Obama's Kenyan half-sister makes rare public appearance as she joins Michelle and her daughters for emotional visit to Berlin's Holocaust memorial
- Auma Obama joined the First Lady and daughters Malia and Sasha at the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe in Berlin
- Malia, 14, was clearly moved by memorial and reached out to touch stone
- Auma had studied in Germany and now lives in Kenya
The First Lady, Malia, 14, and Sasha, 12, bowed their heads and listened carefully to the words of a tour guide. Michelle looked lost in thought as she wandered through the vast site while Malia appeared deeply moved and reached out to touch the stones.
The Obamas are in Germany for a two-day visit and while the President meets with leader Angela Merkel, his wife and daughters visited the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, a solemn reminder of the millions of lives lost during the Holocaust.
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Family: Auma Obama (pictured far left) joined the First Lady and
daughters Malia, 14, and Sasha, 11, on a guided tour of the memorial in
Berlin which is dedicated to the millions of lives lost during the
Holocaust
Guide: The group looked animated as they spoke about the memorial
Paying respects: Sombre Michelle Obama and her daughters Sasha and Malia visit the Memorial in Berlin today
Deep in thought: Malia touches one of the monuments at the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe
Pensive: Michelle looked lost in thought as she wandered through the site
Close bond: The two sisters look deep in discussion as they leave flowers at the Holocaust memorial in Berlin on Tuesday
Family day out: Michelle Obama and Auma Obama, U.S. President Barack
Obama's half sister, visit the Berlin Wall memorial at Bernauer Strasse
The memorial consists of 2,711 concrete
slabs on four acres of land in the heart of Berlin, and is visited by
hundreds of thousands of people every year.
Mrs Obama and her daughters were joined on the trip by Auma, the president's half-sister, who studied in Germany and lives in Kenya.
Mrs Obama and her daughters had dressed in lightweight clothes to combat the blistering hot day in Germany.
The First Lady wore a monochrome, sleeveless top over black trousers with a double strand of pearls and sunglasses.
Malia was dressed in cropped
camel trousers with matching pumps and a pale blue T-shirt while younger
sister Sasha wore a darker blue T-shirt and patterned jeans. Auma Obama
was dressed in a black shift top and trousers.
At one point during the tour, Malia reached out to touch one of the stone monuments as her younger sister looked on.
The group were given a guided tour by Uwe Neumaerker, director of the foundation for the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe.
Opened in 2005 near the Brandenburg Gate, the field of 2,700 concrete slabs of varying height evokes a cemetery to many visitors and serves as a memorial for the millions of Jewish victims of the Holocaust.
Visitors walk along pathways that descend into the heart of a claustrophobic maze. The fate of the millions who were murdered is documented in a subterranean information center below the paths.
When they arrived at the memorial, surrounded by Secret Service officials, Michelle hugged her youngest daughter as they climbed out of an SUV.
Later at Checkpoint Charlie -- the well-known border crossing between Berlin's former U.S. and Soviet sectors - the Obama family viewed a temporary display by artist Yadegar Asisi which gives visitors a glimpse at what life along the Wall was like.
A large panorama inside a circular building gives a photorealistic view of a divided 1980s Berlin neighbourhood, showing the graffiti-covered West side of the Wall and, beyond the guard dogs, barbed wire and search lights, the drabness of East Berlin beyond.
The Obama family was set to be joined by Joachim Sauer, the husband of Chancellor Angela Merkel, on the next stop, the Berlin Wall Memorial, a remaining 720ft section of the 95mile 'death strip' that split the city between 1961 and 1989.
Located at Bernauer Strasse, it
features a preserved guard tower and fortifications of the Wall, where
at least 136 East Germans died in the city during escape attempts.
The final stop was set to be the Reichstag, which housed the assemblies of the German Empire, Weimar Republic and Nazi Germany until it was destroyed by fire in 1933, leaving it abandoned for decades.
Refurbished after Germany's 1990 reunification by architect Norman Foster, who added its characteristic glass dome to symbolize open democracy, it has since 1999 housed the lower house of parliament, the Bundestag.
After their tour, Mrs Obama and her daughters would relax for the afternoon, Berlin newspapers reported.
Michelle, Sasha and Malia were due to go shopping near their luxury hotel at Potsdamer Platz before the girls go to a movie in a nearby cineplex.
President Obama is visiting Berlin for the first time during his presidency and his speech at the Brandenburg Gate is to be the highlight this evening.
Obama will be speaking close to the 50th anniversary of the historic speech by then U.S. President John F. Kennedy in Berlin in 1963, during which he proclaimed the famous sentence: 'Ich bin ein Berliner.'
The Obama party flew in from Ireland
on Monday night. Earlier that afternoon, Michelle and her daughters had
lunch with Bono in the quaint coastal village of
Dalkey.
The singer took his distinguished American guests to favorite pub Finnegans where the menu featured local seafood, rack of lamb and traditional Irish fare like corned beef and cabbage.
The Obamas started on Tuesday with an hour-long visit to picturesque Glendalough in the Wicklow Mountains - but the two girls looked like they would have rather slept in at their luxury hotel.
On Monday, the Obama women appeared to be having a great time as they giggled and pulled a series of wacky faces during a performance of Riverdance.
Malia and Sasha had looked less than enthralled earlier that day as they toured the Medieval Book of Kells with their mother at Trinity College in the capital.
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Mrs Obama and her daughters were joined on the trip by Auma, the president's half-sister, who studied in Germany and lives in Kenya.
Mrs Obama and her daughters had dressed in lightweight clothes to combat the blistering hot day in Germany.
The First Lady wore a monochrome, sleeveless top over black trousers with a double strand of pearls and sunglasses.
Reunited: President Obama is greeted by German
Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin just a short time after leaving her
at the G8 Summit in Northern Ireland
Welcome back, Mr President: German leader Angela Merkel looks delighted to see President Obama
Friendship: Obama is welcomed by the German leader for the first time during his presidency
Shake on it: Obama and Merkel shake hands at
the Chancellery in Berlin but the U.S. President is unlikely to get as
warm a welcome following the NSA scandal
THE SELDOM SEEN SISTER: WHO IS AUMA OBAMA?
Auma Obama was born in 1960 and is a year older than her President half-brother.
She is the daughter of the President's father Barack Obama Senior and his first wife Kezia.
In 1959, Barack Obama Senior, left Africa to take up a scholarship at the University of Hawaii. Auma appears to have been conceived when his father was home on holiday in Kenya.
In America, Barack Sr met and married Ann Dunham, an anthropologist from Kansas. But soon after she gave birth to the future president of the United states, he left and returned to Kenya.
Auma Obama studied German at the University of Heidelberg from 1981 to 1987 before completing her PhD at the University of Bayreuth in 1996.
She married an Englishman Ian Manners in 1996 and lived in London although the couple are now divorced.
She is now a development worker in Kenya.
She is the daughter of the President's father Barack Obama Senior and his first wife Kezia.
In 1959, Barack Obama Senior, left Africa to take up a scholarship at the University of Hawaii. Auma appears to have been conceived when his father was home on holiday in Kenya.
In America, Barack Sr met and married Ann Dunham, an anthropologist from Kansas. But soon after she gave birth to the future president of the United states, he left and returned to Kenya.
Auma Obama studied German at the University of Heidelberg from 1981 to 1987 before completing her PhD at the University of Bayreuth in 1996.
She married an Englishman Ian Manners in 1996 and lived in London although the couple are now divorced.
She is now a development worker in Kenya.
The group were given a guided tour by Uwe Neumaerker, director of the foundation for the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe.
Opened in 2005 near the Brandenburg Gate, the field of 2,700 concrete slabs of varying height evokes a cemetery to many visitors and serves as a memorial for the millions of Jewish victims of the Holocaust.
Visitors walk along pathways that descend into the heart of a claustrophobic maze. The fate of the millions who were murdered is documented in a subterranean information center below the paths.
When they arrived at the memorial, surrounded by Secret Service officials, Michelle hugged her youngest daughter as they climbed out of an SUV.
Later at Checkpoint Charlie -- the well-known border crossing between Berlin's former U.S. and Soviet sectors - the Obama family viewed a temporary display by artist Yadegar Asisi which gives visitors a glimpse at what life along the Wall was like.
A large panorama inside a circular building gives a photorealistic view of a divided 1980s Berlin neighbourhood, showing the graffiti-covered West side of the Wall and, beyond the guard dogs, barbed wire and search lights, the drabness of East Berlin beyond.
The Obama family was set to be joined by Joachim Sauer, the husband of Chancellor Angela Merkel, on the next stop, the Berlin Wall Memorial, a remaining 720ft section of the 95mile 'death strip' that split the city between 1961 and 1989.
Guests: The Obama group was escorted by the
German Chancellor Angela Merkel's husband Joachim Sauer (second left) on
a visit the Berlin Wall memorial
In memory: The First Lady places flowers in the wall in memory of Holocaust victims
History lesson: Michelle Obama, daughters and
her husband's half-sister Auma, listen to Uwe Neumaerker, director of
the memorial's foundation
Visit: The First Lady and her daughters met up with the President's half-sister while on a two-day official visit to Germany
Classic style: The First Lady wore a simple monochrome top with strands of pearls and sunglasses
Respectful: Malia Obama, 14, had her head bowed deep in thought while she walked with her mother through the Holocaust memorial
Family trip: Michelle Obama hugs her youngest daughter Sasha as they arrive to visit the Holocaust Memorial
Watchful eye: Members of the Obamas' security detail were ever present while they wandered the acres of the memorial
Poignant: Michelle watches her daughter Sasha as she places a flower at the Berlin Wall memorial in Bernauer Strasse
Historical: The memorial contains the last piece of Berlin Wall and is the central memorial site of German division
Respectful: Michelle places a peach-coloured flower in the wall as her daughters place yellow flowers in
Whistle stop tour: Barack Obama's half-sister
Auma Obama accompanied Michelle as they walked ahead with Joachim Sauer
the husband of German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin
Group stop: Michelle held court as the group paused for a discussion
Starting out: The group were shown a guide before they started their tour in the sun
Significant: Michelle Obama's motorcade passes
Checkpoint Charlie, the former Berlin Wall crossing point between the
former GDR and West Berlin, in Berlin
The final stop was set to be the Reichstag, which housed the assemblies of the German Empire, Weimar Republic and Nazi Germany until it was destroyed by fire in 1933, leaving it abandoned for decades.
Refurbished after Germany's 1990 reunification by architect Norman Foster, who added its characteristic glass dome to symbolize open democracy, it has since 1999 housed the lower house of parliament, the Bundestag.
Family affair: President Obama, First Lady
Michelle and daughters Sasha and Malia join extended family on
Inauguration Day 2013. From left are: Craig Robinson, Leslie Robinson,
Avery Robinson, Marian Robinson, Akinyi Manners, Auma Obama, Maya
Soetoro-Ng, Konrad Ng, Savita Ng, and Suhaila Ng
Michelle, Sasha and Malia were due to go shopping near their luxury hotel at Potsdamer Platz before the girls go to a movie in a nearby cineplex.
President Obama is visiting Berlin for the first time during his presidency and his speech at the Brandenburg Gate is to be the highlight this evening.
Obama will be speaking close to the 50th anniversary of the historic speech by then U.S. President John F. Kennedy in Berlin in 1963, during which he proclaimed the famous sentence: 'Ich bin ein Berliner.'
Next stop: Obama step off Air Force One last night with his family
Purpose: Obama will walk in John F. Kennedy's
footsteps this week on his first visit to Berlin as U.S. President, but
encounter a more powerful and skeptical Germany in talks on trade and
secret surveillance practices
The singer took his distinguished American guests to favorite pub Finnegans where the menu featured local seafood, rack of lamb and traditional Irish fare like corned beef and cabbage.
The Obamas started on Tuesday with an hour-long visit to picturesque Glendalough in the Wicklow Mountains - but the two girls looked like they would have rather slept in at their luxury hotel.
On Monday, the Obama women appeared to be having a great time as they giggled and pulled a series of wacky faces during a performance of Riverdance.
Malia and Sasha had looked less than enthralled earlier that day as they toured the Medieval Book of Kells with their mother at Trinity College in the capital.
Pub lunch: Michelle Obama and Bono enter
Finnegans pub in Dalkey on Tuesday (Malia and Sasha are standing with
their backs to the camera)
Irish roots: Daughter Sasha holds the arm of mom
Michelle while Malia looks deep in thought at the historic monastic
site in the Wicklow Mountains
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