From Paris - Arc from Eiffel

This picture was taken from the very top of the Eiffel Tower, of the Arc de Triumph (covered in postings for August 1-3). It seems that all of Paris converges at that spot, which is even more obvious if one looks at a map of the city. Even the layout of the infrastructure bespeaks the artistic nature of its people!

It was here at the top of the Eiffel that we had our first experience with a pickpocket. During the entire trip I had been paranoid of this petty thievery, constantly placing my hands where all pockets would be protected. Once reaching the top of he Eiffel Tower, however, I relaxed a bit. After all, these were all wholesome, family-oriented, awe-struck tourists, right?

The answer would be a resounding No! Turns out that the top of the Eiffel is the perfect place for pickpockets...in fact, there are signs everywhere, even in the elevators, warning against their presence. The tourists are packed into a small place, they are distracted looking out into the city and taking pictures, and, like me, move about with a false sense of security, being away from the crowds on the ground. So what is it about these signs? No one here looks like a pickpocket!

Again, as stated in the posting of July 24th, you don't even know they're there until you become a victim. I was taking pictures for a panorama, with my son standing to my left, and felt a little tug on the right side of my shorts. Immediately I glanced down and saw a hand pull away. Looking up at the owner of the hand, I observed that he was a well-dressed middle-aged man that looked like any of the other tourists milling about. He was with a lady, who could have passed for his wife, and a child of about 10 or 11. He was talking the entire time to them (some language that sounded vaguely like German...definitely not French), looking out over the city and, with the hand that was not busy trying to pick my pocket, pointing to this and that as if they were tourists seeing things for the first time. He did not break vocal stride even when discovered.

I was wearing the type of shorts that had two pockets on each leg in the front, the lower one having a button on each side; he had successfully unbuttoned one of them. I showed my son the button that had been undone and pointed to the guy, saying "That guy just tried to pick my pocket!" The man stayed put and just kept talking to his companions, pointing to this and that in the cityscape. He began to appear nervous only when Andrew and I stayed put also, and kept talking about him and looking at his so-called "family". He must have concluded that we weren't going to stop, so, after the briefest of glances in our direction led his little group away to the other side of the tower.

At times I wish I'd had the presence of mind to take his picture, but didn't - Andrew and I just kept gawking and talking, a little surprised at the man's sustained pretense of being a tourist. It was amazing, and a lesson well-learned.