Pickpockets

Before we left on our holiday, we'd heard that Barcelona is the worst city in the world for pickpockets. Of all the places in Barcelona, the worst place is La Ramblas - the wide avenue that runs from the centre of the city to the harbour.

I came well prepared. I had a decoy wallet in my back pocket that had nothing in it. I kept credit cards, etc in a pouch around my neck and I had a small amount of cash and a credit card in my cargo pants pockets below my knees. A pickpocket stole the decoy wallet but didn't get any of the wallets that contained cash or cards. The plan worked.

One of our guides threw some light on why there are so many pickpockets. He said that Spanish law has very low penalties for thefts less than a particular figure - I think it was 500 Euros. So people can get away with minor theft without any serious consequences. On the other hand, he said that any violence results in a jail sentence.