Barcelona- Robbed of things - but not of love and support!

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Barcelona ! Driving from the airport in a taxi, I remember thinking what a beautiful, lively city it seemed. I arrived at my hotel which was right in the middle of the "old town", full of history, with great buildings and street life. I decided to go for a walk to get a feel for the place, find a laundry, and to use the internet cafe as my hotel did not have internet access. I had prearranged to meet another TripAdvisor traveller and had forgotten to get the name of the hotel that I was to call. I took my camera so that I could take photos of the great sights that I had seen on my way from the airport.

I wasn't walking for very long , when all of a sudden I heard a noise at my back and then felt my camera bag ripped from me. I had been robbed, my worst nightmare !!

Police arrived pretty quickly and told me to go to the police station and report it. To my horror, there was probably about 100 people all reporting thefts, all at the same time. My new camera was gone, along with my passport, credit card, atm card and 80 euros. 😞 😞

I tried calling the Australian Consulate but they only open for 2 hours each morning , and this happenned about 3pm. At that point, I felt as though I could just pack up and go home. The police were very unsympathetic, I think they are actually frustrated by this plague in their city. I managed to call the hotel that Don, my Canadian TripAdvisor contact was staying in and let him know what had happenned. What a knight in shining armour he was/is !! He came straight over to my hotel and knowing that I didn't have any money he took me for dinner and drinks and really cheered me up. We talked about so many things , and not just about the robbery. In fact we had a lot in common, even similar jobs (him being at a higher level though!!)

The next day I had to arrange my replacement passport and therefore missed out on my tour to Monserrat, something that I was really looking forward to. The lady at the Australian consulate was very helpful in organising the paper work for the passport but it actually comes from the Embassy in Madrid. There was a chance that I was going to have to change my plans and fly to Madrid so that I could be sure of getting the passport on time. Anyway, in the end, I got it with a 2 day turnaround, which was very good of them.

Kath sent me some cash through Western Union and I could transfer it back to her via the internet ( another added bonus of the net!). I had dinner again that night with Don, I at least felt relatively "safe" being out with him. I hope that if and when he comes to visit Australia , I will be able to show him around our great country to pay him back somehow. I also had offers of support from my new friends that I had made in Rome - my faith in people has been restored!!

Don left for San Sebastian the next day, and I didn't realise how much the incident had affected me , until I had to go out on my own. I could only go out for short periods of time because I could feel that I wasn't breathing properly. I kept forcing myself to go out though, I didn't want to be trapped in a hotel room and not see the sights that I had been so excited to see. I took the city tour bus and saw some wonderful sights, I still had my old camera, but didn't have the charger so only got to take a few pictures.

Barcelona certainly is a vibrant city, with lots to see and do.

One day, I would love to go back and see it again through clearer eyes. I guess I learnt something from it though - don't give up !!

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Photos

Street Life
Older generation performing and enjoying themselves

Street Performers
There were so many of these kinds of performers on La Rambla

Light
Beautiful street lights like this were everywhere

Side Alleys
Alleyways are everwhere and always lead to interesting little places

Another Alley
Another alley leading somewhere

Meeting Place
There are lots of little plazas like this where people get together

Busker
The acoustics amongst these old buildings is great for musicians

Building facade
Everything is so ornate

Comments

[Sue]

Barcelona
Once again you have proved to yourself how really strong you are . Good on you for not giving up and just keep on enjoying what you have planned for so long. Love Sue

[Anne]

Not Beaten Yet!!
Sorry to hear about your robbing incident. You and Scott will be able to compare notes. Keep enjoying your adventure and I look forward to hearing more in person. Anne

[Jill]

You're stronger than you think!
I'm so glad you perservered and still had a chance to look around after such a horrible experience. I hope you can get a charger for your camera so you can keep your memories an also keep us all up to date through your eyes. I love getting your emails with the latest news and how much fun your having - except for the robbery. I suppose it is to be expected in some countries which are well known for this type of robbery on tourists. I suppose we are sitting ducks sometimes. Please keep safe and hang on tight to everything from now on, but make sure you still enjoy every moment. Lots of love your sis Jillxx