On Sat, 13 Oct 2012 09:56:44 +0200, Martin wrote:



We left a bag with passports, plane tickets and an expensive camera on
a seat outside a cafe in Greece, we had driven some distance before we
realised. We turned around went back and the bag was still on the
chair. A friend left a camera in a bag under a seat outside a cafe in
Versailles. He went back within minutes and the camera had gone. It
was late at night, the street was empty. He was sure that the guy
working in the cafe had taken it, but could prove nothing.

On a day trip to France many years ago a friend lost her Handbag
somewhere in Cherbourg, what made it awkward to report the loss was
that she should not have been in the Country . We didn't know until we
were aboard the outbound ferry that at the time Maltese nationals
needed a Visa for France ,the lass had a Maltese passport despite
having lived in the UK since she was a child. Her Cousin who looked
very much like her was traveling with her British husband on their
joint passport ,a degree of planned fumbling by those on one side of
the coach delayed the French official on one side whilst the couple
were checked on the other and once checked the joint passport was
swiftly conjured across to the single girl. When the official on that
side reached here he believed she was traveling without her husband,
that meant she was not left alone on the ferry all day. So not being
able to report the loss she was a bit upset but was amazed that 15
min's into the return journey was called to the reception desk where
she was reunited with her bag. A kind person had found it on the back
of a chair in a Cafe and after a quick look inside deduced it belonged
to somebody from England,they also made a guess that the person would
be catching a Ferry to England shortly so took it straight to the
ferry company office in time for it to be sent on board. That seemed a
pretty decent thing to do.
The person was anonymous so a thank you letter was written ,translated
and with the help of a journalist friend sent to a local newspaper in
the town to be published.

G.Harman