Here is Kathy a couple of hours later, sitting in a Tours police station as a policeman types a report.
We wrote up the following description of what happened for Google Translate to convert into French for the friendly policeman in Tours who took our report.
My purse was stolen today on the Train à Grande Vitesse #5224 between Charles de Gaulle Airport and Saint Pierre des Cours. The thief must have removed my shoulder bag from the rack above our heads while my husband and I were looking at our mobile phones. Train employees found the bag in the next car but the small purse labeled Oceania Cruises was missing. It contained my wallet with credit and debit cards, a phone battery, medical insurance cards, and a U.S. 20-dollar bill.
Fortunately the actual loss was small. The train conductor seemed to know what had happened as soon as Brian found him. He knew to search the next car, and returned with the missing shoulder bag, which had obviously been abandoned after the purse was removed.
Her Bose headphones and her passport were still inside.
The policeman told us such thefts are common. Do not store a smaller bag in the overhead rack. Keep it with you, under your feet or in your lap.
He indicated that crime is up in France, and implied that the statistics are massaged to make the situation appear better than it is.
He said there were 18,000 crime reports in Tours last year, and about 40 police officers to deal with them.
Other than not watching our bags carefully (who would have thought?), we did a few things right.
We keep separate credit and debit cards, and Kathy was able to cancel hers quickly because we both know what items are in our wallets.
Brian keeps separate “home” and “travel” wallets, both secured inside zippered pockets in the anti-pickpocket pants he bought online from Clothing Arts after being pickpocketed on the Paris Métro a few years ago.
He also carries an accessible “dummy” wallet that contains a bit of cash and expired credit cards.
For years, we’ve each stored our passports in our shoulder bags, but no more. We’ll be carrying them behind zippers on our persons, whether in travel jackets, vests, or pants.
Finally, we’ll redouble our efforts to be vigilant.
We realize we’ve been victims of thefts five times (!) within the past decade, once in India and twice each in Italy and France.
Is crime abroad getting worse? We strongly suspect so, especially after our lengthy conversation with the Tours policier.
Do two slow-moving elderly tourists like us make tempting victims? Definitely.
In any event, we’ll continue to take reasonable precautions, as we continue to enjoy our travels.
Last night we enjoyed tapas in a charming bistro. This afternoon we strolled for an hour along the banks of the Loire River in gorgeous weather.
Tonight we dine in one of the most popular restaurants in Tours, an eatery that gets a favorable mention, if not quite a star, in the Michelin Guide.
Why would we let petty thieves spoil our fun?
Travel clothing companies we patronize:
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