the darkness of this one.
The picture below is a front view of the church. Again, notice the priest looking over the castle. I see this as, kind of a two pillars of power sort of thing. Back then, and possibly still today to some extent, the king and the church hold an almost equal amount of power and control over the people.
Moving towards the main entrance to the castle is this statue. It can be seen from afar as you walk up the lane way to the castle. Unfortunately, I never found out who it was on the horse.
The next photo is a panoramic view of the castles main entrance. Directly behind me is the statue of the man on the horse. The walkway is the bridge over the moat that was shown in a picture above. To the left is the church and to the right is "the dungeons."
Two sets of hounds guard the castles entrance. I didn't notice the triangle on the hounds flank until reviewing the photo. Needless to say I'm not sure what its significance is but I'm sure it was intentional and that it has some sort of meaning. Also notice the spikes to the left that inhibit invaders from climbing the wall near the main gate.
Welcome to the Chantilly Castle
Main Entrance
Thanks for Stopping Bye
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Your photos made us feel that you and your wife have been to a placelike very historic and that of like the palace somehow of kings and queens. the architectural structures are kinda like that 😊
Your post has been recommended by @gungho for my up-gage challenge
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Yes the castle is very historic. It was built several hundred years ago and it housed many royals and barons. Thank you for the recommendation. I appreciate it :)
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Hi! @leaky20!
I have top recommended this post for #up-gage by @zephalexia
Thanks you so much I appreciate the support :)
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Wow I'm super impressed, you really nailed it on a bunch of these images. Thanks for sharing these, it's a wonderful collection! congrat's!
Michael Irvine
Thanks a lot. I appreciate it :)
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Those are some cool photos, especially with the fog! And yeah haunting is a pretty good word to describe some of it. Looks like a neat area and like a fun adventure! Hope you had a great time. :)
Thanks man I appreciate it. Yeah it was a fun adventure. I've never been to Europe before that trip so it was something new for me.
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These are the most amazing buildings! I've never been to France let alone Europe. If I ever get a chance, I'd like to visit one day.
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It was my first time visiting Europe as well. I highly recommend it if you get the opportunity. It was a nice experience
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These are the most amazing buildings! I've never been to France let alone Europe. If I ever get a chance, I'd like to visit one day.
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