My visit to Toledo

We were in Toledo (having arrived the previous evening), and it was on Saturday 24 April 2010. The day began with a breakfast of coffee, thick hot chocolate, and churros (fried-dough pastry-based snacks ideal for dunking and delicious). The bar was in a popular part of the city frequented by bleary-eyed people on their way home, and lots of taxi drivers. That was followed by Holy Mass in the spectacular cathedral and a tour that was outside of the official visiting times, and clearly frowned upon by the officials who became increasingly and obviously twitchy. Next came a bus tour of that spectacular and historical city, and that was a great opportunity to take some splendid photographs.

Around mid-afternoon, we stopped for lunch at a doner cafe and when I reached for my purse to pay the bill it was missing. I have no idea how that came about. (My purse contained a small amount of cash, debit and credit cards, YHA card, and my house key.) I remained calm and decided a course of action:

1. Retrace my footsteps from our hotel to search for my purse but that was to no avail.
2. Report this matter to my bank to cancel and replace the cards but retain the personal identity number. However, the replacement cards would be sent to my home address in Australia. Fortunately, my prepaid mobile 'phone had sufficient credit for the rather lengthy call to the United Kingdom to sort this matter. (I kept my fingers crossed.)
3. Report this matter to the Spanish police. I headed to the nearest Polica Locale to be told that this was a matter for the Policia Nacional. Gerrit and I set-off on a walk that took some 45-minutes, maybe more as it was some distance. I was well received and despite some language difficulties managed to make a statement.

I hoped that my purse would have been found and handed to the competent authorities and that my mobile 'phone would alert me to that but it never did. I did not hear anything more about this matter, and no longer expect any further developments.

We returned to our hotel by bus. My situation was not grave (although it could have been) as I had also packed a credit card from my Australian bank well hidden in my rucksack as well as a stash of some cash.