Looking through time
Cafe de FlorHere at the tables of the street cafe it's fundebates a circle of surrealists led by the young Spaniard Dali and his Russian wife. And here is no less young, but already recognized master - Picasso - throws three strokes on a white sheet and pays for dinner with this sketch. The spirit of bohemia still hovers in restaurants, cabarets, pubs, where Oscar Wilde or Paul Verlaine once sought inspiration. Of course, time cannot be turned back, and yet, how pleasant it is to drink tart mulled wine at an old table, to which a sign is modestly nailed: "Renoir sat here". So, where can you find such a table? There are quite a lot of places, we will tell you about the most famous ... Bohemian Paris Yes, it was the capital of France that was the heart of bohemian life in Europe a century ago. Therefore, we will talk about its famous restaurants separately. The most famous cafes in Paris are the "Agile Rabbit" and the "Two Mills" in Montmartre - the same ones that "showed up" in the film "Amelie". And also the "Café de Flore" and "Prokop" in the Latin Quarter - creative poor people like Utrillo and Modigliani used to gather there, and today, they say, you can meet Catherine Deneuve, Jean-Paul Belmondo and other French celebrities there.
«Nimble Rabbit» – isa coquettish red house with green shutters and a remarkable sign showing a nimble rabbit jumping out of the cook's pot at the last moment. Once upon a time, this was a village eatery called the "Killer's Cabaret". True, no one was killed here - they only had verbal duels on literary themes. In 1902, the famous chansonnier Aristide Bruant bought this tavern and ordered a new sign from his friend Andre Gilles. He painted the funny sign, from which the establishment got its name. Not all visitors, however, favored the Montmartre artists and their modern painting. One writer, wanting to laugh at their "daubing", once, in the presence of many witnesses, tied a brush to a donkey's tail and put a canvas under it. "The artist" did a great job. Her masterpiece, called "Sunset over the Adriatic", was included in the Salon des Artistes Indépendants, had a resounding success and was sold for 400 francs!
The current owners still cherish itThe Agile Rabbit has a creative atmosphere. In the evenings, many people come here to drink cherry liqueur and listen to the French accordion. In the semi-dark hall, everyone present joins in the songs and it is difficult to tell who is a visitor and who is an artist. One after another, singers, comedians, mimes enter here and after their performance, they hurry on to the next bohemian establishment. For example, to Galette - one of the two famous Parisian windmills (the second Moulin Rouge). Manet, Renoir, Van Gogh, Toulouse-Lautrec - they all painted this picturesque corner of Montmartre. Throughout Europe, Café Americain is considered the greatest of the great cafes in such a bohemian city as Amsterdam. Suffice it to say that it was here that Mata Hari held a reception on the occasion of her wedding.
Bewley's Oriental Café is locatedin Dublin. It has a very interesting history. At one time, two giants of Irish literature, Oscar Wilde and James Joyce, liked to seek inspiration in this establishment. Bewley's Oriental Café is famous for its Bewley's tea and Bewley's breakfast. The Central coffee house was opened in Vienna in the 19th century. According to Trotsky, it was in this cafe that the Russian revolution was born. Where, if not here, can you try real Viennese coffee and delicious apple coffee? The Opera café in Stockholm is only a place for cultural tea drinking during the day, but at night it is a nightclub. Both Greta Garbo and Ingrid Bergman have sat in the Opera. However, the memory of Madonna's visit to this Stockholm establishment is much fresher. Gourmets recommend trying marinated herring here for lunch, washed down with a glass of strong Aquavit.
Café Florian is located in the heart of Venice,on St. Mark's Square. The interior decoration made of Murano glass amazes modern tourists no less than Casanova, Byron, Goethe and Proust did in their time. Having visited Café Florian, you should definitely try a piece of haute-couture cake. The extravagant Metropole café was founded in Brussels in the 19th century and became much more famous than the hotel in which it is located. In their time, Albert Einstein and Marie Curie were often seen here. Paul Verlaine also had a drink or two here a couple of times, but only when fate threw the penniless poet a little money. The rest of the time, he and his young friend Rimbaud were regulars at cheap pubs that have long since disappeared from the face of the Belgian capital.
