What can I say... we've hit the big time! Nothing quite signals to the world "I've arrived" like patio furniture and that is exactly what Em and I invested in yesterday. I know what you're thinking, "Whoa Nate, did you win the lottery or something?" Well, truth be told, we bought our chairs at a flea market and technically we don't have a patio (the strict Webster's dictionary suggests that we have a balcony). Nonetheless, we are very excited about our new purchase.
The story of how we bought these chairs (aaand detachable footrests) is actually a funny one. Once a month on the third Saturday, from April to October, a very large park in Bonn hosts the largest flea market in all of Germany. (At least someone told us it is the largest and since there is no United Flea Marketers of Europe Association with whom to verify these types of facts, we are going with it.)
This park, the Rhineaue, about a 10 minute bike ride from our house, and yesterday was: the third Saturday of the month! People set up tables full of things they are trying to sell. It is a sight to behold! I really wouldn't believe it if I hadn't seen it, so you can check out our pictures to see for yourself. There are some amazing deals. Walking around and seeing everything people had to sell, I realized that one man's garbage is, for the most part, also another man's garbage. But for those few diamonds in the rough, it's definitely worth it. We were on a modern day treasure hunt.
So, when we spotted the chairs we knew they were winners - reclinable back support, foot rests, foldable, faded Anasazi print... everything a person would want in high-end patio furniture. As we began negotiations it became apparent that Karim, the man running the furniture section, was not going to let these beauties go for a song. He started at € 30 and I'm a little embarrassed to say that I only got him down to € 25. Nonetheless, it has been 29 hours since our purchase, and we have not the slightest hint of buyer's remorse. I guess that just leaves us with one more thing to do: Barbecue... We'll bring the meat... and our new chairs!
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The art of the haggle: first, show some interest, but not too much!
"Yeah, it's a nice looking chair, but not any nicer than what your buddy down the path is selling." |
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| Second, build a relationship on common ground. For example, the enjoyment of sitting in chairs. |
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Third, close the deal. Side note: our friend Karim is from Morocco!
One of the cool aspects of living here is meeting people from all over the world. |
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| Can you believe what we found?! |
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I was just contemplating buying this fencing sword...
because you never seem to have one right when you need it! |
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Our beautiful park!
(Look closely: on the left, you can see two sections of this flea market set up on the existing paths in the park; on the other side in the distance, below the Post Tower, you can see how far it continues!) |
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| And then the other direction- this gives you an idea of the miles and miles of people selling their stuff. |
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| Returning victorious... |
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| ...still victorious... |
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| ... almost home, without paying for a taxi! |
