The Day of Three Trains, Lost Keys, and a BMW: My Sicilian ATM Saga
Capo d’Orlando – May 21
I have to write about yesterday before I forget the absolute turmoil of situations that happened. Looking back, none of it was actually my fault, and today is a fresh day. I survived, and honestly? Now it’s just comical.
If you readers remember, the absolute first time I ever used an ATM card was in Palermo, Sicily. Yes, on my vacation. First mistake: I should have tried it at home before I left the States, but I didn’t.
Walking down Via G. Carducci, I passed the Credem BancoMat. Thank goodness I had the presence of mind to take a picture of the location, because when I went to use the machine, it gave me a receipt—but absolutely no cash. With my limited Italian, I managed to explain what happened to a nice lady who arrived to use the machine after me. She tried it; it worked. A gentleman arrived next, we explained the situation, and his transaction worked, too. I tried a second time and, lucky me, it worked—but I was still out the money from that original transaction.
FYI Travel Tip: Never, ever use a foreign ATM at a bank bon a Saturday or Sunday when the bank itself is closed.
I tried calling the support number on the machine. Lucky me, the recording was entirely in Italian! Returning to my Airbnb, I explained the mess to my host, Rose. She gave it a go, but since it was the weekend, she told me I’d have to wait until Monday.
The only problem? On Monday, I was scheduled to be in Cefalù.
I contacted my next host in Cefalù, Maria, and she was an absolute savior. She told me not to worry and that we’d figure it out when I arrived. True to her word, Maria contacted all the right people and got a resolution. The catch? I had to go back to the actual bank branch in Palermo to get my cash.
And that brings us to yesterday, May 20—the day I was supposed to be traveling straight to Capo d’Orlando. Instead, the crazy day started:
- Boarded a train back to Palermo.
- Arrived, then took another local train to get closer to the bank's address.
- Walked. And walked. It seemed to take forever to finally locate the bank.
- Arrived at the bank. To their credit, they admitted there was a problem. However, they told me I had to come back at 3:00 PM after they opened the physical ATM machine to verify the cash count. They promised everything would be sorted out then.
- Returned at 3:00 PM. After a mountain of paperwork, signatures, and a photo of my driver's license, I finally got my money back!
- Took the train back to Cefalù. Maria had graciously offered to meet me at the station with my suitcase (I had left it behind so I could navigate Palermo lightly). The only problem? Maria couldn’t find her car keys!
- Walked back to the Airbnb myself, grabbed my suitcase and knapsack, and rushed back to the station for the 5:46 PM train to Capo d’Orlando. The train didn’t arrive.
- Checked the schedule. The next train wasn’t until 6:26 PM. It gets funnier here because there were so many lovely, well-meaning people around me trying to help, but no one spoke English. I tried using Google Translate, but it just wasn't doing the trick.
- So, I sat and waited.
- A train finally arrived right on time. The right time, but the wrong train! It was a "Sleeper Comfort" train with no accommodation for sitting passengers.
- The next train wasn't scheduled for another hour, at 7:26 PM. I waited. Remember, this is Italy—the train actually rolled in at 7:50 PM.
- Messaged my host in Capo d’Orlando. I had been messaging who I thought was a female host, who had agreed to pick me up at the station.
- By this point, I had been at this transit game all day long. I was exhausted, disheveled, and probably looked like a total rag-o-muffin standing on the platform with my bags.
- And then?
Life is good!
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