Backpack stolen in Koln train station

Our son is working in Germany for three years so we went for a visit. This was our first trip to Europe. Taking a quick coffee break before our train left for Bruges resulted in our son's backpack being stolen in McDonald's in the Koln train station. We did several things wrong so want to help others not make our mistakes. On the train from Oberwesel to Koln, our son put his wallet, passport, keys and rail pass in his back pack planning on taking them back out again as soon as we got to Koln. He forgot. We got a coffee and sat down in McDonalds. My husband and I had our suitcase stuffed under the table but my son took off his backpack and leaned it against his leg. Big mistake. This McDonalds has a door to the outside as well as one into the train station. There was a classic 'disturbance' that drew our attention away for about 5 seconds. I remember thinking 'Oh oh, disturbance.' but never dreamed we were the mark. And just like that the backpack was gone. All ID, money, credit cards, rail pass, work permit, passport, keys.....thankfully he had his phone in his pocket. We looked everywhere - bathrooms, trash bins, behind pillars - it was gone. He went to the police station in the train station and filed a police report, then started the process of canceling cards, replacing locks on his apartment and letting his employer know office keys were stolen. We were relieved that his apartment was not broken into before we got there and had new locks installed. Without a credit or debit card and no cash it was good we were visiting. Everything had to be paid in cash which he could not access without ID. He had made copies of his passport and birth certificate which was crucial in getting a new passport. Instead of enjoying chocolate and beer in Belgium we headed to the US Embassy. At the Embassy he was told the police are investigating the extraordinary number of passport thefts occurring in the Koln train station. He could not get a temporary passport because he lives and works in Germany therefore it was not an emergency. Now, 3 weeks later, his new passport has arrived, credit cards have been replaced and, incredibly, the back pack was recovered by the police. The only items stolen were the passport, work visa and cash. That certainly reinforces what the Embassy told him was happening - widespread passport theft. The worry about what that passport and visa will be used for is on our minds. The whole experience was extremely stressful as well as expensive - all the replacement fees plus new locks totaled about $1100 US dollars.

SO learn from our lack of vigilance and DO NOT let your backpack, purse, suitcase out of your hands. Wear a money belt. Don't be distracted. Other than this happening we had a fantastic trip to Germany. We loved Koln the most. The Dom cathedral is just spectacular. Munich was very, very crowded and we visited on a record heat day. Without air conditioning we were melting. I would like to visit again in a cooler season. Dachau was sobering and well worth the battling the heat to visit. Rothenburg is a fun, interesting village. It is off the beaten path and was not crowded at all. We would not have needed hotel reservations. The ICE trains are so fast you feel like you're flying. We did upgrade to first class and feel it was worth the extra cost particularly on the regional trains. They were packed and often we could not sit together. First class was less chaotic and we were assured three seats together. I was surprised the train announcements were not in English on the regional trains. We had to be sure we knew exactly what the train station names were so we wouldn't miss a stop. We found that German's speak English in the tourist areas but not in local areas such as the grocery store, bakery, some shops. We had fun trying out our limited German.