In Utrecht

I loved this mural of a stepladder and a graffiti artist and poem. I was in Utrecht because of this:

Ikea has a kitchen trolley that seems perfect for a corner in my kitchen. Last week I went to IKEA to discover that the package it is in weighs about twice as much as the actual trolley. Too heavy (and awkward packaging) to bring home myself. It costs 60 euro, a reasonable price.

On the Dutch marketplace they were offering the exact same trolley for 20 euro. In Utrecht. Perfect. I offered 10 euro. The offer was accepted. I could come by Tuesday evening after 7. I stayed at work until then and drove over. In Utrecht city center. Not the place you want to be by car. All narrow, one way streets and thousands of cyclists. I circled the address to be three times until I managed to find a parking space. I walked to the address. They were not there. I checked the marketplace page and saw I got the message that her boyfriend couldn't make it that evening.

Later on we messaged again. Her boyfriend suddenly turned sick while driving over and returned home. That can happen.

Did I want to come by on Sunday morning? Yes, I did. I messaged her I would be there around 10. I had no reply. Before leaving home I sent the same message. No reply. So I knew there was a good chance she wouldn't be there. But hey, Utrecht on a Sunday morning won't be that busy, will it? And if she's not there I'll have a stroll.

Utrecht on a Sunday morning is not as busy as a Tuesday evening and you're not driving in the dark, but it's still busy. I rang the doorbell several times from 10.15 until 11.15. I was hopeful due to the open windows upstairs that maybe she went out to get breakfast and be back soon. Unfortunately that was not the case.

No harm done, I had a nice wander in Utrecht. And I will decidedly be back on a Sunday morning for another walk. But I still don't have the trolley.