The following blog entry has been republished here courtesy of With a Grain of Druska.
Last Saturday I was sitting in the cafe Vynine on Vilniaus Street with some friends listening to a trio play some jazzy numbers. My mobile telephone was in the inside pocket of my jacket, which I had hung on the back of my chair. When the concert finished, we got up to go and when I checked the pockets of my coat I discovered that my phone was missing. At no time had I left my coat unattended, so my phone was stolen, it’s possible to say, right from under my nose, or at least my armpit.
Apparently Vynine is fairly crowded on Friday and Saturday nights (it certainly was when we were there), so it’s the perfect place for pickpockets to work. So keep a very close eye on your belongings if you visit there!
By the way, I highly recommend going there to listen to the band that was playing. They sounded very good and were obviously having a great time performing. I’m sorry that I don’t know the name of the band, but the lead singer told us that they play there every Friday and Saturday evening, starting at about 9. (But as I said, beware of pickpockets!)
Disclaimer:
Baltic Reports cannot be held responsible for any content from other websites included on the Blog Roll. Views expressed in the Blog Roll articles in no way represent the Baltic Reports company.
Rats, theiving rats i tell you! In riga I have seen the pickpocket industry booming for years. The same group of about 6 women posing as tourists, have been helping themselves to peoples pockets with little resistance from the authorities.
The entrance to St Peters church, the underpass on Valnu Iela, leading to the market and the bus station are hot spots from my experience. What amazes me is how they seem to be allowed to carry out these crimes. They are stopped by the police often but it must be impossible to prosecute them as they are allways there rain or shine.
Mind you i dont blame them for doing it, with wages as low as they are, i would expect most of the teachers in the city to become pickpockets. Better money and you can work the hours you want!