Robbed in Amsterdam

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Well, it finally happened. Gina and I had discussed the possibility and almost accepted its occurence with finality before departing the US.I awoke on the houseboat we're renting in Amsterdam at 5AM this morning to take a pee. As I crossed the hallway from our bedroom to the bathroom, I turned to notice a shadow lurking in the kitchen clutching something. It took a few microseconds before consciousness hit me and I realized the baseball cap wearing prick was holding my laptop and camera. Naturally, I did what any person would do in the situation -- I yelled "HEY!" and started rushing the guy. It didn't even dawn on me that I was nude until after the whole scenario unfolded.

As any good perp would do, he turned and ran for the door clutching my goods. Not thinking about the possibility that the man was brandishing a weapon, I closed the distance between us rather quickly. We were no more than a few meters out the door by the time I heard Gina screaming "Gene!" at the top of her lungs. Concerned about my well-being, she bolted out the door and onto the street behind me. The foot pursuit only lasted a few more seconds before the man tossed the laptop and camera into the street, damaging both.

Satisfied that we had prevented the outright theft of our belongings, Gina and I retreated to the boat and called the police. Sadly, our inventory turned up a missing wallet, wide angle lens, wristwatch and iPod.

While it's bad karma to wish harm onto others, I hope the jerk finds a rusty nail to step on today.

We are fine otherwise, everything is secured and we're still planning to return to Chicago in two weeks.

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Comments

[darby]

not bad karma...
maybe bad for your blood pressure. let's be more hopeful. maybe he'll step on an HIV infected needle that one of amsterdam's many junkies left laying on the street. here's to hoping... see hope is good for the soul!

[Mom]

Agree with Darby
Just glad you both are okay...everything else is replaceable. We love you so very much...

[OverratedUnderwhelmed]

Scared and relieved
I didn't know what the hell was going on when I was woken up by Gina screaming when I was sleeping just in the next room over. I think we can all definitely agree about feeling violated in terms of our personal space, since it was our home for three days. Just glad we still managed to have a good trip there overall. And finding the camera lens while packing on the way out was a much needed pleasant surprise! I will keep repeating: I am beyond relieved that no one got hurt. Except for the perp...despite the actual lack of hypodermics all over the streets.

[Overrated Underwhelmed]

In light of the flurry of comments you guys left for me...
let me add that the next day we laughed our asses off after I leafed through the police report and saw, among the list of stolen property one iPod "NiNi" that apparently carried the inscription (at least according to the Amsterdam PD) "To Gene: Love Man".

[Robje]

Thankfully I've never had a serious problem in Amsterdam over several trips. However, I was at the US Consulate with my buddy while he replaced his passport. While there I met a guy from Chicago who had just been cleaned out while he slept in his hotel. His only remaining possessions were the clothes he had on his back... no passport, no money, no clothes, etc. Just a reminder, these things can happen even while you sleep tight next to your belonging! Store any important belongings ( passport, credit cards, etc...) in a safe box when asleep or away.