When I was in Madrid last October, I run across "Mr. Bank of Lebanon." I met him early in the morning in Plaza Mayor. I'd seen him previous to that walking in the proximity of Plaza Mayor, and he always ask the same question, "Where's the Bank of Lebanon?" You'd think they could catch a thief with such a consistent mode of operation?
Fortunately, or unfortunately, I was robbed two days previously by another group of thieves, so I was cautious enough not to lose any money at this encounter. After I responded to his question, he tells me that he has Lebanese banknotes, he shows one to me, and then he asks to see a banknote from the U.S. I quickly walked away and found a guard at a government building. I explained to the guard in my rather lousy Spanish what was going on, and he contacted the police. "Mr. Bank of Lebanon" works with accomplices, I saw him give a signal when I started to walk quickly away when I realized what was going on. And, of course, he was long gone before the police arrived.
Madrid has certainly lost a lot of its charm with me. Who needs to take a vacation in a place where there is such a feeling of uncertainty about personal safety? Perhaps these types of theives resort to non-violent means, but this could change at any moment. I travel with my wife, and it would be devastating if anything would happen to either of us. I've known Madrid since 1977, and I can't says I'd spend more than three days there now, unless I hear its been cleaned up.