Editor's Note: This is your 59th known stop in Paris. You can read all stopped pick-pocket from the "City of Lights" using our destination search feature.
Dear Clothing Arts,
We had landed just a few hours ago at Charles De Gaulle airport outside of Paris. Tired from little sleep overnight from Ohio, we boarded the RER into Paris to find our hotel. Our money, credit cards, cell phones, and passports were secured deep in my Adventure Travelers Pants. We were about to embark on a 2.5-week adventure ending in Barcelona.
Half dozing, half awake, the train made a routine stop. Some exited, and some entered. Stuffed in our seats along with our luggage, I guess we were easy to pick out as tourists. Two men approached us, dropping something on the floor underneath us. They made a fuss and pressed their way into our already tight “space,” looking, reaching, and feeling for whatever was dropped. I was picked up bodily from my seat by one of the men while the yelling continued (in French, of course), and the other man continued to dig around us, feeling for whatever he could find. A woman sitting nearby started yelling in English - WATCH YOUR POCKETS! The “door closing” buzzer sounded, and these men bolted from the car. Their timing was perfect - they were clear of the door just as it slammed the last few inches shut.
The woman explained in French to my French speaking wife that pickpocketing had been particularly aggressive over the summer Olympics and continued beyond. Further, she indicated the police were pretty much powerless given the multitude of similar incidents, and there was little that could be done!
Surveying the damage from the attack, all was secure still in my Adventure Travelers which remained zipped up tight. This made a lasting impression. I wore those pants every day in our 2.5 week travels, secure in the knowledge that our valuables were safe!
A few days later, we witnessed another incident, similar but disturbing. On the Metro near Montmartre, two men (among others) entered our car. A commotion ensued. Looking around, we saw another man standing with his pants down to his ankles and the two men running from the car with wallet in hand! The victim was a tourist, carelessly carrying his wallet in his back pocket. The thieves used his pants as a distraction to make the quick grab and exit - again perfectly timed as the doors shut. The story might have been different with some basic security measures - and a pair of Adventure Traveler's pants, of course!
Thanks for saving our trip!
Steve L. from Troy, OH
