Sunday, 18th July 2021

And sometimes things don't go as expected....

...or like this.

Today at 9 o'clock my rental car was supposed to be delivered. I didn't arrive at the reception until 9.30. I know the Greeks. Smile

Since no car rental had appeared by then, the receptionist called. They didn't have a booking for me. Gulp. But after 3 minutes they found something under the name 'Daniela'. Bingo! They would call back in 5 minutes to confirm the time until the car would arrive. Yeah right, 5 minutes! Pha. I know the Greeks. After 25 minutes they finally called back. And it got worse. The driver had an accident with my car. Passers-by called the company and reported the accident. The car rental company tried to contact the driver. Unsuccessfully. So they didn't know what was going on. 
That's why they will contact me again in the afternoon about the time. No, they won't. Because I don't want to get my car at some point. So better tomorrow morning. Okay, that was settled.

Then I went towards Chania town. At 29 degrees at 11 o'clock! Phew. When I turned at the intersection up front, I saw the roadblock. Police, ambulance. Hmm, something must have happened. But I didn't see anything. But when it suddenly made a shrill noise next to me and a few cyclists dashed by, I knew what was going on: a bicycle race in Chania. Children, men and women here are riding a race at almost 30 degrees. In professional full gear. And it wasn't just Greeks. A women's crew spoke Arabic! So this must have been a rather big race.

When I arrived in town, I went straight to my women. It's so nice to be welcomed so warmly. In short, I was pampered again with coffee and biscuits. Delicious. But this time I also didn't come empty-handed. Chocolate was on the agenda. The joy about it was great and had to be documented immediately with a photo. Nevertheless, Alexia also gave me homemade olive oil and her own vinegar packaged in two small PET bottles. With a lot of love, especially for me, she said. 

Time flew and before I knew it, almost 3 hours had passed. Oops.
So I strolled through the nearby, winding alleys, past old city walls towards the sea. There I enjoyed the view of the nearby islands and the power of the water. It's always fascinating what this does to people. Even if it was wavy and very windy; feeling the elemental force of nature is amazing. At least in combination with sun and vacation! Of course, this does not refer to everything else happening in Germany, etc. right now.

Slowly strolling back, watching the fishermen at the harbor, following the colorful hustle and bustle of mainly Greek guests in the taverns and slowly making my way back to the hostel. This time even without getting lost: Me and a sense of direction. Another topic!

In the hostel, I had to recover from the heat first. I'm not used to it anymore and so the little break in the air-conditioned room was a relief.

But then the next shock. The car rental company notifies me by SMS that it won't work with the car. The driver is in the hospital and my car is broken. Since apparently all cars in this category are rented out on the whole island, an extra charge of 200 euros has to be paid. In addition to the over 400 euros I would already have to pay for the 2 weeks... Bingo. However, the car rental company will cover this in good-will. That's nice. But the car has to be picked up at the airport in Chania. Super.... 
Since I am very flexible, I suggested postponing the whole thing by 1 week. The rental company was mega happy and glad not to have to pay 200 euros and to have enough time to organize a new car for me. In the meantime, I will use the bus network and explore the region on foot. I'll keep you posted. Somehow I have the impression that something is preventing me from renting a car. Hmmm.

Hunger only struck today, like yesterday, in the evening. So at 7 o'clock (Greece is one hour ahead of Swiss time) I walked to the same tavern as yesterday. 
But somehow today doesn't seem to be my lucky day.
My baked feta was served raw with some olive oil. So back to the kitchen with it. I could only season my Greek salad with vinegar because there was no olive oil on the table. But there were 2 bottles of vinegar.... Then, when I finished the other food, the baked feta was delivered. Bingo. In the end, I was ignored, because the large terrace filled slowly with Greeks. I ordered the bill 3 times and declined the invitation for a free dessert twice. Slowly my patience and flexibility for today is used up. So back to the hostel before I explode.

((Oh yeah, and I had to write this entire text, as the crowning finale, twice because I pressed the wrong button!!!! Time to sleep. It definitely won't get any better.))