"La Belle Époque"!

Friday
Another fine sunny day, and I decided to try somewhere different for my daily walk, driving to the locks on the River Seine at Bois-le-Roi. Walking north along the river, I passed a number of magnificent mansions, such as the one shown in my blip, built during the period known as the "Belle Époque", a period in European history, stretching from the mid 19th c. to the beginning of the First World War. It was a period characterized by optimism, peace at home, scientific discovery and new technology. The peace and prosperity in Paris allowed the arts to flourish, and many masterpieces of literature, music, theatre and visual art gained recognition. Once the railway had entered the Seine valley, the Parisian bourgeoisie began to build vacation homes on the banks of the river, on the edge of the Forest of Fontainebleau, especially between Fontainebleau and Melun. The Paris-born architect and painter, Louis Périn (1871-1940) was responsible for several of these mansions in Bois-le-Roi, and this particular villa is the one he built for himself in 1905. It is currently in the process of being converted into 10 apartments, the left part of the building being the front of a separate, quite extensive wing, which was added at a later date. As you see the see these magnificent homes from the outside, you can't help but long for a peek inside!
This evening Roger and I celebrated Valentines Day a day early, by going out for a meal in Barbizon, since tomorrow evening we are going to the cinema in Fontainebleau to see the digital broadcast live from the Metropolitan Opera in New York, which starts at 6.30pm.