And instead of opening up the speech to the whole city, Obama spoke in front only about 5,000-6,000 spectators, all of them invited guests.

His speech today (you can click here for a detailed comparison vs. the 2008 speech) called for a reduction in global nuclear weapons (through more negotiations with Russia) and defended the idea of Western intervention in Syria. Hammering on the theme of "peace with justice," he also discussed closing Guantanamo Bay and taking action on climate change, calling it the "global flood of our time." (Much more on that here.) But it was notably different in tone than 2008's more sweeping view of the world, which was a speech more fitting for a candidate. (It's now Angela Merkel who is in the middle of an election year, as she stood next too and introduced Obama.)

The whole thing also looked a lot different to the cameras, too. (And not just because Obama was sweating through is shirt in the scorching sun.) Today's speech was at the Brandenburg Gate — where he wanted to speak in 2008, before German politics and symbolism forced a switch to the column other end of Berlin's Tiergarten. He also spoke on the Eastern side of the Gate, the first U.S. President to ever do so. But the crowds weren't quite as loving or as large as last time. Check out the photos below for some comparisons.

2008:

(AP Photo/Fabian Bimmer)

2013:

via Chuck Todd/Instagram

2008:

(AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

2013:

(REUTERS/Tobias Schwarz)

2008:

(AP Photo/Jens Meyer)

2013:

(AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

This article is from the archive of our partner The Wire.