Saturday, September 26, 2015

Lost my bear at Paris.

Sorry for the long delay in my posting of the remaining entries for my Japan trip's photos, as well as my recent Europe trip's photos.

Am not really in the mood to process and look through my photos for these trips.

Why?

Because my precious bear, whom readers of my blog might recall seeing often in my trips' photos, was stolen during my recent Europe trip in Paris.  And it was really tough for me to see so many photos of her appearing in our Japan and Europe trip's pics.


photo taken at Bruges in Belgium, just 1 day before she was taken from us. 


This was what happened:


My husband's backpack was being stolen from the overhead rack just above my seat on our train ride via TGV from Montparnasse station in Paris to St Malo on 6 Sep 2015.
Since we also have 2 large luggage bags (which we stored 1 at a rack at the front of the carriage, and the other 1 on the rack just behind our seats), so while waiting for the train to depart from Montparnasse, I was at my seat constantly looking front (at the luggage at the front of the carriage) and back (at the luggage behind me) to ensure no one takes them since the train is still stationary. But I didn't expect that my husband's backpack which was just above us could be stolen so easily without us noticing. Yes, there were many people walking up and down the aisle but I only tried to take note of our 2 luggage bags, since the one at the front of the carriage was very near to the train doors.
The thief apparently boarded the train not long after we boarded at Montparnasse, took the backpack, and then alighted before the train even started moving at Paris. We know this because once the train started moving at Montparnasse station (the train was technically still at Montparnasse station actually, but the doors were already closed and train started moving already) my husband looked up at the overhead rack, and realised that the bag was already gone. He walked down the entire train (all the carriages) and looked at overhead compartments and wasn't able to spot it. Our train ticket conductor onboard the train told us that another guy in another carriage on the same train also had his laptop stolen.
We've checked with the main Lost and Found office at Paris near Convention station before we left France, as well as physically went down to the Lost and Found counter at Montparnasse station 2 days after the incident. We also walked around Montparnasse station (2 days after we returned to Paris from our short visit to St Malo) looking at rubbish bins, and also asked some of the cleaning staff if they had seen the bear...and nothing.
I don't care about the expensive gadgets that was in the bag since they can be easily replaced. But what makes my heart break is that my precious teddy bear which has been with me for the past 15 years was also in that bag.  
My very last photo of her. Photo taken at Paris, just a few hours before she was stolen from us.

I miss you.