Jul 25 2008
Your Story Addendum Ep 8 : Obama Speech in Berlin on a Beautiful Summer Night.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 9:31 — 11.0MB)
On a this beautiful summer night I went to see the Obama Show when it came to Berlin.
Initially I was reluctant thinking that it would be the usual political hoopla but on second thoughts I thought that this is one of those cities in the world that history is made in and wouldn’t it be a shame if something was to happen and I was to miss it.
Would he make a mark in the history books like Kennedy or Reagan or would there be a tragic event like Bobby Kennedy while he was running for election in ‘68?
In the end neither event happened but instead it was simply a good night out in the summer air drinking beer for the people of Berlin and I don’t think many people really cared about the Obama Show at all. What they did care about was being out and about as the people of Europe seem to do. Especially when they can appreciate how wonderful things are when the weather is good.
And that is my point. I don’t think many people would have turned up if it was a wet and cold day in January. As for the cheering crowd. Well no one back about 500m where I was were cheering so I think the usual rent a crowd were up the front getting all the attention.
On the way home I looked around the old East Berlin that I was walking through and decided to give my thoughts on how wonderful and contradictary Berlin is with the starkly beautiful Eastern architectural style and the still developing commerce.
As I say in the audio, Berlin it’s like a run down share house of vibrant 20 year olds determined to make it work in any way they can. It’s a young city in an old skin.
Stunning.
hey ian, i liked ur last thought: a young city in an old skin and i agree…we do want to make it work…