La Belle Époque, France's Beautiful Age

I'm excited about an upcoming book release, A Paris Apartment, which tells the story of a woman living in Paris during the belle époque. The years from 1871 to 1914 were a time of indulgence, optimism and innovation which came to an end with the advent of World War I. But the building and artistic endeavours during this period helped shape the Paris that we know and love today.

The city of Paris played host to two World's Fairs during this time. The first exposition in 1889 saw construction of the iconic Eiffel Tower.

Eiffel Tower, Paris

Paris - Left Bank

Paris, 2010 - We were in Paris on Trafalgar's Contrasts of Europe train tour, with a free day ahead of us. The previous day we had spent exploring the Right Bank and today we would focus on the Left Bank, la Rive Gauche.

We started our morning on Ile de la Cité, the birthplace of this great city. Our first stop was the Gothic chapel Sainte-Chapelle to view the stained glass windows of the upper chapel. Our Museum Pass covered our admission here, and also allowed us to bypass the long line for tickets. Some of the windows were under renovation and covered by scaffolding, but the remaining windows in their rich reds and blues were an inspiring sight.

Upper Chapel of Sainte-Chapelle, Paris