Did you know Champagne cures everything? Well, it certainly helped me after one of my Tour participants lost (or it was possibly stolen) her purse with her Passport, credit card and debit card! It all started one morning in June when we were to meet at a certain time in the lobby of our hotel in Copenhagen to walk with our suitcases to the train station for our next destination…Stockholm. The lady whose flight was delayed a day and who fell off of her bicycle was late coming downstairs. Only twelve minutes…but that can mess up everything. Once she arrived downstairs, we walked quickly to the Metro that would take us to the train station. Once we arrived at the train station, we were told we would be taking a bus to the main train station instead of a train because of a strike going on in Sweden within the transportation department. It’s all somewhat of a blur at this point, because we were rushing from metro to train to train, again and again. All I remember is that we ran outside in the direction they pointed for the buses and arrived just as some buses were leaving, so we had to go back in and spend an unexpected $140 for a train ticket to Stockholm. Around this time, the Tour participant said she couldn’t find her purse. My friend Richard went outside in the rain and searched through a garbage can near where the buses were and couldn’t find anything. As you can imagine, it was a frantic mess!
She was told she could make a police report and go to the Embassy once we arrived in Sweden, so we bought our tickets and were on our way. We luckily had free WiFi on the train, so I researched where the embassy was, the location of a money wire transfer, and other sites for her and sent e-mails to notify people at home of her circumstances, since she lost her car and house keys also. Upon arrival to our hotel, the Courtyard by Marriott, the front desk employees were of great help to the her. She was able to get another Passport and replacement credit card within 24 hours!
Throughout the remainder of the trip, from time to time, she would say, with a frantic tone, “I can’t find my Transport ticket”, or “I can’t find my Passport”, and I began to have anxiety just being near her.
Champagne helped!
Here’s another lady on the trip and I…
Richard loved taking photographs of his monkey…
and I loved taking photographs of everything else…
See you tomorrow in Stockholm!!
Sherry Lachelle Travels 
I’ve never been a fan of champagne but I probably would have been drinking a few shots of scotch if it was me in your shoes. I love that grey plaid hat on you. You look great!
LikeLike
I had some vodka after that! Thanks for the sweet compliment!!
LikeLike
Oh yes, champagne is a wonderful cure-all. 🙂 So glad it all ended okay, but I’m sure you could have really done without that paranoid woman on your tour. 🙂
LikeLike
Yes…I should’ve followed my first instinct.
LikeLike
Tour leading sounds stressful – think I’ll strike that off my bucket list. Is that Kongo from the travel monkey blog in that shot?
LikeLike
Yes…it is…but I got most of my trip paid for, so it was worth it to me. I think it’s Kongo’s twin!
LikeLike
So glad things did end well, although an extra cost for the train… I did not know that you could replace your Passport. Good to know! Smiles and best wishes for more excitement and less nervous times ahead, Sherry!
LikeLike
Yes…it was an experience.
LikeLike
I’m so glad to hear that everything turned out alright! You’re right, champagne does cure everything!
LikeLike
Thank you! Too much is not good also though! 🙂
LikeLike
Oh dear! I get a knot in my stomach just reading about that lost purse! Glad it got resolved fairly quickly. Sounds like you handled it well (better than I would have lol).
LikeLike
It was stressful!
LikeLike
Great pics!
LikeLike
Thanks Anneli!
LikeLike
Awwww…you look so pretty!!!! Great shot!
LikeLike
Thanks Diana!
LikeLike
“Champagne Cures Everything” – I’ll drink to that !
LikeLike
Cheers!
LikeLike
Thats a great photo of you! I always fear losing my documents when I travel and generally keep them VERY close to my heart if you understand. There are special things made for exactly this purpose. So far so good. The pick pockets would have to dig pretty deep. Its very disorienting to lose something so important and I am sure you handled it with grace and Champagne ! Marriott is a great Company, I am a Platinum member and they rock!
LikeLike
Thank you Kathryn! I typically have an extra credit card and debit card stored somewhere separate from my purse. I tried handling it gracefully, but unfortunately we all felt that she expected our help rather than asked for it, which didn’t help matters.
LikeLike
No and it’s EXTREMELY difficult to vet fellow travelers. I have done it and succeeded, and also failed. Here’s to another glass o’ bubbly !
LikeLike