One of the fun things about travel is figuring out how things you know well & use all the time at home are different abroad. Getting gas is one of those things, and since I rented a car in Iceland this time, it was something I got to work through here. My first experience didn’t disappoint.
It wasn’t drastic, but the process was different enough that it threw me off my game. I was in Höfn, and upon finishing filling my car up (soooooo expensive!), I forgot my card in the gas pump card reader, and drove off into the evening with it still there.
I realized it the next morning, so headed back to the gas station to see if anybody turned it in. Nobody did, but this being awesome Iceland, he said that if someone found it, they would definitely drop it off at the local police station, which was only two minutes away.
It was the annual lobster festival in town, so I wasn’t surprised when I went to the station & the front door was locked, with nobody visible inside through the window. I mean, all the cops would be out protecting festival-goer access to lobster soup, right?
Anyway, as I was dejectedly walking away, a nice person in the parking lot told me to just ring the bell at the door. Duh. Once I did, a person appeared almost immediately & buzzed me in.
Pretty Policewoman #1: “Hello, how can I help you?”
Tim: “I was getting gas last night, and stupidly left my card in the gas pump. Is there any chance somebody brought it here?”
PP1: “What’s your name?”
T: “Tim Gillons”
PP1: (throwing her head back) “HE’S HERE!”
T: “Ummmm”
<Pretty Policeman #2 appears, smiles at me, walks behind PP1, and enters a side room>
T: “Sorry, what’s going on?”
PP1: <smiling> “We have your card, and have been trying to find you online, but only had your name”
T: “Holy crap, really‽ I LOVE ICELAND!”
<PP2 comes back & hands me my card>
T: “This is amazing. Iceland is the best! Did someone turn it in?”
PP2: “No. I was getting gas last night and found it in the gas pump I was trying to use. So I just removed it & brought it here.”
T: “No way! I can’t believe you, the police, found it. This is amazing.”
PP1: “We’re glad we could help. Is there anything else we can assist you with?”
T: “Did you find out anything good about me online?”
PP1 & 2: <smirking> “No, we didn’t”
T: “Oh well. Thank you so much for everything. Iceland is the best!”
And that’s how a picture like this comes to be:
One last thing: After having pumped gas a few times now, I’ve learned you shouldn’t even be able to pump gas until AFTER you remove your card. So the scenario above should never have happened, and, most importantly, apparently resulted in me getting free gas — I checked my card account & never got charged for that fill-up! I love this country.
eyeintim 
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