All our plans were on hold. Unfortunately, our wish that the steering would regulate itself overnight remained unfulfilled – it continued to be uneven, sometimes heavy, sometimes light. Relaxed driving was out of the question. What next? We had to get out of the accommodation, so we headed for the nearest restaurant, Zur goldenen Möwe. There we had coffee and electricity for our research. And lo and behold: the Italians can do it! The cappuccino got a solid 4 out of 5 points.

At the same time, we were in close contact with our trusty Adrian, who supported us with his tireless efforts and as an interpreter on the phone. According to Google, there should be garages open here, but that wasn’t the case. We did find one, but it was “too busy”. No help.

We were torn: Pursue a slimmed-down version of the plan or should we abandon it? First step: continue slowly towards home.

During a delicious pasta lunch break, we played through all the options. Cancel? That felt totally wrong. After all, we were going to pass a few points on our planned route anyway as we headed north – so why not at least take one or two more with us?

Then the ray of hope: Adrian sent us a phone number and a location not far away. He had reached someone via several channels who was willing to help us. Just the prospect of someone giving the Vitaralino a proper once-over made the mood barometer rise again.

And indeed: a young Romanian (how could it be otherwise 😍) took care of us. He looked under the hood, found the problem immediately – and promised to fix us up for the rest of the vacation, at least in the short term. With three quarters of a can of rust remover, which he misused as a lubricant, the steering ran much more smoothly. He also repaired a loose bracket on the servo oil reservoir. After just under two hours, it was clear that we could continue our journey!

At this point, we simply have to say thank you: Adrian, who supported us with his tireless efforts, his network and as an interpreter on the phone, and his compatriot here in the Mediterranean, who lent a hand in the best screwdriver manner. The two didn’t know each other beforehand – and yet together they saved our vacation. While another workshop said that the servo oil was too thin and needed to be changed, the mechanic just needed a quick look and a dose of rust remover. Zack, problem solved. That’s exactly how you recognize a “real” mechanic. 🙏

In total, we had only lost one day, as we had already changed our plans. And with shining eyes, it was time to move on!

The landscape changed – a warm climate, olive trees, spruces and larches next to palm trees along the road. Along the coast, marinas, imposing villas and luxury hotels passed by before the route took us away from the Mediterranean and inland for the night, close to Milan – at an altitude of 140 meters. 😲

And the coffee statistics? On the highway, a coffee cup kept smiling at us that we couldn’t resist. It was even available in large! After all the uncertainty, we deserved it – and the large cup of cappuccino also got 4 out of 5 points.

Conclusion: Day 8 was a rollercoaster of emotions: from worrying about having to cut the vacation short to being happy about the quick, uncomplicated help. Vitaralino is steering again, the tour continues – and we are more excited than ever about what the next few days will bring. 🚙✨