His n' Hers Tombstones, Istanbul
I’ve always been rather insufficiently paranoid, in many ways, so it came as only somewhat of a surprise to me that I was robbed. I had just arrived in Athens, took the metro from the airport into the city and my friend Eleni’s house, and on my walk from the station to her door, stopped and bought her a sweet bouquet. I was so happy to be back in Greece, feeling full of affection for my new country-love. I thought it was odd, taking my backpack off, that the zipper was open, but just figured it was my usual spaciness, closed it, and paid for the flowers with money I had in my pocket. That was just after noon.
About seven that night, a Thursday, I finally realized my wallet was missing; passport, credit cards, driver’s license, phone SIM cards, and about 23 euros in cash. Damn. OK, swinging into action. Got both credit cards cancelled, still had one business day left to get to the embassy, and prayed hard I could keep my plan on track for leaving the country on Sunday.
Things I did right: (we already know what I did wrong!!): First, I had Eleni on my team! A native speaker, took me to the police station and translated until we got the right paper from the right person to take to the embassy. Second, I had had a moment of obedience at some point and had followed advice to have a one-page photocopy of my docs, stashed in my luggage: passport, DL, credit cards, bank acct numbers. That was HUGELY helpful. Third, I had also stashed away another credit card, which now I could use for cash withdrawals for the rest of my trip; trying to get a new one in the mail apparently isn’t easy, despite all the “overnight” promises every service boasts. Fourth, I didn’t get upset; no point. (I did get irritated when my PIN didn’t work and my bank couldn’t tell me what it was — will record those from now on, too). Fifth: I had uploaded my home bills management documents to Google Docs, so could access them online, knew exactly which auto-pay creditors I had to contact about changing credit cards, and had their phone numbers. Sixth: had Skype all set up already, and could make all those calls for free. Seventh: had my home phone on vacation hold, so the thief couldn’t make calls on my account. There you have it: “Seven Strategies for Stress-Free Suckering” — hope you’re taking notes!
And, I was lucky. The US Embassy in Athens wasn’t too too busy, they heard my need for speed, and they delivered, with grace and style. I had a new, temporary passport by noon on Friday!! (Tip: don’t get your photos done elsewhere; they have the service there, and the photos will be the right size.) I could even just enjoy my last few days in Athens, which I did; knowing I’m an ancient-sites junkie, Eleni treated me to a Saturday trip up to the St. George Church on Mt. Lycabettus, and Sunday morning at the Agora. Then the long train ride across the Peleponnesus, and onto this Dreamboat.
