Yesterday was quite a surprise. The local post office delivered a tightly-sealed box to my parents, shipped from Rotterdam via TNT Post. (The Netherland’s post office.)
The package was undamaged and appeared to be unopened.
What’s the big deal?
We shipped the package, weighing 4.7 kilograms (a little over 10 pounds) on July 24, 2007. It was shipped via “Economy” at a cost of 22.95 Euros.
While we didn’t expect an “Economy” package to arrive in 3-5 days, we did expect it to be delivered before January 31, 2011. (Three years, six months and seven days after shipping it.)
The package was sent – insured — from the TNT post office located closest to the Rotterdam Hilton. Jeff shipped the package just before leaving Rotterdam to board the Prinsendam cruise ship for an 18-day Top of the World cruise. See our post from that day in Rotterdam.
A beach towel?
The package contained photos, receipts, souvenirs and a beach towel from Paradise Beach in Mykonos, Greece. Why ship a beach towel? Well because we (using faulty logic ) significantly overpaid for the towel and couldn’t bear to leave it behind.
Given up hope of ever seeing the package.
Three years ago, when more than six months had gone by without our package showing up, we filled out a missing package claim with the TNT post. We also emailed the Rotterdam Hilton, since it was listed as the return address.
No response from either, other than a standard response email from the TNT post noting that missing package tracking request had been received.
We heard nothing further and eventually gave up hope of ever seeing the package.
Mailing postcards at Norway's North Cape.
During our 2007 summer-long travels in Europe, we sent mail from nearly every country we visited. Postcards, mostly, but we sent three other similar packages to this one – twice from Italy and once from Slovenia.
Based on the confusion and difficulty at the time of shipping in these countries, we wondered if we’d ever see these packages. All three were arrived without issue.
Mailing postcards in Saranda, Albania
The postcards, some slower than others, all reached their recipients. From places as remote as Saranda, Albania to the North Cape of Norway, we like to buy stamps, write postcards, and mail them.
Where was the package the last 3 years?
So, where was our package during the past 3 years, 6 months and 7 days between our shipping it and receiving it? Lost in a corner somewhere? Held up in customs? We will probably never know.
Regardless, on a blustery snowy Midwest day, it was a nice surprise to receive a long-lost box with a beach towel from the Greek Isles.
Today just might be the day to book our next warm sun-filled destination trip, to put that beach towel to use.
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