Hello All,
So I have some news to share, but this time it's not so great…
My friend Danny and I took an overnight train from Munich, Germany to Florence, Italy last night and arrived this morning. We were in a sleeper car with two other Americans who were really nice. We stayed up talking until about 2am and then finally decided to try and get some sleep.
Around 5am nature called so I went to the bathroom which was just down the hall. When I returned there was a young guy looking out the window standing in the hallway of the train car. He talked to me for a few minutes, but his English wasn't that great. He spoke Italian and French. We just talked about where we had traveled etc.
Not more than five minutes later, a police officer walked down the aisle and asked for our tickets. Well it is customary on night trains for the train attendant to keep your ticket, passport and Eurail pass until the morning so of course I said the train guy had it. Then the officer asked the other guy for some ID which the guy was making a big fuss about. "What's the big deal?" "Why are you harassing me?" This was spoken mostly in Italian but that's what I made out. I didn't know what was happening either. It was 5am and I just had to pee and wanted to go back to sleep.
So the police officer asked me to come with him. I went with him he told me that I must be very careful because the man that I had been talking to was very bad. (The whole time I was facing the officer and my back was to the young guy). At this point the guy came rushing in and yelling. "What are you saying, what's going on?" The police officer grabbed the guy and said to come with him. I was standing there in the middle not sure what was happening. I said to "calm down, calm down, what's the problem?" The guy decided to go with the cop and I said that I was going to go back to my room. I left, and don't know what happened to either of them.
BUT, when we woke up at 8am this morning, our new found American friend Mike who was in our sleep car says..."I've been robbed.". "My money and travelers checks are gone". I look down, and my backpack is open and my new camera has also been stolen. Mike's camera was also stolen. We all felt really weird and slightly dizzy. When we opened the door and then stepped back into our room, the smell of ether was quite evident. Our car had been gassed, and then they robbed us while we were passed out. We were so pissed. We immediately told the train guy, but there wasn't really a whole lot he could do.
Danny was lucky, they tried to get into his bag, but it was so jammed under the seat it was too difficult. All of my money, credit cards etc. were on me so they were not taken. I always keep it in that pouch I was given from my co-workers (Thanks again guys)! And none of our passports etc. were taken as the train attendant had them. We joked that our thief was stupid because he didn't take the 20 CDs that I had, or my journal...but we joked that he probably read it first...BASTARD! We were all very lucky not to have anything really bad happen, and are very thankful to still be alive and well.
We went to the police station when we arrived in Florence with the train attendant and filed a police report. They were very nice and helpful. We spent about an hour in there writing everything out, and giving them a description of the two guys I saw (police officer and other guy) as best as I could remember. We still are not sure if the police officer was a real one, and was really trying to help me, or if he was part of the scam. I thought he was a real officer, but I keep replaying the situation over and over in my head, and maybe he was part of the scam. Maybe it was just enough distraction for the other guy to quickly spray our room with gas, and then by the time I entered I would soon be asleep. I don't know. We also had a different guy open our car door during the night, but said sorry and quickly closed it. I've done this myself so everything seemed normal, but obviously it wasn't.
Anyway, I am okay...just still really pissed off. And I am without a camera now. I think he only got one roll of film that I had finished and two blank rolls. He also made off with $900 of Mike's money, but most of it was in travelers checks which we have already replaced....
Sorry to end on a bad note, but Danny, Mike and I are going to go get some food, a stiff drink and try and just recouperate from our terrible trip into our new city....Today I will mope, but tomorrow I will smile again, and move on.
I love you all....girls and guys who are traveling...please be safe...lock your compartment door if you can...and get names of police officers...and memorize faces...color of their eyes etc....be alert always...these things do happen.
I will write again soon, and hopefully with more cheerful news.
Mom and Dad, if you get this message today I will be calling you later tonight....don't worry I am okay, and with two good people.
Take care everyone.
Love Always Stacey MK
I am very happy that only my camera got stolen, but that was my baby. I can't help feeling sad, shocked, angry and a little depressed that such a thing happened. It was also ironic that yesterday before we even got on the train, I was telling Danny...you know this whole trip so far has been so great, I have met so many kind and helpful, thoughtful people, and I am truly amazed. I guess I jinxed myself because hours later we were robbed. I shouldn't let one bad person ruin my trip, but right now I am still angry and need to get my thoughts together. Mike and I are feeling the same since we were the two that were robbed.
|
