Last weekend, amid the insanity of the Carnival celebrations in Maastricht, the Netherlands, my wallet was pickpocketed. This week, I traveled to Paris and Barcelona, two cities notorious for pickpockets.
After going several days without cash or cards, the money belt my parents urged me to wear around my waist didn’t seem quite so dorky.
The result was a few extra days in Maastricht, which were largely spent trying to remedy some of the problems created by last weekend’s episode. After all, most of my fellow students had cleared out for the week and my food supplies were dwindling. Eating dry muesli was getting old after the third meal in a row.
In a final effort to recover my wallet, I went to the Maastricht Police Station to file a report. The police, aptly called the “politie” in Dutch, were extremely kind and went above and beyond in their efforts to help me obtain cash. Ultimately, both the police and the United States Embassy were unable to do much, and my diet of cereal and water would have to continue until the wire transfer to my Dutch bank account completed.
Unbroken, I ventured off to Paris on Wednesday. It was a wet day in the French capital, but sites including the Arc de Triomph and the Eiffel Tower were every bit as beautiful as I had imagined despite the poor weather.
It’s difficult not to notice the strong presence of armed law enforcement officials in Paris. Following the November attacks and the foiled attempt near the Louvre just one month ago, Paris has bolstered security.
Soldiers armed with assault rifles are stationed on major streets and I had my backpack searched when I entered a McDonald’s. It feels like you’re being monitored everywhere, but it’s worth the resulting peace of mind.
When I arrived in Barcelona, Spain, early Thursday morning, I rejoiced to find my bank transfer had completed. I celebrated with a 15-euro Burger King meal in the airport before setting off to explore the city.
During my stay, I learned of the secessionist movement underway in Catalonia. The movement has grown popular, as many Catalonians feel culturally divergent from the rest of Spain and that the region does not reap enough benefit from the Spanish government. In September, a vote will decide if Catalonia will remain a part of Spain, though the referendum will not be recognized by the Spanish government.
Barcelona was teeming with nearly as many tourists as Paris. This weekend, some of the city’s nightclubs put on a music festival aimed toward abroad students, and it’s safe to say they reached their intended market. Every bar and nightclub was bursting at the seams with American students. I ran into no less than eight people I knew from IU, and in many ways, it felt like I was back in Bloomington at a football tailgate. Some locals seemed to resent this, as walls in Barcelona’s Parc de la Ciutadella had been vandalized with anti-tourist sentiments.
Despite the overwhelming presence of American tourists, I was able to experience much of what Barcelona had to offer. Parc Guell and the Sagrada Familia cathedral, both designed by famed Spanish architect Antoni Gaudi, were two of Barcelona’s most ornate and breathtaking sites. As expected, steep admission fees were required to enter both places, but the photos from the other side of the fence weren’t bad either.
This week, it’s back to the grind. After traveling for the better part of the week, I’m ready to relax. I’ll also be keeping a much closer watch on my valuables and savoring every last bite of my meals.
dkilcull@indiana.edu
