À la fin de quoi?

Question

Are the expressions "à la fin de" and "au bout de" interchangeable or are they used in different contexts?

Cécile Janty-Davies · Accepted Answer

Hi Steve, 
The text says -
at the end of this magnificent feast = à la fin de ce ce magnifique festin
Here, you couldn't use 'au bout de'. 
It means, not at the beginning or in the middle but at the end of the meal, the chocolate log was brought.
Below are some examples with 'au bout de' which can be at the extremity of -

Au bout de la rue il y a une bibliothèque = There is a library at the end of the street 
L'oiseau est perché au bout de la branche = The bird is perched at the end of the branch

or a time frame meaning after 
Au bout de deux heures, ils nous ont donné une réponse = They gave us an answer after two hours