On our recent trip to Europe, our first stop was London. I had only been once before, when I toured with a singing group back in 1988. Back then, our special trip to London lasted a whole whopping four hours. I somehow picked the group that wanted to spend that time at the Hard Rock Cafe. That and a stocking shop, and a double decker bus ride was the height of my London excursion.
Need I explain that this time I had a few things on my bucket list I wanted to see in London. My top priority was to see the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace. Second, to see The Tower of London. My son wanted to see Westminster and the Parliament Buildings.
I booked a hotel within walking distance to Paddington Train station and Buckingham Palace. We needed something affordable that offered three beds, two twins for our adult children, and a double for Rob and me. The Cleveland was a good choice. It wasn’t fancy, but it wasn’t divy either. It worked for us. Although, sadly, upon leaving and walking the .4 mile back to Paddington to catch a train to Dover, we saw a woman get robbed across the busy street.
I’d read that pick pockets were a problem in London, Paris, and Rome, the three cities we planned to visit. I receive an informative newsletter from an ex-diplomat in France, and she warned of the many different scams people use on the streets to rob people. So we kept the easy to access zippers in our backpacks filled with dirty underwear. Our passports and valuables were in a purse that was strapped to me, zipped, and in front of me where I could keep my hands and eyes on it at all times.
When I saw the elderly woman across the street, pulling a large suitcase on wheels, with a backpack on her back, my first thought was, “I’m so glad all we each brought was a small backpack. I’d hate to pull a suitcase around these streets and onto trains.”
Then I noticed there were a couple of people with her and she’d stopped for a moment. I didn’t realize what those people were doing, nor did I see them, until they suddenly ran and it looked like one of them was holding something in their hand. They were two Arab men, probably in their early twenties, and they were laughing as they ran off with something that belonged to the woman. I yelled across at her after I realized they must have robbed her. “Are you okay?” I called across the street.
She looked at me confused and yelled “I can’t hear you!”
We were all the way across a busy street and heading the opposite direction, and my family was far ahead of me, so I walked on. But I felt horrible for the woman. I didn’t really know what I could do to help. I turned back again to look at her. She had stopped and pulled off her backpack, and saw that the men had stolen out of it and left it unzipped. I only hoped they didn’t get their hands on something too valuable, like her passport.
This was the first horrible crime we saw during our trip to Europe. It is a good reminder that scammers and pick pockets abound. It was sad for my kids to see how rotten people can be.
A little reminder: If you travel to any city, keep your valuables locked and in front of you, hidden and out of reach. If wearing a backback, keep only clothing and less valuable things in your backpack. Try to pack light. If you do plan on taking a rolling suitcase, take an Uber or a Taxi rather than risk walking with too many things, lest you become easy prey for a picker! And make sure it is a legit taxi! (I’ll get to this one in a future blog, it has to do with yet another experience we had during our amazing adventures in Europe.)
Also, this woman was alone. I’m sure she had her reasons, but if you can, travel with a companion.