When you drive out of Doha to the “culture” suburb of Katara Beach – it’s only 17 minutes on the new metro line – when you stand incredulously fascinated on the waterfront and don’t even know where to look first, then you remember that old Ben & Jerry’s ice cream slogan: “Our secret recipe? Too much of everything!”
In Katara Beach, the master builders of culture have sprinkled the bay (from left): a Scandinavian-looking luxury holiday village on an artificial green hill, an Arabian fort, a Roman city palace with a French orangery overgrown in front, an amphitheater with 5000 seats, Greek on the outside , classically Islamic on the inside, from which the view of the sea is not quite as picturesque as in Taormina, but still impressive of the skyline, then a battered Christmas tree ball with a window (inside it: a falconry museum) and finally a shiny white maharajah -Palace like in Udaipur (in it: a luxury hotel).
Too much of everything! And then there’s the topping.
Instead of slathering chocolate sauce on everything or sprinkling grated coconut on everything, they just dropped a purple package right into the scene, a multi-story house with lighted steel ribbons around it (inside it: the Children’s Mall). While standing in front of it, a thought that is as absurd as it is obvious comes to mind: How about a canoe slalom canal going through here (with an underground car park)?
In some places, the Summer Olympics in Doha may still be viewed as a nightmare vision. The truth is: It’s all already done! Seven air-conditioned World Cup stadiums (the eighth will soon be dismantled and given away to Africa), countless state-of-the-art event halls, and what’s not there yet (for example, no rowing regatta course with a walk-in glass tunnel has been discovered anywhere): Hey, that’s just being built ! So welcome to the 2036 Summer Games in Doha, outside temperature 58 degrees, but everything cooled down nicely in the Olympic bubble, no spectators, but great pictures! Get the “One Love” bandage out, German sport!