Posts Tagged ‘Independence Day’

A Great Day for a Fourth-of-July Garden Party

Wednesday, July 4th, 2012
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Every year at this time the American ambassador in Paris holds a garden party at his residence to celebrate Independence Day. This year was no exception. Although rain was forecast, the weather turned out to be largely warm and sunny, with only a smidgen of rain. It was, then, a great day for a Fourth-of-July garden party!

The theme this year was American food, and there was lots of that!

I went to the corn dog stand and got two delicious corn dogs, one after the other, served with mustard.

Cord Dog Stand (in foreground)

Corn Dog Stand (in foreground)
Photography by www.DiscoverParis.net

Make Mine with Mustard

Make Mine with Mustard
Photography by www.DiscoverParis.net

Then, I made my way over to the beverage stand where I saw that three American beers were being served. I opted for the craft beer Blue Moon. Nice!

Three American Beers

Three American Beers
Photography by www.DiscoverParis.net

After the beer it was time for fried shrimp. I walked past the hamburger stand…

Hamburger Stand

Hamburger Stand
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

Serving Hamburgers

Serving Hamburgers to an Eager Crowd
Photography by www.DiscoverParis.net

…and made my way to the fried shrimp stand.

Serving Fried Shrimp

Serving Fried Shrimp
Photography by www.DiscoverParis.net

Then, over to the Häagen-Dazs stand for some ice cream…

Häagan-Dazs Stand

Häagan-Dazs Stand
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

…where I ordered a MiniCup Macadamia Nut Brittle. I went back later for a Cream Crisp Cookies & Cream. Heavenly!

I had eaten my fill, so I could safely walk around and look at the desserts without feeling tempted for more. There was an American flag made out of colorful puddings. What a great idea! As people took the dessert, a server behind the counter would immediately replace the empty space with an appropriately-colored pudding.

American Flag

American Flag
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

Then there were cookies and doughnuts…

Cookies and Doughnuts

Cookies and Doughnuts
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

And cheesecake…

Band Admirer

Band Admirer
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

Oops! Wrong photo. And cheesecake…

Cheesecake

Cheesecake
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

And cotton candy…

Cotton Candy Stand

Cotton Candy Stand
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

A Fourth-of-July celebration wouldn’t be complete with flags, speeches, and music…

Bringing up the Colors

Bringing up the Colors
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

The official choir of the American Embassy, The Dip Notes, sang the “Marseillaise” and then the “Star Spangled Banner”. Great harmony, ladies!

The Dip Notes

The Dip Notes
Photography by www.DiscoverParis.net

Both American Ambassador Charles H. Rivkin and French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault gave speeches about the importance of French-American friendship in confronting the problems of our strife-torn world.

Ambassador Rivkin and Prime Minister Ayrault

Ambassador Rivkin and Prime Minister Ayrault
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

And finally, The Diplomats, the U.S. Naval Forces Europe band, played rock, funk, rhythm and blues, and pop.

Band Admirer

Band Admirer
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

Oops! How did that photo get in again? Here is a picture of the lead singer belting out “Flash Light” by Parliament. Awesome!

The Diplomats

The Diplomats
Photography by www.DiscoverParis.net

It was a great day to be an American in Paris!

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We participate in Wanderfood Wednesdays. Head over there to explore food from around the world!

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