Close to the border with Gibraltar was a large car park. There was a man standing in the driveway. He raised his hand in the air as a sign that we should stop. We stopped the car and rolled down the window. He walked over to us.
- 5 €, he said, put a mark in the windshield and added smiling - and that is for the whole day.
We found the bag with his purse and handed 5 € to him.
– No I said 25, he said crossly and put another mark in the windscreen and repeated – it's for the whole day.
So many cash we did not have and found show the card.
"Only cash," he replied angrily
– There is a ticket machine at the barrier behind you, why should we pay you? Pia asked.
- 25 € to drive to barrier, he explained and added - it is the law.
- I don't believe a word of this, said Pia, addressing me and the man - We will not pay YOU, at the same time as she stepped on the accelerator without releasing the clutch.
- You can not do this, he shouted as he bent over the windshield of the car.
Only when Pia released the clutch and the car set in motion did he step aside while shouting in protest - this is illegal, this is illegal.
We drove into the driveway to the parking lot.
When we reached the boom we pulled a ticket in the vending machine and drove into the square.
The man looked blankly after us, perhaps disappointed to have been so close.
What cost the ticket in the machine then?
.. and how long was there?
You do not get until we know how much you saved!
It reminds me of a similar situation in Italy quite a few years ago, some young people offered to take care of my rental car in the parking lot, to which I declined. When I got back to the rental car all 4 wheel covers were missing. A little angry, I drove loose - and look, at the exit, the young people were selling wheel caps! Somewhat willingly, I bought the wheel covers for significantly more than it would have cost to get them to fit the car. But it was in Naples…