Now here comes the defensive back-pedaling...
Fans of the now ended series will understand my curiosity. The rest of you are probably giving me that sci-fi convention geek look right now. Hey, it's okay, since I used to be a member of the sneering crowds. I realized, after some persuasion from a friend, that having never attended one of these special events within the cult television world, I should get off my high horse and see for myself. Why not? After all, it afforded me another chance to visit Berlin.
As I have noted before in the column, I adore Berlin. I love the vibe, the complexity of its history, the juxtaposition of old palaces and the cutting edge of contemporary architecture and design. From my home base near Wuerzburg, it's an easy drive to Berlin, clocking in at about 5 hours. An easy weekend distance, and far enough away from home to make it feel like a true vacation. Now despite some of my weekend being occupied with Buffy-related activities, this left Friday evening and Saturday for full on exploration. If only we could settle on what to see.
Our hotel was located in the heart of the Kufurstendamm (Ku'damm), which made it simple for us to get to the Zoologischer Garten S-Bahn/U-Bahn station from where we could easily access the city proper. Plus, I could at least recognize a few of the buildings and keep my bearings straight.
Since I had visited on a prior occasion, I found myself revisiting a few familiar sites. The Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedachtniskirche, a landmark of the city, retains its powerful resonance on second viewing, not only in the exhibition illustrating the church's history from inception to its near destruction, but also in seeing the extraordinarily stunning ceiling mosaics. From the slight glimpse at just one section of the church, you can only imagine how astonishing the structure and its decoration must have been. Although on this occasion the small viewing hall swelled with tourists, I recommend it to any visitor to Berlin.
The highlight of the trip, apart from getting an autograph from the actor who plays "Spike" on Buffy The Vampire Slayer (I admit it, okay) was visiting the Egyptian Museum near the Schloss Charlottenburg. Having never visited the palace or even this section of Berlin, I found myself charmed with the quiet, elegant beauty of the neighborhood. The walk from the U-Bahn station took us along an attractive tree-lined avenue, with fascinating 19th century buildings nestled amidst more contemporary apartments. The center island of the street, tree-lined as well, was hosting a local competition of lawn bowling. It seemed the whole neighborhood had turned out for the afternoon. Though as we walked I began to doubt my navigational abilities, I became reassured by the appearance of the Schloss Charlottenburg in the distance.
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