So, around eleven in the evening I got an e-mail saying that the only solution they could offer me was a flight to Lisbon via Madrid. It just gets better and better — at first they at least tried to get us to Faro, and now it’s just Lisbon, where we weren't aiming to go at all. Sure, we could change the place where we were renting the car and head to Faro ourselves, but with a layover on top of it all! I checked, and it turned out there were tickets for a direct easyJet flight from Berlin to Lisbon at 12:50. Why aren't they offering them to us? It's a mystery.
The second and final option on the agenda was to not agree to any of the alternatives, do everything ourselves with our own money, and eventually get up to 600 euros in compensation, albeit far from immediately. This option was called refunds and compensations.
I must say, all this trash was exacerbated by a liquidity crisis. Simply put, because of my credit card machinations, renovations, and other unforeseen expenses, I was left totally without cash on hand. I frantically tried to find some, but, as you know, the European Commission hasn't yet forced banks to transfer money instantly within Europe. I had to go around with an outstretched hand, begging friends for it, but even then it took time for the money to arrive. Fortunately, I was able to borrow enough for the Lisbon ticket from Andrey, and from there I just had to survive until Monday.
In the end, I said screw it to this whole Gordian knot and cut through it with my debit card, especially since it was getting close to midnight. I booked the easyJet tickets and the hotel whose lobby we were sitting in. If you think that was it, and everything went swimmingly from there, you're mistaken. Our plan was clear, but our buddies were told that they could no longer be put on the 12:50 flight we were taking. It turned out the tickets we bought were the last ones, and we essentially cut off our own pals. It seemed like Vika could still fit on our plane, but no. In the end, at two in the morning, Andrey got a call and was given the final decision — all the guys are flying with a layover in Madrid, arriving in Lisbon around nine in the evening.
