Sketches of Pickpockets in Spain, Part II: The Comments

By Patricia Tennison
www.ParisCafeWriting.com

Well, we seemed to have hit a nerve with the previous Paris Cafe Writing newsletter on pickpockets.

We were warned about the skill level of pickpockets in Barcelona, and my friend Jude and I took many precautions, but the team—we just didn’t “see” them as a team—got us good.
(See The pickpocket? We Never Saw it Coming)

For those who love to browse comments, maybe even more than the articles, read on.

(Yes, Warren, yours is here. It’s at the end.)

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Loved your story. I just took this picture [on top] on the tram. Did I tell you how my son had his camera stolen and ended up with an open fracture of his little finger when he was living in Barcelona? He was tripped by the thief’s accomplice which led to the fall and he had to wait 40 hours at the ER before the hand surgeon was able to take care of him.
And how a bunch of gypsy kids took off with my makeup pouch in which l had my contraception (diaphragm) at the time in the ’70s on the Paris metro? I’ve always had a small sense of revenge when imagining the gypsy kids’ puzzlement and disappointment!

Suzanne of Paris

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Great story. Enjoyed it very much (especially since I know professional magicians who perform pickpocket acts). I used to perform at a restaurant in Malibu that required me to steal watches as part of distracting their patrons from the long wait for their tables. … [My wife] and I are thinking about going to Barcelona for our 30th anniversary next summer (2019). Am thinking just safer to walk around naked …

Erik of Ohio

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I had no problem in Barcelona but barely squelched a pickpocket in Madrid, lost a nice satchel in the airport reaching for my other luggage and got ripped off by a taxi driver. All in 24 hrs. I use precautions like you and have had little other trouble in lots of trips.

Pat of DeKalb, IL

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My son and his wife will be going to Spain in May/June as part of their honeymoon. I passed your story on to them, because they don’t take my warnings about pickpockets very seriously.

Kathy of Pennsylvania

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What a great story. Friends of mine from Florida are vacationing in Barcelona now. Sorry about Jude’s wallet. That’s a shame. Those guys must really be pro pickpockets to get one up on the two of you.

Karen of Palatine, IL

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We hunted high and low in Paris a few days before to get my little waist belt! So glad we did!! When I got back to Paris, I sprained my ankle pretty bad, then my bank card got hacked. However, it was a great summer in Paris!!

(“The”) Jude of California

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How about straddling your handbag over a chair in a cafe? Or as my friend did when she tossed her bag over her shoulder and behind her back to take a picture? By the Eiffel Tower—her passport, her credit cards, and money picked!

Olga of New York

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I remember being trailed by an older woman and a “disabled” younger woman in Madrid in the late 1980s. We were very cognizant of pickpockets then and escaped their clutches by practically running away from them. My husband is the one who noticed them buzzing up behind me. (And I had my purse strapped across my body with my hand on the zipper!) We had discussed the possibility of pickpockets beforehand, and yet we were surprised that we got targeted. They really are thick as thieves, aren’t they?! Ha!

Maria of Chicago

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My tale of a pickpocket happened in Madrid, and like you, I was amazed with how deftly the feat was accomplished. When we went to the police station to report it, there was a very long line and everyone in it was comparing tales of their pickpockets.

Deborah of Naples, FL

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What a tale. You know I’m in Spain EVERY summer. Nothing has ever happened to me … yet.

Gale of Chicago

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I was breathing harder and harder as I read the details of your trip. With pulse racing, I felt we were almost over the finish line. I was right there with you, on the train, clucking at the adorable baby—almost there—then, BAM! All that effort and planning and thinking of every possible trick or trap and STILL it happened. Dang! Well, I suppose you guys could have wrapped yourselves in plastic or Kevlar or scotch tape. But then your trip would have been pretty uncomfortable. And now you have a great story to tell. What a great adventure.
And the photo of that building wearing swim goggles is really creepy. I expect to see Sponge Bob floating by.

Marilynn of California

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I liked the way you kept teasing us about the pickpocket so that we had to keep reading to find out. But, the title. Really, you did see it coming, all the way from Paris, or maybe already from Chicago. You were prepared and they still got you, but only a little.

Warren of Maine
(Patty’s note to Warren: “Thanks, little bro.”)

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Top photo: An overhead sign on a Paris tram warns passengers about pickpockets.