Barely in Spain – and already robbed!

I really have to speak up now. I had originally planned to wait until we were all together to start – Icke won't arrive in Barcelona until tomorrow by plane – but this brazen robbery deserves to be told.

We crossed the Spanish border this morning, and like almost all drivers who depend on fuel, we filled up first. The very first gas station after the border offers fuel at a very good price. The liter of diesel cost 1.91 euros today – that's 50 cents less than currently in France. Like many drivers, we arrived with the last bit of diesel in the tank to save as much money as possible. This is almost a sport among motorhome owners.

I was able to quickly snag a pump on the edge. I got out, took the fuel nozzle, and started filling up. Then a car drove up on the access road next to me, with four men inside who addressed me in broken English. They asked if you can pay in cash at this gas station. I said yes, since there was no option to pay directly at the pumps. They engaged me in a short conversation before they sped off again, and I went back to the fueling process.

When my tank was full, I wanted to grab my wallet from the car, which is usually in the front compartment, as you can see in the photo. But there was no wallet. Well, that's not unusual for me. I look for my wallet more often than anything else – well, maybe my phone. That was in the holder since I use it as a GPS. Since I can also pay with my phone, I thought nothing of it and headed to the register.

When I returned, I wanted to look for my wallet, but to my surprise, it was in its usual place. On top of it lay a somewhat messy nail kit from Icke. That surprised me a bit, but at first, I was just happy that everything was back in its place.

Three hours later, we arrived at the Estrella de Mar campsite, which is about five kilometers from Barcelona airport. My first stop was the shower. Just to be safe, I wanted to take some coins with me, as there is often an additional fee. We have a small blue leather pouch for change that I filled with 50 euros before leaving and that sits in the front compartment next to my wallet. And there it was – but it was empty. I briefly thought about whether I had paid with coins somewhere, but that wasn't the case. I reached for my wallet, which should have had some bills in it. But there was nothing there. Fortunately, the thieves had left my cards, IDs, and phone alone. I almost have to be thankful to them for that ...

I thought a long time about how this could have happened. There is only the explanation I described above. What makes me a little doubt is the reaction of Emmi and Pipo. There was none. Our two dogs watched calmly as their owner was relieved of about 100 euros. Bravo! Great watchdogs. As punishment, there will be no dinner. Or maybe just one instead of two chew sticks afterward ...