February 6, 2010

  • Not my week...

    This week was not meant to be.

    For a while now, things mum has been sending haven't been getting through (small packets). Wasn't sure if it was a) Royal Mail b) Poste Italiane or c) Someone nicking stuff from my building. Yesterday discovered for certain that the answer was c.
    Tomorrow it's my birthday, and one of the things that hadn't arrived was a birthday present. When I came back last night, I spotted a book, in the dark, corner of one of the landings on the way up to my flat. It looked a very familiar book, and as I investigated it was indeed a brand new copy of a book in English which just happened to be by one of my fave authors. I didn't know what the present mum had sent was, but this seemed a little strange, so I checked, and lo and behold it was what she had sent. This morning I found the wrapping paper that had been cast off it at the bottom of the stairs. No sign of the card or the Cadburys Chocolate... someone in the building is enjoying that!

    Anyway, at least that meant mystery solved and lesson of not having anything delivered here (except cards/letters which seem to get through ok) learnt. So, next stop was Venice for a nice birthday weekend away, celebrating at the carneval.

    I got the train at 8.35am, arrived at 10.51am. Stopped to pick up a few brochures from the info point, went to buy a travel card for the boats and then decided to wait as I didn't need it yet and could get one later to cover the whole of my trip. So I put my purse away again. Wandered through the streets heading towards Piazza San Marco etc. This was my 5th trip to Venice, so wasn't seeing anything new but was thoroughly enjoying being back there. Crossed the Rialto bridge, spotted a nice-ish looking focaccia place. Ordered my focaccia, went to get my purse out. No purse. Bag slightly open. Oh dear. Purse gone. Purse with everything in gone (decent amount of cash for the weekend away, debit cards, credit card, driving licence, carta d'identita, CRS Lombardia card, EHIC card, Bus pass card, etc etc etc etc...).
    Basically was left with absolutely nothing, except, by a pure stroke of luck, my train ticket home. I ALWAYS put my train ticket in my purse, but for some reason I hadn't today. Thank God. So, I had no money to do anything at all, and all I could do in the end was get the train home.
    First stop was obviously the police station... I found some vigili on the Rialto bridge and they helped me and tried to phone the embassy for me and stuff (but it was shut), then they told me to go to the police office in Piazza San Marco. I went there and was told that he couldn't do anything for me and I had to go to San Zeccaria to the Carabinieri. Went there, gave all the details, got the denuncia report and then set off on the depressing walk back to the station. Managed to arrive 4 minutes before train was leaving which was perfect (about the only perfect thing of the day, other than having managed to keep hold of my ticket), so I got on the train and was home by 6pm...hungry and thirsty!

    Sigh. Not quite the birthday I was hoping for... or the relaxing weekend, more to the point!
    Going to have to spend Monday running around to various offices trying to get cards replaced and basically doing lots of paperwork. Again. Oh joy!!!