appeared in about 1890,

appeared in about 1890, featuring curved designs, often inspired by nature. You can find it on the façade of La Samaritaine and in Belle Époque era restaurants, and at 29 Avenue Rapp, a stone’s throw from the Eiffel Tower is one of the most impressive art nouveau doors ever created. A good example is Le Boullion Julien in the Rue du Faubourg St-Denis, a monument historique where a mahogany bar and tables sit under a glass canopied ceiling and huge mirrors line the walls. The decorations include brass fittings, intricate plaster mouldings and designs featuring peacocks, flowers and – on the ceiling! – herons. Many of the Bouillon restaurants which opened in the 19th century to offer quality food at affordable prices, can still be visited today, a chance to go back in time and enjoy impeccable waiter service in art nouveau surroundings. The city’s grandest Belle Époque restaurant is Le Train Bleu at the Gare de Lyon, which opened in 1901 as a station buffet. Its extravagant décor, designed to attract well-to-do customers wanting to dine before travelling south for the summer, was art nouveau taken to the very dizziest of heights. The golden ceiling is punctuated by chandeliers, the walls are covered in paintings. The tables are impeccably laid with the crispest of white tablecloths, the heaviest of proper cutlery and the shiniest of glasses. The very finest brasserie cuisine is served and if you find the prices a little higher than elsewhere, remind yourself that you are in a restaurant where Brigitte Bardot and Jean Cocteau chose to treat themselves. If you want to wander an area of Paris and find the Belle Époque today, then here are three ideas. A Belle Époque Grand Vista Stroll across the Alexandre III bridge, from the left bank towards the Grand Palais and the Petit Palais. The bridge was built in 1900, its single elegant arch a technical triumph and its elaborate decorations fully Belle Époque in their exuberance: pairs of stately street-lamps line it, the decorations include dozens of carvings and gold-plated statues. And the vista is Belle Époque too, for it was built for the Universal Alexandre III bridge Exhibition of 1900 to lead visitors across the Seine to two new exhibition halls which would showcase the latest in art and design, namely the Grand Palais and the Petit Palais. The Grand Palais was another feat of engineering. The vast, elegant domed roof is supported by an iron and steel frame which looks light and airy, but in fact contains more metal than the Eiffel Tower! Normally used for large scale exhibitions, it is currently closed for renovation and not due to reopen until 2024. But the Petit Palais, which houses the City of Paris Museum of Fine Arts, is open as usual and entry to the permanent exhibition is free, meaning it’s easy to have a look around the beautiful interior with its spiral staircases and curved iron railings, stained glass windows and ceiling murals. Its café, where a columned patio curves around a little garden, is always worth a visit. Le Boullion Julien Cafe of the Petit Palais 22 | The Good Life France Train Bleu The Good Life France | 23