From an email from friends who are assigned to the Paris area for a year (tough duty):<BR><BR>We did have one misadventure last Sunday afternoon, one we hope never to repeat. After church we got on the Metro to visit another area of Paris. It was very crowded, and we ended up being split into three different areas on the train, although we could see each other. A girl hopped on the train in<BR> front of me, then she blocked my way and wouldn't let me on. As the doors began to close, I got mad and rammed into her. I pushed rudely past her to get away from her. As I turned around I saw the same girl huddled right next to Diane, while a guy persistently asked Diane for the time. Diane felt something just as the girl turned and ran through the train, toward me. I barricaded her way because I thought her behavior was strange. Just then, Diane noticed her purse was unzipped, so she yelled<BR> and dashed through the crowds to the girl. I grabbed the girl's arm, the girl bellowed and threw up her arms, and Diane frisked her. Not finding anything, Diane checked her purse again. Nothing was missing, so I let the girl go. She slithered down the aisle to the door where the guys of our group were standing, while Diane and I recovered from the shock. The guys never heard the commotion. But<BR> unknown to Diane and me, the girl ran straight for Chuck's wallet. Chuck felt her hand in his front pocket, so he clamped his hand down on his wallet. At the same time, David saw her hand in Chuck's pocket, so he yelled, "Daddy!" and slapped the girl's arm. The doors opened, she jumped off, and we<BR> never saw her again. We are very thankful nobody was hurt and nothing was taken.

The famous french actress Sophie Marceau was carjacked and robbed in a Paris suburb last weekend. She is pregnant, thankfully she was not beaten. But, she certainly was very scared. France has a serious problem with all sorts of crime. Unlike other countries who advertise their crimes, the french always attempt to hide it and pretend it is not happening.

Be careful especially at the Chatelet metro station, even during the daytime. Last August five or six children were trying to pickpocket unsuspecting adults. One girl came up close behind my husband with a coat over her arm (it was about 95 degrees that day). I put my hand around my husband's waist and gave her a look. She quickly backed off. Be observant!

Large cities have crime, be it New York, Miami, Paris or Rome. Natives to the city are aware and take precautions. Oddly enough, when they go on vacation, they forget "streetwise" because they ARE on vacation. And the poor guy who's lived in Smallville his whole life is really at a disadvantage.<BR><BR>I remember a comment from Joan Rivers: "you know why New York women have those high, tight boobies? Because they clench their purses under their armpits!".<BR><BR>I've been to Paris often enough to have a "feel" for what's going on - what's out of place, who's not where they should be...but in Venice, eventhough my valuables were secure, I found myself grabbing my bag and patting it...I had no "feel" for the city. The result is I am overly precautious, but better that than being ripped off. Other than a Paris par Arrondissement picked from my pocket (10 years later, I am STILL seething about that), I've not been a victim of crime (knock on wood).

While we were in Paris last week in two separate incidents both my husband and the man traveling with us were the targets of pickpockets on the metro. In both instances the scam was the same--the pickpocket entered the car, stayed by the open door, felt up the legs of the intended victim supposedly for a watch or cigarette lighter they had dropped on the floor intending to pick the victims pocket while they were distracted with this bizarre activity. Luckily both men in our party escaped with their valuables as the pickpockets jumped back out of the cars.