Always carry a crisp.....

20 Euro note with you in the car! We found out the hard way that if you need fuel after 8 o clock in the evening you are basically up the creek. All the petrol stations close by 8 ,which we knew but we wrongly assumed we could use a bank card or credit card at the pumps. Oh but that would be too easy!

So here we are traveling back from Naples with a new born and a three year old, it's around half eight at night, and we need fuel but are nearly home. Hubby decides to stop to put a few Euros in just in case...our truck is 14 years old so R doesn't really trust the fuel gauge...so we pull into the first station we come to and there is this little box in between the pumps that takes cash or cards. All you do is enter the amount you want to put in the tank and which pump you are using. That's perfect we'll throw 20 in to get us by until we can fill up right...WRONG! The machine won't take the card, not as in it was rejected, it wouldn't actually go into the card slot. We had no cash on us except for coins which the machine doesn't take. Great so now what?? We drive down the road about 5 more Km and it's the same thing with this petrol station as the last one. So I think I remember an ATM at the last place we were so R turns around and heads back finds the ATM and comes back with a 20 euro note...that the machine won't take because it is wrinkled! All this has taken about 20 minutes and I could just scream now!! My 2 week old son is in the back fussing with hunger and my 3 year old is bored and tired...just wonderful. R tries several times to get the note to go into the machine with no luck then gets help from a man who pulled in to fill up too. He stank of alcohol and speech was slurred so it was a bit hard trying to talk to him in what little Italian we know and understand but after a few minutes of trying to straighten out the note the machine finally took it. So after a 30 minute fiasco to get fuel we can finally go home to sit and relax! So always carry a crisp note in your car, purse or wallet...we do now!