I had an interesting experience on my last trip to Europe. I flew in to Brussels and hopped on the airport bus to Antwerp, Belgium. I had my camera case and computer bag with me, and a suitcase in the bus cargo hold. When the bus arrived in Antwerp, in front of the train station, I set my computer bag and camera bag down for no more than five seconds, so I could retrieve my suitcase.
In the seconds it took me to get my suitcase, two thieves each grabbed one of my bags and headed in opposite directions. Since my computer was the most valuable to me, I took off running after that thief, with my 50 pound suitcase in my hand. I was hollering "Thief!" at the top of my lungs in an effort to shed a bit of sunshine on his activity and I succeeded in chasing him down. As I got about five feet away, he abandoned my computer bag and took off. I grabbed the computer case and started chasing the camera thief, but alas and alack, he got away with my DSLR, lenses, flash, and video camera. What a lousy way to start a trip to Europe.
However, had I not lost 70 pounds by following a Paleo lifestyle, and had I not been physically active, I seriously doubt I could have chased down this thief while carrying a 50 pound suitcase. I am 50 years old, burdened with a suitcase, and the thief was probably no more than 20, yet I successfully chased him down. It made me feel very grateful for the lessons I have learned about general health and fitness and for the weight I have lost.
This underscores the wisdom of being physically fit. So not everything on this new blog will be about food. Here is the explanation about why I abandoned my old blog, Low Carb Wisdom.
This made me sad when Mom told me about it. I'm so sorry you ended up losing your camera after all! At least you got your computer back.
ReplyDeleteAnd thank goodness for insurance, will will cover a portion of the costs to replace the equipment.
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear about this. I don't know if you travel a lot, but theft in major European cities is very common and unfortunately one must be on guard at all times in all situations, especially in trains and around train stations, in crowds, etc... I guess you know it by now. I wish you better luck next time you travel.
ReplyDeleteHi Anna. I have been to Europe many times (100+ trips over the years) and should have been more aware. You are correct, train stations are high theft areas. Live and learn.
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