The good supply of raw materials - leather for making shoes - and its good geographic location, allowing easy access to Europe and the rest of Africa, were also factors.

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Vineyards, leather-good shops, and watch and jewelry makers in Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Poland and the United Kingdom will also take part.

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He is strongest and most original in describing the background to the war, having used a good deal of shoe leather in tracking down the Kosovo diaspora at conference halls in London and lakeside restaurants in Switzerland as well as on rougher Albanian hillsides.

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Fragrance making began in Provence about 500 years ago, when local tanneries sought to make their leather products smell good.

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The fixed strap looked good as new and the leather looked less dull.

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The rooms are spacious too, starting at 375 square feet, with good-size work desks and inviting caramel-colored leather chairs for lounging, plus supremely comfortable beds with Egyptian cotton sheets and tons of goose-down pillows.

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It was the good girl meets bad boy, packing a wardrobe of tough leather jackets, pleated skirts and several fedoras for the adventure.

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