Haven’t been able to file a report from abroad before. I’m sure it ought to be very exciting, full of drama and tension.
Except I’m in Bonn, the town where it was said, by one of the diplomats in residence at the time, that ‘every day was a little like Sunday’.
It’s certainly felt like it – although I’m told that this is more so because students are still currently on holiday. But this is still a small town, and even though it was the capital for several decades, you could argue it has settled back into its Sunday feel fairly happily.
I have connections with Bonn, so I try not to judge it too harshly. My grandparents were here for several years when it was still the capital, and my last visit here included looking up the house where they’d lived - which I’d also visited as a toddler. Needless to say, it wasn’t recognisable to me, although other family members were able to comment on what had changed.
Not to worry. Bonn’s other main claim to fame – being the home of Haribo sweeties – is secure. And these days, it’s still about the economy, eh?