So we left Lucerne in the morning for a 4 hour train ride. The first leg to Zurich was uneventful. We had quite a walk to get to the next train taking us from Zurich to Buchloe, Germany. We boarded the first class car and Mom went to get settled into our assigned seats while I strapped our luggage in the storage area.  This discourages people from easily taking luggage from this unattended area. I finished and met her in the car and she was telling me about some man that ran onto the train, asking her questions in Romanian that she didn't understand. She asked me if I could help him but he was already gone. As I was sitting down she started to panic, saying her "fanny pack" was missing and she must have left it on the other train. In this purse were our passports, insulin, test kit, her glasses, about $200 cash, her sunglasses and her phone. Her whole world!

We had to go look for it so we got off the train just before it left and headed back to the train we had left earlier. It was a long walk. The train had left but I looked on the ground, retracing our steps, in garbage cans, asking train workers. A security guard suggested we go to lost and found. We headed back again to platform 11 and the lost and found. Nothing there but he said to meet the train back downstairs as it was now returning and we could search it. Back down again lugging all our luggage. When the train arrived I went through the cars all around where had we sat. I think the travelers thought I was up to something. I found nothing. They told us now to go to the police because Karen was remembering the man on the train. Back up to the top near 11. Checked one more time at lost and found and then to police station.

So Mom tells her story to the police and they believe that her purse was taken from her on the train, not left in the other train. We filled out the reports and waited to see if her stuff showed up. They directed us to a pharmacy at the station that would replace her insulin. They did with no problems including test kit. Called and cancelled one credit card. It hadn't been used. Cancelled Verizon's service temporarily. Now the passports.

We called the US Consulate in Zurich but they're closed on weekends. It's Saturday morning. We can get a room in Zurich for two nights at $300 each and sit in the rooms until Monday, missing out on our plans in Germany and Austria. The officer called Germany and got permission for us to travel using our photocopy of our stolen passports if we make arrangements as soon as possible to replace them. Looking back now, I'm not so sure he called anybody. I think he felt sorry for us and our vacation plans. So we gathered up our stuff, checked one more time at lost & found and got on a train for Fussen. It's around 4pm. At least our room is paid for there.

The train ride was arduous and long with many stops. Not the ones I had originally scheduled. We rolled into Fussen, Germany at 11:30pm. I had called the hotel to inform them we would be late and the manager, Franz, knowing about our ordeal, had two cold German beers for us "on the house".  

They had a huge party going on in the town and hotel with Mexican music, dancing and all. Changed into shorts and sandals and partied like two old geezers, trying to forget about the day. We'll deal with this tomorrow. Just a couple of illegal aliens in Germany.

Good night.