The Brandenburg's and the Obama's

Back in June US president Obama came to Berlin for a photo op with the Brandenburg Gate. It was quite incredible how much of the city was disrupted by this. All kinds of restrictions on which streets you could use and when, many were closed off completely.

There he is, I think.

  Above is as close as you could get to the event. The gate is right next to the large park called Tiergarten and even this was full of fences and police. Behind those columns was the setting for the event.

  The US TV networks were comparing this speech to his first speech here in Berlin during his campaign through Europe back in 2008. Back then Berlin and most of the world seemed to think he was a saviour from the extremist right of the Republican Bush years. So that speech had a huge crowd but this one was much smaller. The networks used this as a sign that Europe had soured to Obama. What they failed to mention was that in 2008 it was a public speech by a senator whereas this was a private event for friends.

  So the crowd was an invited guest list of politicians, leaders and friends of various descriptions. All hemmed in to the Pariser Platz square. Impossible to fit a similar sized crowd.

Memorial

  As you look past Obama on the podium directly behind him was the gate and a long straight street leading to the Siegessäule (victory column). The site of his speech in 2008. Also on the street was the (above) small chunk of Berlin wall with the words "den opfern der mauer", the victims of the wall.

  This city has so many reminders of its recent history that I regularly stumble upon. This one for people trying to flee to freedom from an oppressive government. I wonder what will be left behind by Obama...

Andy