BRETT NEELY: This is Brett Neely in Germany's capital, Berlin. At a theater in the heart of what used to be communist East Berlin, it was Obamamania all night. The sold-out event was sponsored by Democrats abroad. Many who came were young Germans who couldn't vote. But Stephan Parala(ph) and his friends got a sense of what many American voters went through on Tuesday.
M: We are standing for more than two hours outside, and then we got the tickets to join in here.
NEELY: Parala says he finds Obama refreshing compared to his country's politicians like the German chancellor.
M: If I look at his picture, I mean, well, Angela Merkel would never smile like this, never.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)
NEELY: Around 4 a.m., while the band tries to keep everyone awake, the screen flashes news of Obama's victory in Ohio. Some of the Germans shout, it's finally over. I wish they mean the Bush administration. It's been a rough eight years for the U.S.-German relationship. Most everyone here says that Obama means a new beginning. Whether that's realistic or not is another matter. Mathias Berkman(ph) thinks his fellow Germans need to be more realistic about the priorities of America's next president.
M: They don't really realize that Obama is going to be an American president and not the next Social Democrat politician of the year.
NEELY: Around five in the morning, it's clear McCain can't win. And although the theater is offering an all-you-can-eat American brunch, most people stand and groggily make their way home. For NPR News, I'm Brett Neely in Berlin. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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