Psst...wanna buy the Eiffel Tower?

Okay, the strikes in Paris have gotten out of hand...part of the Eiffel Tower is going on the block.

Well. Actually it's not that dire: 24 sections of staircase between the second & third levels were removed to create space for elevators in 1983, and this is the final section to be sold--I have no idea what it's been doing for all these years, in storage somewhere? Anyhow, there are 20 steps in this particular section, whichweighs 700kilos (so you better have that apartment reinforced before you buy it...). But think of the history here: Gustave Eiffel actually walked up this staircase during the inauguration of the Tower in 1889. And this is the last section...your last chance to own a piece of the Eiffel Tower. Come on...place your opening bid at the Hotel Drouot--the most traditional auction house in Paris, where anyone can wander in off the street & peruse what's for sale.

The opening bid on the staircase is expected to be upwards of 20,000 euros.