In 1838, seven decades after composer Ludwig van Beethoven was born in Bonn, Germany, a French writer Alexander Dumas visited the city and wrote about the eating habit there:

"In Germany they eat from sunup to sundown. Starting at seven, as soon as you wake up you have your coffee. At eleven you take a second breakfast, at one o’clock you get together for lunch and at three o’clock you have a real supper. At five there is a small vespers and at nine you have your dinner and fall asleep while doing so. This list does not even include all the tea, cake and sandwiches you can eat in between.”

Today people from 177 countries live in Bonn creating food choices for every taste and every budget.

On our recent visit to Bonn, we stayed at Insel Hotel in Bad Godesberg, a district 10 minutes by train from Bonn Central Station, located on the hills of the west bank of the Rhine river. When Bonn was still the capital of West Germany, most foreign embassies had their offices in Bad Godesberg area.

Dining experience at Insel Hotel seems to capture what Alexander Dumas wrote in the last century.

Its gourmet breakfast buffet offers a range of fresh fruits salads, juices, a cereal bar, french breakfast, a great choice of bread and bakery, eggs, Nürnberger sausages as well as coffee and tea variations. In addition to lunch and dinner menu of regional and international dishes, everyday Insel’s pastry chef comes up with a great choice of scrumptious cakes.

The restaurant is frequently jam-packed during meal times as it has a comfortable terrace overlooking the Theaterplatz, the central square in Bad Godesberg. The pedestrian plaza is very popular for locals and visitors alike due to its flat space, a fountain in the middle, quaint summer cafes and small shops, as well as the occasional flea market. On our weekend at Bad Godesberg we saw the green sign that says Antik and Trödelmarkt, Antique and Flea Market to be held on Sunday.

The next day began early with vendors carefully unloading their precious goods. There were hundreds of tables and some tents offering clothes, paintings, books, knick- knacks, china, cloth and napkins and toys.

The china sets were mostly new with classic designs. An array of embroidered white table cloths and napkins available would be the perfect match.

Jo Graff wrote: there are more than 40,000 flea markets in Germany each year. Germans everywhere, love strolling through the markets in their towns and cities.

There are flea markets offering books, specific goods or antiques. Visitors come from all over Germany and the world. Some markets, Jo Graff described, attract artistic and non­conventional types, others are popular with families or draw antique collectors. Generally, however, flea markets have something for everyone – lamps, stuffed animals, porcelain figurines, old comic books and clothes from yesteryear.

The antique and flea market at Theaterplatz in Bad Godesberg is for everyone. Water tower, poster stands, poles are ideals for showing colorful clothes. Colorful dolls, clowns and toys interested all generations.

The Nordsee at the plaza, Germany’s fast food restaurant specializing in fresh seafood was full of patrons, as the Eis Capri, an ice cream parlor next door. There were also several vendors selling, cheese, nuts, honey and sausages, the always available food in Germany.

More to our taste is Da-Tung a Chinese restaurant offering a selection of soups and appetizers, mixed vegetables and main dishes ranging from duck, chicken and beef to seafood.

The cosmopolitan residents of this region, according to a publication titled Bonn for Beginners, were always willing to adopt pleasant foreign customs and habits.
 Part of the savoir vivre in this region is eating and drinking.

What we found interesting was not only the food, but also the conversations occurred during the market day. Vendors explained the goods on the tables and the story behind them. Not all conversations came to deals, but friendliness is everywhere and people had a good time.

Although Beethoven was not too fond of the city of his birth and left it for a career in Vienna, it was really pleasant observing friendly lifestyle brought together by food and flea market in Bonn.

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Images: Omar Niode Foundation