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Rachel Webb's avatar

How wonderful and what a wild adventure. You had me laughing out loud, and with deep sympathy at your panic and anxiety. I have a bag that goes around my waist and I keep my passport in a secret pocket. Also my money, bank card, tickets, phone etc. It's a wonderful bag. Thank you for sharing your Paris delights and horrors.

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Rose Rouse's avatar

Thanks Rachel. Love your response. It was a dramatic trip - lows and highs!! I used to have one of those bags around my waist, now I just normally know where the important stuff is but on this occasion I was fixated on getting to see my French friends and somehow everything else fell away...

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Stella Fosse's avatar

Holy crap! We just got back from France and I am totally neurotic about my passport. Identified with your pain. Glad it worked out!

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Rose Rouse's avatar

Oh gosh me too re neurotic about those kind of things. Funnily enough, the friend that I was travelling with... and who is so calm, loses things all the time! Another friend suggested that I practice losing things!!

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Baobab Holistic Health's avatar

See how being a certain age helped to speed up the application for emergency passport. Playing the age card can be useful😂

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Rose Rouse's avatar

Yes true but only because the system - ie British Consulate and online only application - is so hard to navigate. My thoughts are with all of those who don't have a friend like Amanda.

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Sophy Lynn's avatar

Yep welcome to Paris. Do you think it was stolen? Probably lifted somehow. Last time I was there I took my wallet from my bag to get some cash then someone started talking to me clearly a ploy and yes while I was distracted some how wallet gone. Travelled so much and never happened anywhere else. Twice in Paris. Once st gare du nord everything passport wallet .. left penniless and no passport. Before days of smartphones. Like you I was in meltdown very distressed. Actually a lovely French woman who was clearly mortified gave me some euros so I could at least get a cup of tea and the Eurostar staff put me on train and somehow managed it so I didn’t need a passport to get back into uk. It was horrible because I’d been working and had to pick up my young children from a relative .. ok there I’ve spilled

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Rose Rouse's avatar

No it wasn't stolen. I heard when I got back that Air France had it. After that 3 am rise and my determination to see my French friends on time, I managed to leave it at the airport. But by the time I found out - it was too late...ie my passport had been cancelled. Your experiences sounds horrible. Wow you managed to get back without a passport. A different era. Thanks so much for spilling here...Are you around on Monday, there's a poetry and fiction in progress gig at the new Colony Room in Heddon St...

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Ann Richardson's avatar

I celebrated my 83rd birthday in Paris and wrote about it on Substack! I believe it is considered infra-dig to post links, but it is called "Being 83 with potential". Might amuse.

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Caroline Bobby's avatar

oh my gawd, Rose - it made a good tale but shite... I'm with you in my place for everything. On the rare occasions I lose something I am rocked to the core.

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Rose Rouse's avatar

Really did rock me in that way. Am still recovering. It was an internal and external collapse....xx

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Susan's avatar

That’s so scary. I thought I’d lost mine in Istanbul and freaked! Luckily, I did finally find it. I’m practicing putting things back in the same place, all of the time! 🥰

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Rose Rouse's avatar

Yes, I always do that ie put things in the same place. What shocked me deeply was that I didn't on this occasion!

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Wendy Varley's avatar

The lost passport sounds so stressful, Rose. Glad it all worked out, but yes, thank goodness for friends!

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Rose Rouse's avatar

It was, it was. And I'm curious to know why my world was quite so rocked. My new passport was delivered to a neighbour instead of me the other day. RMail said they'd delivered it, I knew it wasn't to me. However I do have it now!

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Rose Rouse's avatar

It was the most stressful thing that's happened for a long time. I am curious as to why I was quite so rocked. And my new passport arrived last week - only to be delivered to my neighbours rather than me. I went through a worried few hours...Royal Mail saying they'd delivered it and me knowing that it wasn't to me! However I've got it now!

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Doe KAN's avatar

Roseling, “Hells Bells”!!!! What a wonderful piece you wrote about your birthday, Paris and friendship. Loved it! The piece had your signature brave, raw honesty and a generous sprinkle of dazzling passions. As well as having me bent double laughing at your enthusiastic chat with the stranger who you “love bombed” in French but turned out to be from Slovakia 😂, I felt your anguish and panic regarding the sudden realisation you didn’t know where your passport was! Thank you for sharing! Much love, Doe xxx

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