As I exited the RER B at the Denfert-Rochereau station in Paris, I struggled through the head-high, tight turnstile, backpack on shoulders when a man got in right behind me. I thought he was trying to jump the gate for a free ride, but unfortunately his goal was my wallet, which he quickly found. He had come up behind me and pushed me tight against the gate so I had nowhere to go. He reached into my Velcro pocket and grabbed the wallet.
Doing a quick, shaky assessment, I determined my wallet to have two credit cards, $25 in US bills, 40 Euro, and a drivers license. Thankfully my passport was deep in my backpack. In the 30 minutes it took to get to a place to report my cards stolen, $3000 dollars had been charged.
After a few glasses of wine I forgave myself and tried to move on to enjoy the Paris setting. The VERY NEXT day, in the same station, it happened again!! I learned my lesson and had all my remaining valuables locked in a big pocket of my pack with a small luggage lock. This time the pickpocket found his way into a small zipper area of my bag which held a map and a baggie with some tampons in it. Needless to say he was quite surprised with this find! I guess it was some sort of justice as he walked away with his friends laughing at him.
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