The Monroes became very popular in France, where the diplomat's lady received the affectionate name of la belle Americaine.

WHITEHOUSE: Elizabeth Kortright Monroe

Glieberman is building and selling 100 condo chalets on nearby Lac La Belle, but he plans to keep his mountain rough and raw.

FORBES: Magazine Article

But now France is getting in on the act, in the hope that its enjoyment of la belle vie will be vindicated in the face of relatively slow economic growth.

FORBES: Magazine Article

Though inconspicuous from the outside, the interior of Absinthesalon seems to have travelled back in time, to a small bar in France during La Belle Epoque period (the late 19th to early 20th Century).

BBC: Sydney brings absinthe down under