I have done no productive Parisian reading today, but I had to post a link to this news bit about the
Tiny Souvenir Eiffel Tower Crime Ring. I understand the basic legal issues here, and I even get the problems such black market Eiffel Towers cause for the legitimate tourist shops in the area. Howevah - I can't really sympathize with the shop owner who laments his inability to compete (found in the AP content in our local paper) because the black market guys (who were apparently back the next day after 39 of them were arrested) sell for 1/5th the price he sells the same trinkets for. A 5x markup? Really? Perhaps we should look into what it actually costs to make the little metal buggers and shoot for reasonable pricing. That might do more to hurt the black market than these arrests apparently have.
Oh, and though I really am supposed to be writing about reading here, I cannot neglect the obvious overlap between Paris in July and the Tour de France starting tomorrow. Allons-y!
Fascinating!
ReplyDeleteHi Sara, Felicitations - you are winner in week one at Paris in July. While your name was drawn out of a hat, you have contributed to the amazing journey with posts like this one. Thanks a million for being part of this fun. Just email me soon with your postal address and I'll send you a little surprise to help you celebrate Paris at home.
ReplyDeleteTamara: Wow! Thanks! I had no idea there would be goodies involved. Forgive me for being dense, but I can't seem to find your email anywhere, so please feel free to email me at sarabcoffman@gmail.com, and I'll respond.
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