Sunday morning started with a bang- of thunder. Our luck was running low as we headed out to the castle and racetrack of Chantilly. We were afraid the skies would never clear and our outdoor picnic would be ruined. But thanks to some quick thinking, our Déjeuner sur l'herbe evolved into a lovely indoor picnic at the historic Jeux De Paume (indoor tennis court that dates back to 1756) of the Condé family.
The sun emereged as we made our way to the famous racetrack to attend the Prix du Jockey Club, one of the premiere races of the season. This exciting race attracted many famous people, including the American ambassador to France and Omar Sharif, whose horses competed in several events.
This morning, we were treated to a wonderful PowerPoint presentation by the sophomore art history students- a great way to prepare for our Orsay Museum visit tomorrow. After a delicious Daniélou lunch, we headed out to Malmaison, the country home of Napolean Bonaparte and his first wife, Josephine. Our tour guide provided us with a captivating, anecdotal tour of the residence. The girls were very excited to see some of the original dresses and shoes of Empress Josephine, who owned over 700 gowns.
The high point of our day was the delicious dinner prepared by the head chef of Daniélou, also attended by students and teachers from Holton Arms and Madeira Schools, as well as all the French host families. It was a time for many words of thanks and appreciation.
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