Gesloten. Locked out (of the shops) in postcard perfect Delft.

Gesloten!

Closed.  Doors locked.  Bolted.  Key thrown away.  Come back another day.

The dreaded words no shopaholic with grandiose acquisitive tendencies ever wants to have to hear. It was our last morning in picture perfect Delft and I was primed for a whirlwind day of splurging and snatching, hell-bent on an out of control spend-a-holic spree guaranteed to decimate the last of my nest egg and then some - a potentially catastrophic event that could inevitably catapult my financial advisor over the edge of the ledge upon hearing of his client’s momentary (or was that monetary?) lapse of fiscal responsibility.


So there I stood, drooling and salivating, within arms length of possessing that limited edition caramel hued one of a kind tote enticingly perched in the vitrine of a closed and bolted shop, our union separated by mere inches of glass - so close, I could almost reach out and caress the buttery smooth calfskin, the scent of finely crafted Italian leather an aphrodisiac like none other.  Rows upon rows of a kaleidoscope of satchels all neatly lined up for the grab, beckoned, teased and enticed, but alas, woe was I, for all the shops were - Gesloten!  Closed.  Not open for business.  Come back tomorrow.

Tomorrow?  Like, 24 hours later?  You’ve got to be kidding, right?  Twenty-four hours from now I’ll be hundreds of miles away, gallivanting in Belgium, scouring souvenir shops for baubles galore, haggling with sellers and vendors, on the hunt for the bargain of the day.  With panic mode setting on in, my options now limited to window-shopping, I was quite the dejected mess, a snivelling ol’ Auntie ranting and raving about marketing opportunities lost.  On an agenda to squander, my pocketful of Euros was burning a hole so deep - the trail of coins clinking on the cobblestone rues quite the unexpected surprise for a handful of lucky pedestrians strolling behind me.  Ka-ching!!



And to think, just the other day, I meandered, with denizens of flea minded hoarders and budget conscious shoppers, along the canals on a Saturday morning, on a quest for that diamond in the haystack.  Oohing and awing at the plethora of wares on display, the market did not disappoint, showcasing porcelain and trinkets, and even hawking the kitchen sink!  Never one to exercise restraint, let alone curtail my spendthrift ways, I was in uncharacteristic frugal mode, exhibiting a rare display of prudence.  Keeping a tight reign on my purse strings, hoarding my stash of cash for el grando splurge on designated shopping day Monday, I wandered, appearing disinterested, determined to skedaddle away empty-handed.  Not securing that deal of a steal nor shopping till I dropped, my sights were set on the day after Sunday when I would let loose and charge like a bull through a china shop.










And so, my words of wisdom for shopaholics worldwide are few and far between.  Read up on when the shops are either OPEN or GESLOTEN! 

Lesson learned.  And with it, my vision of sporting that highly coveted one of a kind satchel, now a walk down memory lane.



Come amble along the Saturday markets in postcard perfect Delft and gawk at the wares on display, yet all the while you’ve set your sights on the day after Sunday for a mega splurge on shopping day Monday.  Not!!  The joke’s on me!!  Needless to say, I learned real quick how to translate Gesloten!!


Next post - In two weeks – Wed, April 29th!! – Catch up on the adventures of Pink Sneakers on the Go en route to Ghent in Belgium. 


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