Category: past-posts

Thank you to members of both Cambridge and Oxford who joined us for this convivial meet-up at Cafe SpoT followed by Glühwein at the very busy Christmas Market!

Dearest Alumni – what a feast we had! A full house, great atmosphere, elegant attire, good food, good fun, crackers cracked and carols sung! We started with crémant and jazz music in Cercle’s cozy bar, then repaired to a delicious dinner next door. We had our traditional three toasts to the Grand Duke (by Hervé Hansen) to King Charles (by HE Ambassador Olivier) and to Oxford University (by Jan Könighaus). After the main course we did our best to do justice to some beautiful Christmas Carols and during dessert our general Christmas knowledge was (sorely) tested in a quiz which was won by Table Blackfriar. A warm thank-you to HE Ambassador Olivier and to all – Oxonians and friends – for making this a truly festive evening.

We had a fully packed house at the Golf Club Grand Ducal. The Swiss Ambassador to Luxembourg, H.E. Benno Laggner, gave a captivating – and very thought-provoking – speech on the topic of: ‘Current security challenges for Europe and Switzerland’s role.’ The talk was followed by Q & A and Ambassador Laggner spoke with clarity and insight while also offering a serious forewarning that Europe is in unchartered territory.

The seriousness of the subject was alleviated by the delicious food and excellent service and a great time was had by all.

We meet again at Atmos Bar with alumni from ‘the other place’ for a chat, informal drinks, and, if a bit peckish, also a meal.

Although it’s informal it would be great if you would send Cambridge, secretary@cambridgesociety.lu, a short mail kindly cc’ing chair@oxford.lu to let us know you are coming, so that sufficient seats can be reserved.

But should you just happen to suddenly have spare time, do come without warning.

Venue – Atmos Bar, 1. floor, 32, Rue de la Poste, 235 Ville-Haute, Luxembourg

Time: 19h onwards.

Yet another good event was had as Cambridge had secured a Dinner-talk with Dr. Kenneth Lasoen, a Cantabrigian and expert on security and intelligence. Professor Lasoen took us through the history of intelligence – from Antiquity to the present day. His talk, interspersing the courses, was followed by a lively Q&A.

The Oxford alumni had a jewel of a dinner-talk with the Rt Hon Dominic Grieve at Cercle Münster. Grieve spoke on “The Role of the Attorney General and the Fate of the Rules-Based International Order.” He didn’t just limit the talk to his time in the role from 2010-2014, but took us through the history of the office from its Norman origins to the present day. Flanked by Their Excellencies Joanne Olivier, British Ambassador, and Jean McDonald, Irish Ambassador, Dominic Grieve spoke with rare integrity and held us spellbound throughout. The talk was followed by a Q&A session around our long table, creating a rare and enriching conversation. We are deeply grateful to Dominic Grieve for his time and insights.

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Programme:

10:27-11.21:       Train journey from Lux to Trier.

11:25am:           Walk to Rheinisches Museum, Weimarer Allee 1, Trier (15min)

12:00pm             Rheinisches Museum: Marcus Aurelius Exhibition (90min)

13:40pm:               Walk (15min) via the 4th century Imperial Roman Baths to ‘Weinstube Kesselstatt’, Liebfrauenstraße 10, for lunch and drinks

And if you would like to know more on Marcus Aurelius and governing:

14:30pm:              Walk (15min) to optional tour at Stadtmuseum Simeonstift: ‘What is Good Governance’ (75 min), from Marcus Aurelius to the present day.

16:10 pm:             Walk via Porta Negra to drinks then train back to Luxembourg.