My European Trip 8 -- Bonn

Bonn has a charming old town. After a 20-minute express train from Cologne, I walked out of the central station (Hauptbahnhof) and pleasantly found that I was embraced by lovely small houses. The sign to the Tourism Office clearly guided me to an alley with an air of great antiquity in two minutes.

Traveling Tip 4: Always stop by the Tourism Office. There you can usually get a free map with most places of interest and well-designed walk tours. The staffs' encyclopedic knowledge of their domain seems indispensable, especially in heritage-rich areas such as Aveyron or museum cities like Frankfurt and Bonn. Moreover, I am growing increasingly fond of speaking with people in the storefront of the Tourism Office.

Great! I have a map now. Follow me!

This is the old town hall of Bonn. Every Saturday the plaza afront holds a big farmers' market.

I don't know why, but fresh fruits and vegetables bring me great excitement all the time ever since I was a little girl. I enjoy seeing them well-stacked in the grocery store. I love to see so many vivid colors! The texture, color, and taste in my mind, are immediately associated with vigor and satisfaction.

The map told me there should be the Beethoven house at this corner. Why couldn't I find it anywhere? Walking back and forth along the street for three times, I finally found the door hiding among other buildings. Here it is, the place where Beethoven was born and spent his youth hood.

Bonn University. This building used to be Electoral Prince's Castle, now serves as the main building of Bonn University. It's beautiful and grand, isn't it?

I love many European towns and small cities like Bonn. Here and there you can find colorful flower stores, delicious bakeries (Boulangerie in France), and original Cafés.


An ornament in a flower store.

Red and white balloons. Are they hurrying for a wedding?

Door handle

Oh, Rose! She is waiting for somebody? Someone just left? Or she bought it for herself?

My mom usually complained that I took many pictures each trip, but she hardly saw pictures of me. Well, that's probably true given the limited situation of my solo traveling. More often, I am represented only by my shadow.

But this time I got my own picture in the Modern Art Museum of Bonn. One exhibit used projector to show hundreds of photography works. Putting my camera beside the projector and choosing the automatic mode, here I am! Together with a little African girl. :)

Next Stop: Cologne

Photographed by Jennie Bai.

Copyright ©Jennie Bai. All Rights Reserved.

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Note: I will move to New York City from Chicago this afternoon (August 25) and start working in September. From now on I will update this blog only on weekends. Thank you for your continuous attention and reading!