In the eight years I have been living in Paris, my curious self had always wished to take a peek inside what is regarded as the most splendid British embassy building anywhere.
They tell me the Hôtel de Charost (named after the family who built it in 1725) once belonged to Pauline, Napoleon Bonaparte’s sister... now, that says it all!
It was she who sold it to the 1st Duke of Wellington in August 1814, for 861,500 francs (about £40,000) throwing in all her sumptuous Empire furniture, which included a luxurious bed, a series of monumental clocks and splendid ormolu firedogs.
Jumping out of the taxi in front of the beautiful portal, the commotion of guests mixed with armed police, embassy security guards and beeping screen doors was a usual Parisian sight.
Unfortunately so was the queue! As I started walking down the avenue in the opposite sense of the line my heart sank... turns out 3000 persons had received the same invitation! The queue seemed to wind endlessly around the block.
On the verge of turning around to head back home, I realized people were moving along speedily. Bravo to the British embassy security staff, I have never been in a queue this long but also this fast!
Ten minutes later I am standing in the spacious cobble-stoned courtyard with century-old reliefs on the walls to find a fish&chip food truck parked inside with yet another line.
Heading straight for the building’s entrance I am greeted by two bag-pipers in their Scottish attire alongside a huge Union Jack.
Walking through the glorious reception rooms I discover the enormous garden for which the British embassy is so famous for.
I am not disappointed as I find a perfectly cured lawn framed by flowers and hedges all in full bloom.... but wait there is a little passage way to the left... and... another second garden the same size as the first.
I feel like Alice in Wonderland. I am surrounded by a beautiful English garden hearing my mother tongue spoken with the proper accent, the lawn is still damp from the last rainfall 30 minutes ago and the sun has decided to come through just in time for the party. A large band is playing traditional bagpipe music in the other garden and a theatre group is performing Shakespeare at the end of “our” garden.
I bump into a friend and we find ourselves a Pimms and munch on watercress sandwich while we tour the grounds basking in the warm sunny breeze. Much to my delight there is also a stand offering Pimms Jelly! I'll have two of those please, actually three.
Whatever the budget of this enormous well-coordinated delightful event, Lord and Lady Llewellyn (the British Ambassador and his wife, which he incidentally gave lovely credit to during his speech) certainly pulled off a brilliant party that had us all forget Brexit at least for an evening.
Long live the Queen!
Make Britain great again!
A welcome that made me smile
A typical Parisian embassy interior decoration
The ball room looks very similar to the US embassy...
... but this is unique to the British embassy!
A romantic view onto the garden
My favourite corner of the British embassy
Looking onto Hôtel de Charost from the garden
A Pimms to ring in the summer...
... followed by Pimms jelly cups!
The"other" garden with a music stage at the very end
Catching a taxi home to get back to reality
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