Fun fact?!

Sometimes we think we know the neighborhood we live in, but then one day we are walking around, and we discover a bran new little cafe or specialty store that we had no idea existed there! I made such a discovery yesterday, while on my bicycle tour with my roommate Anja, but unfortunately for me it was not a cosy little bakery where I can buy tasty bread, or a fun clothing store where I can buy one of a kind shirt. No, what I found was a jail!!! Yes, there is a jail just 5 minutes away from where I live. Actually, to be perfectly honest, there are TWO jails, both walking distance from my flat. One is for men and the other is for women. At first I was not sure what to think about all this, but now that I have thought about it for a little while, I have no issues with it.

The women's jail is just next to the supermarket where I go shopping (5 minutes from home). I passed in front of it repeatedly without knowing that it was a jail. The building is sombre and non-descript, and if you didn't know it was a jail, you would simply think it was an old, ugly building.

The men's jail is slightly more impressive, with barb wire and watch towers around it, but it is further away from where I live and well guarded I would imagine (!). I managed to take a few pictures of it while on my bicycle, but I did not want to linger there with my camera- these days it is perhaps not the best idea to dwell in front of a jail taking pictures!!!

Here is the link to a satellite view of the Moabit jail (http://deu.archinform.net/projekte/4984.htm). The jail itself is the start shaped building. If you follow these directions, you can see the building where I live:

1. Click at the top of the jail. You should see a street called Seydlitzstrasse appear of the right side jail.
2. Follow this street until you hit Lehrter Strasse.

3. Then click on the top (north) of Lehrter Strasse. Right away you should see an orange building, to the right of Lehrter Strasse. That's where I live!!!

4. If you follow Lehrter Strasse to the south (opposite direction of where I live), you will see the newly built Hauptbahnhof, all made of glass, very impressive.

Let me know if my directions worked and if you were able to see where I live!

I hope this won't stop you from coming to visit me!