What I cannot understand is leaving your cameras behind for an evening out in Prague.
Night photography in ancient cities, be it on the way to dinner or for an after dinner stroll, is fabulous.

I only carry about $1,500 in Nikons, so I do not know where the $5,000 comes in.

Lordy, Miss Claudy, this sure has gone astray.

icithecat: Hasselblads, a couple of really good professional lenses, plus some other top of the line gear. You can get to 5K without trying too hard, but presumably you are making a living at it.

For those of you trying to blame the victim, nothing that was stolen was valuable-the cell phones were 3 years old and won't work in Europe, and the watch and costume jewelry were from garage sales. It is the idea that someone had the nerve to do this and the hassle involved in getting a police report. 3 hours at the police station at 1:00 in the morning. This was not a cheap hotel-$120 a night and it is in the Old Town in a safe, good location. Nothing that was stolen was out in the open-the thieves went through the luggage and drawers. They took their time, which is why I believe it was an inside job. And 9 hotels in one night in one neighborhood? Not a coincidence. All I can say is watch out in Prague.

Dear susie,

Sorry to hear about the robbery. I know that it is traumatic.

I hope that you now know not to leave anything of value in a hotel room .....anywhere.

>Burglary is theft from a building or room (it used to be only from a dwelling, but most statutes broaden the definition) when the doors are locked. <

I was under the impression that it had to be at night, when the occupants were present - otherwise it's "breaking and entering". Have I been misinformed?

>Hasselblads, a couple of really good professional lenses, plus some other top of the line gear. You can get to 5K without trying too hard, but presumably you are making a living at it.<

Once upon a time, I was on a night train from Paris to Copenhagen and struck up a conversation with a dentist who was taking his wife, younger daughter (1), older daughter(2) and SIL on a three-week trek through Europe.

Daughter(2) and SIL had one compartment. Wife and daughter(1) had a compartment. Dentist and Hasselblad had another compartment.

Hasselblad was contained in a steamer-trunk size, pigskin wrapped, brass bound case with each part resting in its own, custom-made, velvet-lined niche.

There were two camera bodies and a cornucopia of lenses and accessories.

I think that at today's prices, the trunk would cost nearly $5000.

Phil Flash tells me he is currently eyeing a lens that goes for about $1500. Why couldn't I have picked a man who collected butterflies or something? :-D

Marilyn, if he doesn't play golf or is not into boating, thank your lucky stars! I kid you not, everything regarding these two hobbies are soooo expensive!

Ira, you're just encouraging me to be pedantic again. :-)

You're right, in Anglo-American common law, burglary formerly had to be at night in an occupied dwelling place. In the US, however, most crimes are now codified and defined by state statute. And most, if not all, states have broadened the definition of burglary to apply to just about any building, occupied or unoccupied, at any time of day. But (surprise!) I don't know the definition in Poland.

Off-topic enough?

Poland?? I'm afraid I had Poland on the mind for an entirely different reason. Yes, I do know that Prague is in the Czech Republic!

I still don't get it...people here are telling the poster not to leave valuables in the room, it was a preventable incident...blah blah blah.

So does that mean you pack your suitcase every day and carry it around with you? Besides I wouldn't define the items stolen as valuable anyway.

Susiesan, valuables or not, I'm very sorry to hear of your theft. You were violated, thru no fault of your own, plain and simple.

susiesan, I appreciate your post of the details. My agologies. When I heard stolen watch I assumed a Rolex or something. Cell phones I assumed state-of-the art. I put this together with another poster mentioning the neighborhood sex shop, strip club, and peep show... and made assumptions which appear at least in part incorrect.

You will find that all insurance policies for watches are voided if it was not on your wrist or in a safe at the point of theft.

Insurance policies for such items are a must, watches have dropped off of my wrist on a few occasions.

Not when you buy it at a garage sale, m_kingdom, as the OP said a few posts up.

It's a hassle to get ripped off when traveling, no matter whether the stolen items were "valuable" or not. Presumably they were valuable to you, since you bothered to take them on your trip, and they are usually items you need to replace sooner rather than later, like a watch or a phone.

Poor Susiesan just wanted to warn us about an epidemic of hotel thefts in Prague, not get slammed for leaving her garage sale watch in her room. Of course we all know not to travel with items of significant financial or sentimental value, but don't we all break the rules sometimes? I know I do.

A little too much blaming the victims here I think. Yes, we all know about not traveling with valuables and using hotel safes, but I agree that many of us get sloppy or lazy about that from time to time, at least I do. No one should have anything they own stolen from their hotel room or anywhere else.

I will add one suggestion that I've read or heard from more than one source:
locking things in a suitcase in your room is not much of a deterrent. A thief who doesn't scruple to enter a room won't scruple to either break the lock on a suitcase or just walk out with the suitcase itself, which in a hotel won't attract attention. That's why we should all use the safes or vaults or not bring the stuff we can't afford (emotionally or monetarily) to lose.

Susiean, thanks for reminding us of what can happen, and hope you liked Prague anyway.

Wow where was this area you were at? I was there at the same time and had my laptop, plus about 4K in camera gear because I am a photographer as well. Thankfully I wasn't robbed but I am amazed this happened!

Well dear ones, you don't have to be at a hotel. I was in the lovely town I go to in the area of Veneto. My host/hostess house was on the most elegant street in that town. Bottom floor were shops, second floor was offices, the third, fourth and fifth floor were their living quarters. Of course in Italy they consider the first floor ground floor, next floor first floor etc. but you get my drift.

Because I was not going to be in a hotel I had all kinds of things I had brought with me. All in my own bedroom on the top floor. Jewelery, passport etc. etc. Very safe, right? I was not in a hotel.

One day some other friends came to pick me up. They were parked in the "garage" the street level. I got in. Than my friends husband decided to take off his jacket and put it in the trunk of the car. While he was doing this a "strange" looking woman came out of the exterior door. This door was one you went through to get to all the upper levels. She stared at me as I sat in the car and than quickly left.
I had the strangest feeling.

And than out of the door came my friend with which I was staying. Darling Italian woman. A teacher. All of four feet eleven inches. Very dignified lady. Except in this moment she is screaming, waving a knife in the hand, completely going crazy.

Problem? She heard a noise overhead right after I left to go downstairs. She climed up to the fourth and than the fifth floor. This strange woman was in my bedroom, some of my jewelry in her hand. My friend went crazy! The strange woman ran pass her, down all the marble stairs. My friend grabbed a kitchen knife on her way down, - and came exploding out of the exterior door behind the strange woman who had since "dissapeared".

Police came, I gave a description of the woman, my friend in the car had noticed nothing until our mutual friend came through the door with the knife. Husband with head in trunk saw nothing. Too funny, but it could have been a terrible tragedy for sure.

Fortunatly this strange woman had dropped my jewerly when she ran from my bedroom. And evidently did not have a weapon with her. At least none seen or used.

We still "laugh" about it but it could have ended upn a nightmare.

Lesson learned, I pack really really light and do not take anything with me that would break my heart if something happened to it.

This has been the only "scary" incident I have had occurred in all my trips. No pickpockets, no lost luggage or any stolen items from luggage, no robberies etc.

And where do you feel more safe than staying in a private home? To this day we do not know how this strange woman got in the exterior door (that required a ringing of the bell, talking through the intercom to get access). I did not see her on the long trip down the stairs. The offices on the floor above the ground floor had not seen her. How long had she been in the residence?
Who knows?

But for sure after this incident I just take jewelery that I wear, no expensive cameras etc. and make sure that passport and money and so forth are not laying around.

And yes, the same thing can happen at home. Just easier to deal with if you are home and not out of the country.

Did I feel like I was to blame. Absolutely not. However, my host/hostess did have a safe in their home which they offerred to me (for jewerly/passport/extra credit and ATM cards etc). But clever me, I said "oh no, it is not necessary, thank you".

And this is a small town in Veneto, only about 35,000 population. High income. I felt soooo safe about my belongings.

Well, lesson learned.

I was in Prague fro business from 9/23 - 9/29, staying in a 3* hotel near the Old Town square. Had absolutely no trouble on the subway, which I rode many times, or elsewhere. You need to be careful but I wouldn't let this unfortunate incident deter anyone from going to Prague which is a great place to visit.

In spite of the theft, I'd still go back to Prague again. It was a lovely city. We didn't have any problems with pickpockets on the streets, just waiters who padded the meal ticket. It wasn't worth arguing with them abouta dollar, but it did leave a bad taste about restaurants in Prague. We were also in Budapest on this same trip and had no problems or hassles whatsoever. If there is an organized gang stealing from hotel rooms, visitors don't stand a chance.