Well, this is embarrassing.
The concept of the so-called “ugly American tourist” has been around for decades. You probably know the kind of people I’m talking about. The ones who are:
- Loud
- Confrontational
- Not following rules or social norms
- Expecting things to be like the U.S.
I mean, remember when the two Los Angeles Police Department officers made a wrongful arrest in France?
Or the Texas woman who got arrested for screaming in public in Dubai? Yeah.
So no wonder why people from the United States are often on lists of countries with the worst behaved tourists.
Welp, you can add these two guys…
Two drunk American tourists broke into an off-limits part of the Eiffel Tower after hours the other night, and promptly fell asleep.
The Independent reported that the two tourists were woken up by security guards on Monday (August 14) morning. And yes, they were hung over. Serves them right.
According to Sociéte d’Exploitation de la Tour Eiffel, also known as Sete, the operator of the publicly-owned tower, security guards were doing their typical rounds before the tower opened at its regularly scheduled 9am, when they discovered the two men sleeping between the tower’s second and third levels. That’s an area that’s usually closed to visitors.
Paris prosecutors said the two men bought tickets to the iconic monument around 10:40pm Sunday night, then snuck into the area after hopping over security barriers when they were climbing down the stairs from the tower’s uppermost platform. They also noted that the pair apparently, “got stuck because of how drunk they were.”
Once the men were found, a firefighting unit that specializes in rescuing people from great heights was called; they helped bring the duo down. The two were then brought to a local police station for questioning.
Sete said the men, “did not pose any apparent threat,” but they (Sete) planned to file a criminal report later in the week.
“As no damage was found, the fine for trespassing on a historic or cultural site was dismissed,” the Paris prosecutor’s office added.
The Eiffel Tower’s opening was delayed by an hour or so.
And the reputation of American tourists was sullied yet again…
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1 comment
Another data point indicating that you really can’t fix stupid.