A bit of Florida sunshine for 4th of July party

(CS) US Ambassador to Luxembourg Robert A. Mandell brought a bit of his native Florida to the Grand Duchy on Thursday with a beach-style Independence Day party - burgers, hot dogs and Caipirinhas included.

Marking the second time the Ambassador has celebrated Fourth of July in Luxembourg, Mandell said about the evening: “I am from Florida, and I wanted to share a little bit of Florida with you, not because I am homesick for Florida – I love Luxembourg and am very happy to be here – but so that you could share a little bit of the colour and special flavour of our beautiful sunny state.”

The sun did indeed shine in the evening of an otherwise overcast day, and guests enjoyed the casual atmosphere of the event, which was nonetheless rendered festive by a special US Air Force Honour Guard from Spangdahlem in Germany presenting the flags of the United States and Luxembourg, as New York soprano Melanie Gall sang both the “Heemecht” and the Star-Spangled Banner anthems.

A shared past for a shared future

Guest of honour was US Senator for Florida and former astronaut William Nelson, who has been staying in Luxembourg for the past week, discovering the shared World War Two history of the US and the Grand Duchy.

“Shared history and shared memories bring lasting friendship,” Nelson said, thanking Luxembourg for “our enduring friendship” on behalf of the US government. However, this friendship was not just about evoking the past, the Senator added. With negotiations for a trade agreement between the EU and US underway he said that it also created future opportunities.

Nelson also spoke about his experiences as an astronaut, saying that he had seen the fragile atmosphere surrounding our planet looking down on Earth, an experience that made him “more of an environmentalist.” More than that though, Nelson said that you don't see any political, religious or ethnic divisions on Earth from this widened perspective. “We're all in this together,” he said, as “citizens of planet Earth.”

Guests enjoy the Summer party

Among the guests which had come to celebrate the 237th anniversary of the declaration of independence were several Luxembourg politicians, including Finance Minister Luc Frieden, Labour Minister Nicolas Schmit and Chamber of Deputies President Laurent Mosar.

Several members of the diplomat corps, including British Ambassador Alice Walpole, Finnish Ambassador Marja Lehto, Turkish Ambassador Celalettin Kart and Japanese Ambassador Wataru Nishigahiro, had come to celebrate with their colleague.

Representatives of Luxembourg's international business community were joined by Second World War veterans, star chef Léa Linster and Chamberlain of the Grand Ducal household Paul Lesch.

In total around 350 guests attended the summery party, which saw the Cercle Cité on Place d'Armes transformed into a Florida beach including deck chairs, exotic flowers, beach balls and sun glasses – only the sand was missing.