Back from Paris
Another wonderful weekend in Paris: the work I did seemed to go very well and was really enjoyable and interesting and I had plenty of free time too. Here's the river Seine yesterday morning in all its autumn glory:
and the Tuileries by the river, full of joggers and children playing:
and, in contrast, another of the many tramps:
This one looked rather less dishevelled than some but still had the paper cup to hold out and still had the regulation sign "SVP - JAI FAIM" (Please - I'm hungry, though it should have an apostrophe, "J'ai" and they never put it in). I did spot a different sign though: "AIDEZ-MOI" (Help me).
This weekend only one girl tried the Ring Scam on me (if you missed last week's post, it goes: "I've found this ring on the ground - -oh look, it's gold - - but it won't fit me, would you like it? - - and now please can you give me some money since I've given you this real gold ring")
I couldn't be bothered to get involved at all this time - - just kept on walking as her indignant cries of "Madame! Madame!" followed me.
I saw exactly how she did it this time though - hid the ring in her palm as she bent down and then muttered a surprised "Bonne chance!" as she pretended to pick it up. Not her bonne chance this time, though.
Clearly they are taught to recognise me at Ring Scam School. I am just what they are looking for - - rucsack on my back, camera round my neck, copy of Time Out Paris in my hand.
To wander round Paris all day with a supply of gold rings trying to con tourists sounds really hard work and not at all a romantic gypsyish-type thing to do. Perhaps I should have pointed out that a real job might be considerably easier.
and the Tuileries by the river, full of joggers and children playing:
and, in contrast, another of the many tramps:
This one looked rather less dishevelled than some but still had the paper cup to hold out and still had the regulation sign "SVP - JAI FAIM" (Please - I'm hungry, though it should have an apostrophe, "J'ai" and they never put it in). I did spot a different sign though: "AIDEZ-MOI" (Help me). This weekend only one girl tried the Ring Scam on me (if you missed last week's post, it goes: "I've found this ring on the ground - -oh look, it's gold - - but it won't fit me, would you like it? - - and now please can you give me some money since I've given you this real gold ring")
I couldn't be bothered to get involved at all this time - - just kept on walking as her indignant cries of "Madame! Madame!" followed me.
I saw exactly how she did it this time though - hid the ring in her palm as she bent down and then muttered a surprised "Bonne chance!" as she pretended to pick it up. Not her bonne chance this time, though.
Clearly they are taught to recognise me at Ring Scam School. I am just what they are looking for - - rucsack on my back, camera round my neck, copy of Time Out Paris in my hand.
To wander round Paris all day with a supply of gold rings trying to con tourists sounds really hard work and not at all a romantic gypsyish-type thing to do. Perhaps I should have pointed out that a real job might be considerably easier.
posted by Daphne at 5:37 am
2 Comments:
As you're obviously somewhat of an expert on these scammers now, I think you should be voted in as the Leeds Minister For All Things Pikey and help sort out the whole lot of them, gypsies, travellers, beggars, double glazing salesmen, Jehovahs Witnesses (who have never witnessed anything decent to my mind).
Cause you'll never find a career in the pawn broking industry if you can't spot all these real gold rings after all.
Glad you had yet another great trip! I wish I had a job that involved round trips to Paris!
Did you try a pastis? I <3 pastis.
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