Some days just happen...

Today, I took a quick bath and had a delicious meal at a fish tavern in Gialiskari that I remembered from my first stay 16 years ago.

In the tavern, I had a very nice conversation with a French father-son duo who own a house near Therma and invited me to visit them there.

That was the positive part of the day.

In the meantime, I was close to a nervous breakdown and could already envision myself lying in the gutter.

First, I had to return my rental car at the port of Evdilos by 12:00 PM. I was able to alleviate some stress because, foresightfully, I had chosen the additional all-inclusive insurance when booking. Although I didn't notice any damage, somehow the car looked a bit more scratched than when I picked it up, which was obviously a bit embarrassing for me.

I can only strongly advise all visitors to the island to ALWAYS book this insurance. The roads, especially in the towns, are often very, very narrow and have extremely many potholes. Whenever I mention that I was here in 2010, the first reaction is that the roads haven't changed at all. (My reply is always that the cars are still the same as well 😂)

At the drop-off location, of course, there was no one there, so I, with a pounding heart, placed the keys under the doormat and informed the office by phone.

After that, I unsuccessfully went to every rental agency in Evdilos. There was nothing I could do. Through a well-known travel platform, I then found a car, which I had to pick up at the airport.

Oh yes, I hadn't mentioned yet that I had at most Edge reception since this morning and was therefore reliant on Wi-Fi.

At some point, a taxi came by, but it was already occupied. But on Ikaria, that's no problem. I was allowed to get in and was continuously interviewed by an older Greek lady traveling with her father during the shared ride, interrupted by several stops I couldn’t comprehend.

She asked if it was my first time here, how I liked the island, where I was from, etc. She translated my responses to the two others, which prompted interested and amazed follow-up questions. I perhaps shouldn't have mentioned that in other islands rooms start at €80, or sunbeds can also cost €40 😉

At some point, the two got out, and a little later I reached the airport. The driver preferred to be paid in cash for the trip, but unfortunately, I didn’t have any cash left. We then waited for a friend of his, where I could pay with a card, and he then gave him cash.

Also, the man with the car arrived very quickly. Everything was filled out; I had already paid for the car through the platform, but the deposit was still missing. And then came my biggest conceivable vacation horror: Card not accepted.

Ten minutes prior, I had just paid the driver’s friend, and now it suddenly stated under the VISA in the wallet, “the card was blocked by the bank.”

I was initially totally shocked, it was incredibly embarrassing for me, and I could only prevent a panic attack with breathing exercises and calming from the landlord.

At some point, I had the idea of transferring the deposit, and thank goodness the landlord agreed.

Thanks to my nonexistent phone reception, I hadn’t been able to reach the bank's hotline either.

The transfer was in the account within a minute, and I could finally drive off. But there was still the problem of the blocked card, which was also my only potential source of cash.

I couldn’t access the card's app either, because my old phone number was still linked there, and I could not receive a verification code.

It cleared up hours later. I simply restarted my phone, and behold: 5G. Ultimately, I then managed to reach someone on the hotline.

The last transaction (the deposit) had been flagged, which is why they had blocked the card. I probably received an SMS to my old number or a message in the app with which I could have resolved the issue immediately 🙄

So in the end of the day, everything is well, but the scare is still a bit stuck in my bones.

Tomorrow is a new day, and I look forward to it 😊