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It maybe not the info you were looking for, but the only item stolen from 'my' belongings was in the Seminario Menor in Santiago - on the last day of being there . So, one could call that a pilgrim on pilgrim crime?I have read and heard that thieves are targeting tourists in spain... pick pockets, and peoples luggage etc have been stolen and this criminal activity is on the rise! Is this or has this been a problem for pilgrims the past few weeks at all?
and --- when stating : "i have read / heard / recent reports, etc", it might be useful to provide a source/link. thanks.
I've probably said this a million times (well, maybe not as often as I talk about carrying hiking poles onto the plane), but in my experience the only way to protect yourself from pickpocketers is to not have anything in a place that they can access.
There is a highly organised gang of thieves operating across the whole of Europe at present. They extort money, take what is not theirs for their own personal benefit and rely on the acquiescence of both pilgrim and resident to ensure the success of their continued thievery.
Not sure where you are from. Spain is no worse than anywhere in Europe and maybe better than some countries..
I was pickpocketed in the Atocha train station in Madrid in September, 2013. And my wallet was on a tether, too! I was distracted by the woman's attractiveness,
Me too, wasn't in Madrid, nor was I technically pickpocketed, but my wallet has been continuously emptied ever since.
It was 38 years ago and I'm still married to her...........
Ah maybe you can help as I haven't seen your previous posts - if I take my rucksack as hand luggage on the plane can I store my poles in the pack or does the pack need to go in the hold?I've probably said this a million times (well, maybe not as often as I talk about carrying hiking poles onto the plane), but in my experience the only way to protect yourself from pickpocketers is to not have anything in a place that they can access. Spaniards have a sixth sense about this, they are alert without being consciously alert because it's their milieu. If you live in a place where pickpocketing isn't a constant threat, no matter how hard you try, I don't think you are going to develop that sense. And when you lapse into careless oblivion, the pickpockets see it and pounce. Carry cards, money, passport under your clothes in a pouch, have cameras in the bottom of your pack, etc etc. The real benefit is that if all of your valuables are inaccessible, you don't have to worry. I once realized that a pickpocket had managed to open my purse on the Madrid metro, but since the only things in it were my eyeglasses, some Kleenex, chapstick and a few other trivial things, when I realized it, I just smiled and stuck out my tongue (maybe juvenile, but it gave me great pleasure). He got off at the next stop.
I've asked you a billion times not to exaggerate!I've probably said this a million times (well, maybe not as often as I talk about carrying hiking poles onto the plane), but in my experience the only way to protect yourself from pickpocketers is to not have anything in a place that they can access. Spaniards have a sixth sense about this, they are alert without being consciously alert because it's their milieu. If you live in a place where pickpocketing isn't a constant threat, no matter how hard you try, I don't think you are going to develop that sense. And when you lapse into careless oblivion, the pickpockets see it and pounce. Carry cards, money, passport under your clothes in a pouch, have cameras in the bottom of your pack, etc etc. The real benefit is that if all of your valuables are inaccessible, you don't have to worry. I once realized that a pickpocket had managed to open my purse on the Madrid metro, but since the only things in it were my eyeglasses, some Kleenex, chapstick and a few other trivial things, when I realized it, I just smiled and stuck out my tongue (maybe juvenile, but it gave me great pleasure). He got off at the next stop.
Having had €90 removed from my wallet several years ago on the Costa del Sol by two ladies I met two more ladies in Granada two years later who wished to strike up the same conversation I asked them if I looked that stupid (I had matured since the first incident) and walked the other way these ladies had a similar appearance two the first two. This year we met two more ladies of similar appearance carrying clipboards walking through the vineyards just before Cacabelos wishing to start a conversation. It is amazing how fast one can travel with a 25lb pack! So I think I know who your gang are.There is a highly organised gang of thieves operating across the whole of Europe at present. They extort money, take what is not theirs for their own personal benefit and rely on the acquiescence of both pilgrim and resident to ensure the success of their continued thievery. I won't name them because if I did I'd have to send myself a reprimand and some warning points.
Pickpockets and thieves have been preying on the naive since punters acquired more possessions than the clothes they stood in, sometimes even for those scant rags. For even almost the same length of history there has been those who will warn the would be pilgrim "there be dragons, or worse...". Usually without any topical knowledge, or worse, knowledge gained from hearsay.
By European Union measures Spain is a safer country than most. Professional predators will focus on Madrid, Barcelona and the Costas as they have always done. On the Caminos normal caution will prevail. Just please don't hang your money belt off the end of your bunk while you take a leisurely shower or tuck your wallet in a back pocket in a crowded city bar or leave your handbag/camera on the table while you slip to the loo.
Now you have scared me. We will be travelling to Pamplona via Atocha train station in Madrid in 3 weeks. We will look like the typical peregrinos and there is nothing we can do about that. Wherever we travel we try to be aware so we will have to be extra vigilant. I am presuming there will be some kind of large board showing departures/arrivals and the track to go to. Am I right with that? We already have our tickets. I was going to have breakfast at the station but it might be more prudent to take something, find the track and then sit and eat. I am now thinking of devious ways I can conceal money/cards! Thanks for the warning.I was pickpocketed in the Atocha train station in Madrid in September, 2013. And my wallet was on a tether, too! I was distracted by the woman's attractiveness, the impression she was trying to help us find the right train track, and what appeared to be an accidental bump just as the deed was done. I was an obvious target: disoriented from two days of not sleeping on plane rides, lost in the railway station, and blundering around. To this day I marvel at the artistry demonstrated by the pickpocket --amazing what she pulled off!
agreeNice to know I'm not the only one who has succumbed to a woman's charms!
Relax, take the normal precautions do not put your money or cards together, I found less problem in Spain than in Melbourne just treat people as honest folk and do not let a few ruin your trip.Now you have scared me. We will be travelling to Pamplona via Atocha train station in Madrid in 3 weeks. We will look like the typical peregrinos and there is nothing we can do about that. Wherever we travel we try to be aware so we will have to be extra vigilant. I am presuming there will be some kind of large board showing departures/arrivals and the track to go to. Am I right with that? We already have our tickets. I was going to have breakfast at the station but it might be more prudent to take something, find the track and then sit and eat. I am now thinking of devious ways I can conceal money/cards! Thanks for the warning.
Thank you for the reassurance. I am by nature a positive person but I also know I can be too trusting, so a sensible Pilgrim I will be keeping all in perspective!!! See you in SJPP. Buen CaminoRelax, take the normal precautions do not put your money or cards together, I found less problem in Spain than in Melbourne just treat people as honest folk and do not let a few ruin your trip.
Now you have scared me. We will be travelling to Pamplona via Atocha train station in Madrid in 3 weeks. We will look like the typical peregrinos and there is nothing we can do about that. Wherever we travel we try to be aware so we will have to be extra vigilant. I am presuming there will be some kind of large board showing departures/arrivals and the track to go to. Am I right with that? We already have our tickets. I was going to have breakfast at the station but it might be more prudent to take something, find the track and then sit and eat. I am now thinking of devious ways I can conceal money/cards! Thanks for the warning.
Now you have scared me. We will be travelling to Pamplona via Atocha train station in Madrid in 3 weeks. We will look like the typical peregrinos and there is nothing we can do about that. Wherever we travel we try to be aware so we will have to be extra vigilant. I am presuming there will be some kind of large board showing departures/arrivals and the track to go to. Am I right with that? We already have our tickets. I was going to have breakfast at the station but it might be more prudent to take something, find the track and then sit and eat. I am now thinking of devious ways I can conceal money/cards! Thanks for the warning.
Ah maybe you can help as I haven't seen your previous posts - if I take my rucksack as hand luggage on the plane can I store my poles in the pack or does the pack need to go in the hold?
Thanks Val
Thank you for your response. We arrive in Madrid mid afternoon and will have 2 nights there before we catch the train. I thought we would do the on/off bus around Madrid for a day.There was a large board listing departing and arriving trains and their tracks. Our problem was that we did not see our train listed, and we were reading it all in Spanish, which made some of it a bit ambiguous for us. However, our real problem was that we were early to the train station and our train was not yet up on the board. If we had just sat tight and not worried about it, our train would have appeared on that board eventually, and all would have been well. I think we were over-anxious, having just arrived in a foreign country and feeling sleep deprived from traveling half way around the world to get to Spain. Again, I think being alert yet calm can make it all work a lot smoother. Good luck with your camino! You'll be fine!
Me again! I just looked at our train tickets and they say Coche 1, Plaza 14C - so I am guessing that the Plaza 14C might be the track/platform number? At least I will have a piece of paper to wave under an official's nose if we need help!There was a large board listing departing and arriving trains and their tracks. Our problem was that we did not see our train listed, and we were reading it all in Spanish, which made some of it a bit ambiguous for us. However, our real problem was that we were early to the train station and our train was not yet up on the board. If we had just sat tight and not worried about it, our train would have appeared on that board eventually, and all would have been well. I think we were over-anxious, having just arrived in a foreign country and feeling sleep deprived from traveling half way around the world to get to Spain. Again, I think being alert yet calm can make it all work a lot smoother. Good luck with your camino! You'll be fine!
Thank you for your response. We arrive in Madrid mid afternoon and will have 2 nights there before we catch the train. I thought we would do the on/off bus around Madrid for a day.
I notice you are in Hawaii - I hear there is a tropical storm over the Big Island. We know what tropical storms are like so we hope you will be OK. For my 60th birthday I did a Blue Hawaiian helicopter tour over Kauai. Loved it - have a huge poster on my wall of hovering in Mount Wai'ale'ale.
Thank you for that.Plaza 14C is your seat number in compartment 1.
Ondo Ibili !
Now I would be happy to hear all about your next adventure as we have pencilled that in too! Send me a PM and tell me where, when, how, what etc. You can tell from our avatar that my hubby loves Aloha shirts, buys them in Hawaii and wears them all the time! MahaloI think taking time in Madrid, which is a wonderful city, is a great idea. It gives you time to adjust to time changes (you'r coming a long way, too, from Australia) and be ready to function in a foreign country.
Thanks for your concern related to the hurricanes in Hawaii. We live on Oahu and the first hurricane missed us and was reduced to a tropical storm, so it did little damage in our area, although the Big Island had heavier winds and rain. The second hurricane is projected to pass to the north, so it is unlikely to do much damage. We were worried for a while that the weather would interfere with our scheduled plane flight for our next adventure, walking across England through the Lakes District. It looks like we'll get off as scheduled the day after tomorrow.
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