Wallet

The French police are happy that the wallet they have is indeed Kin Mun's.  They even sent a picture of it.  Then the whole exercise gets handed over to a private company who organises the logistics of getting it back to us - for a not-insigificant fee, of course.

It made my cynical self think - follow the money!!!  Private enterprise is making money out of petty crime.  No wonder there is little motivation to stamp it out.

The finder was reported as La Poste.  Not sure if this means someone tossed it in a post-box, or just posted it to the police.  

At least this was quicker than the several years it took to get his wallet lost in Spain back - which went through the Aus embassy in Madrid.

Credit Card Part 3

 Last night Kin Mun got an email, purportedly from the Police in France.  It seems they have found his "portofeuille" (wallet) and want to be sure that it is indeed his.  He had to go to the police website - www.ppbot.fr

No, pp doesn't stand for pickpocket, but rather "prefecture de police". And it was in the shower that it dawned on me that "bot" stands for something like "bureau objets trouvees" (bureau objects found).  Obviously his pack of name cards was there.  Wonder what else they have got.

TBC....

Moka Paris - a bar?. Credit Card part 2

When KM's card was stolen, Westpac  were so keen to issue him a new card.  They very cleverly rolled over legitimate payments from the stolen card to the new card.

But the thieves were still active on the stolen card and managed to get two new transactions - between one and two thousand dollars - also rolled over to the new card.

So on the phone to WBC again.  The new card has now been cancelled (KM hasn't even seen it!) - and he now has a new, new card.

One comment was that Moka is a bar in Paris.  How come the guy at Westpac knows that and we don't! 

We wanted to tell WBC to please block any transactions from Moka - but apparently credit cards don't work that way.

Singapore's health services

My cold has developed into ongoing asthma, with jet-lag not helping.  Not needing to wrestle with translations, I took myself to a nearby clinic and saw a nice young doctor.  She prescribed medications to relieve my symptoms - three of them - as well as a course of oral steroids.  I won't take the steroids until I can check with my endocrinologist.

But what I want to comment on is the Singapore system.  The doc diagnoses, prescribes and the same clinic dispenses the meds. You get your meds, which are generics, in a little plastic ziplock bag with specially printed labels.  No trip to the pharmacy, and no wastage or left-over doses in boxes.  Since "the government" does the buying, they can get the best price - Big Pharma would not be pleased.

Then in the biggest snafu of all time, I left the cold medications behind in a restaurant.  I was able to go to a pharmacy and buy some replacements - and they too come in  little plastic bags!

 

The nanny state has some advantages!

Musee d'Orsay, Van Gogh and lunch

We couldn't believe our luck.  The Musee d'Orsay is hosting an exhibition of Van Gogh's works that he painted while he was at Auvers-sur-Oise, about 30 kms north of Paris.   He went there in May 1890 after a year in an asylum in the south of France.  He stayed there for about 70 days, did a similar number of paintings and  this was where he committed suicide.  It is also where he is buried.

It so happens that the three of us (including Yvonne) had been to Auvers on a previous trip to Paris.  All I knew to look for then was Dr Gachet's house, Auberge Ravoux where he stayed, the church at Auvers (we have a copy bought in Shenzen, China!) and his grave.

Paintings from many collections had been gathered for this exhibition.  It was special.  Some pics.  Just lovely to see these.  It was very crowded. And absolutely no restriction on photography.

The church at Auvers. 

He did some still life paintings (nature morts) while at Auvers.  This was my favourite. 

His notebook with preparatory sketches was there.  He could actually draw!

I kept an eye out for the crows - the full name is Wheatfield with Crows.  Quite a foreboding picture - I wouldn't hang it in my home.  But those lovely yellow fields of wheat, the stormy sky, the indeterminate roads, and the crows above it all are somehow engaging.  I never really liked crows.  When I was growing up, I saw what they did to sheep, and chickens.

Some others from the exhibition.

And afterwards, this famous one - Starry Night over the Rhone.  It was painted in Arles in 1888 and is in the permanent collection of Musee d'Orsay.  Close up, it just sparkled.

After that, we looked for lunch.  We were hungry and walked past the restaurant on the way to the cafe.  But with an empty tummy and a lovely restaurant - an opportunity not to be missed!  Kin Mun took a selfie.

But for me, dessert is the main game! This is the Horloge (Clock), created by Alain Ducasse.  The closest I will get to his restaurant, I suspect!  The waiter told me it was (imagine a french man gesturing delicious!)  ....  - and he was right.

This meal was the last legitimate use of Kin Mun's credit card.  After that, we walked straight  to the waiting pickpockets - and I hadn't had any wine.  

The pickpockets are back!

We had a full day at the Musee d'Orsay.  That will be my next post.

We had been saying how there was no sign of pp's this trip!  We left MdO to St Michel-Notre Dame station on line 4 (our line).  It was crowded.  One tall young man tried to encourage us into a carriage - we thought how helpful he was! - but we refused.  We waited for the next train and got in.  It too was crowded.  Then Kin Mun called out "that man took my wallet".  I got a good look at him - he was on the platform but the doors were closed.  I could describe his skin colour, but that means nothing in France and is only useful if they have CCTV.   More to the point, he was wearing an arm sling.  

Then we realised.  The helpful young man was working with a group. They shepherd folk into the train and nick their stuff just as the doors close.  I thought KM was going to hop out of the train.  The young man's arm sling was probably full of wallets!

We reported it to the station - they took details, but, well, this is Paris. 

Back at the hotel, Kin Mun cancelled his credit card.  He had already received an email saying the bank had declined a suspicious transaction for $2933 from a company called MOKA, Paris.  The thieves had tried to use it about 40 minutes afterwards! He (KM) phoned the bank and they told us all was well and were keen to get him a new digital card that he could use.  Fortunately he has a second card and mine are ok.  NSW drivers licence has gone, his room key, subway ticket and about 100 euros cash.

Moral of the story - we sort of followed our own advice.  Separate your things.   We left passports, other credit cards in the safe.  I shall stop putting my phone in my handbag and carry it separately.  Take just what you need for the day. We have stopped using secondary cards on an account, because if the main card is blocked, so is the secondary one.

And because we don't need a police report for anything, we didn't have to report it to the gendarmes.

And even more important, we didn't need to look for a doctor.

But it was still a shock and wiped all memory of the Van Gogh exhibition and lunch from our minds - temporarily anyway.

So Paris is still Paris!

Voting in France

You may know there is referendum vote this coming Saturday.  We won't be back in time, and couldn't apply for a postal vote.  So we made our way to the Australian Embassy, near the Eiffel Tower, to do our duty.

As we walked our of the metro station and turned the corner

 There is a separate side entrance for voting, so we are not entering the main embassy.`

Security check first, then this.

Right next door is a japanese cultural centre

plus a Promenade d'Australie

Notre Dame - after the fire - and lunch

We revisited NotreDame.  There was a devastating fire in April 2019.  Then apparently they spent 2 years planning the restoration.  It was already undergoing some work when the fire broke out.

Today there is hoarding all around and this is what you see. There were lots of pictures of what was happening today, plus its history.  Nat Geo are involved in filming the project.

Needed a proper meal for lunch.

And we went past a gelato shop.  Not any-old-how scooping - it was carefully arranged as a flower!

And it was delicious

 

TGV to Paris

We are in Paris tonight, in a hotel overlooking the Gare de l'est.  It all looks lovely and Parisien, but we had to pass a couple of homeless folk on the way.  Not unlike Central, I guess.

We caught the TGV from Colmar to Strausbourg.  Then it was non-stop (apart from one halt to allow a train to pass) to Paris.  Speeds up to 320km, according to Kin Mun's Google Maps. One hour and 40 minutes for this part of the trip.

Our train!

And getting off.

It was all bigger and noisier than where we have been the last couple of weeks!

Colmar

Colmar is close to Strasbourg, in North-east France and close to the German border.  You can see the German influence in the food available and the sounds you hear around you.  A reminder of how borders are just a line on a map.

Colmar is a well preserved medieval town.  It has many tourists, and no wonder - it is very beautiful.  Often it is hard to frame a picture!  Looking at today's photos, I also realised you cannot really take a bad photo in Colmar. 

So here are some, in no particular order!

Sharing a pork knuckle

After all we are in Alsace.