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Sad tourists sent home as Eiffel tower closes amid workers strike

JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:

So Ari, how much do you know about French history?

ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:

Well, you know, I spend most of my time thinking about the Roman Empire, but I do know a bit about the French.

SUMMERS: Well, then you must know what today is.

SHAPIRO: Obviously, you're referring to the 100th anniversary of the death of Gustave Eiffel, the creator and namesake of the Eiffel Tower, or Eiffel Tower. And in his honor, organizers had planned a day of events and celebration to be held at the monument. But...

SUMMERS: But the Eiffel Tower, which is typically open 365 days a year and draws around 6 million visitors annually, was closed today as union workers at the tower went on strike ahead of contract negotiations with the city, citing complaints about poor management.

SHAPIRO: So instead of climbing to the top of the tower for that perfect selfie, tourists had to pack up and escargot home.

SUMMERS: That's right. They had two baguette lost until, well, whenever the strike is over. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

Michael Levitt
Michael Levitt is a news assistant for All Things Considered who is based in Atlanta, Georgia. He graduated from UCLA with a B.A. in Political Science. Before coming to NPR, Levitt worked in the solar energy industry and for the National Endowment for Democracy in Washington, D.C. He has also travelled extensively in the Middle East and speaks Arabic.