Anonymous wrote:I agree with everybody here that we do not worry about terrorism when we are traveling in Europe. We were in London and Paris this past October and yes the security was a little tight in the train stations, but that seem to be more for show.
You just have to be mindful of your situation. You don't cruise around Paris late at night carefree like you would in Tokyo. Similarly, you would be a massive dumb-ass if you left your phone out on a table in Athens. None of this relates to terrorism and more about situational awareness.
Security isn't there for show. There are incidents all over France. Speaking of shows, we can go to the Kennedy Center or Warner or theatres in NYC and reasonably expect not to be in a small or any scale terrorist attack exiting the venue. Paris has had attacks near the Louvre and at the Louvre, Opera House, etc. France even has them in supermarkets.
http://www.france24.com/en/20180512-man-attacks-people-with-knife-paris-shot-police
https://apnews.com/68de5853c8594d9ba3f970a1203afdbf
There are guns, cars, regular crime, gangs, but terrorist is another factor. I have a different situational awareness at the Smithsonian than I'd have around the Louvre.
Note the massive illegal migrant camps/ Calais to Paris. German policy and dominance [not with military this time around] has created a massive problem in Europe.