The Earful Tower: Paris

Here she is: Sophie in Paris. Meet Sophie, the newest character in our world of children's books.  She's a clever little girl who lives in a tiny attic by the Eiffel Tower. And when a problem appears on the tower itself, Sophie takes it upon herself to save the day. Sophie is a brave, curious, capable girl who reminds us that even the biggest problems can be solved by one person with the courage t...

I did it! I climbed the south tower of the Notre Dame cathedral and it was every bit as wonderful as I had dreamed.  I brought the microphone up there with me, join me for the full experience.  *********** The Earful Tower exists thanks to support from its members. For just $10 a month you can unlock almost endless extras including bonus podcast episodes, live video replays, special event invites,...

A personal guide from us - smaller, quieter museums we genuinely love, chosen for their intimacy and character rather than hype. None of these are in the top 15 most-visited museums in Paris. PS: The music from this episode is an original from Pres Maxson called Guimard's  Abbesses. Here's the list of museums mentioned in the episode. For the full list with addresses, details, websites, etc, check...

IT'S BACK AGAIN!  Every year we make a bucket list of things we want to try for the first time in Paris. In this episode, you'll hear Oliver and Lina sharing their top five things they want to do this year in Paris. Why not write your own list and join us? The full list will be on our official website and Substack shortly. *********** The Earful Tower exists thanks to support from its members. For...

Let's take a look back at 2025. Here's a good episode for the fans who might be curious to know what was the most popular, and for new listeners to get a good idea of where to start.  Thanks to all for listening, watching, and reading in 2025.  *********** The Earful Tower exists thanks to support from its members. For just $10 a month you can unlock almost endless extras including bonus podcast e...

For the first time ever, I'm in France for Christmas. Specifically, I'm in the charming Provence town of l'Isle sur la Sorgue. But what do the French eat on the big day? I have no idea.  I walked around this beautiful town, the Pearl of Provence, the Venice of the South, and I asked the locals.  You'll hear from Nathalie at Maison Moga and Aluna from Maison Jouvaud, both excellent stop-offs if you...

Have you seen Lupin? Or Emily in Paris? What about The Bureau? Or Call My Agent? Maybe you've seen all four of them, perhaps more. It's undeniable, French TV (and even movies) are having their moment right now, and in the post-Olympic Paris glow, people are even more fascinated with France. Let's talk about it with an expert, Lucille Béfort, who runs the French Vibes Club . Her very popular Instag...

This week it's The Earful Tower's musician Pres Maxson. We talk about his new novel, how he came to work on The Earful Tower, and French music in general. This chat was streamed live for Earful Tower members, join the crowd and meet cool people in Paris ( Membership takes only a minute to set up on Patreon,  or  Substack .  As for Pres, find his new book, Chinatown Troubadour:  https://www.amazon....

Paris by night. So many possibilities. Sure, it's easy to create magical memories with a stroll along the Seine or a cobblestoned Marais street. But there are also more than 5,000 restaurants, over 2,000 bars, and hundreds of shows every night. So where to begin? If you've only got a few nights in the city, you simply can't afford to get it wrong. We talk you through how to do it best. We also are...

Let's talk theatre.  This week on the show is Irish actor/playwright Hannah Coyle (who is also one of the Earful Tower tour guides!) Hannah talks about the theatre scene in Paris, especially the English-language scene,  She also talks about Alchemy  Theatre's forthcoming production of  Three Sisters, which she personally reimagined from Chekhov's classic play. It runs at Théâtre de l'Opprimé (78 R...

Meet Penelope Fletcher, who runs two Paris bookshops, side by side near the Luxembourg Gardens. The shops: The Red Wheelbarrow and The Red Balloon The Red Balloon is just for children's books, and is almost certainly the most likely of all shops in Paris to have all our own children's books.  Addresses: 9-11 Rue de Médicis, 75006. This episode is from The Earful Tower podcast archives.  Here are a...

Meet Loïc Estimbre, a Parisian entrepreneur who is behind four different eateries on just one street in the 12th arrondissement.    That street: rue Emilio Castelar.    In this podcast episode, we talk food in Paris, the 12th district in general, and the challenges of funding four separate spots.    As for Loic, I met him when he was behind the counter at the Magic Carpet cafe and was surprised to...

This week on the show it's Guy Griffin, the owner of Cafe Mericourt in the 11th arrondissement. He talks about the current explosion of speciality coffee shops across Paris and whether it is sustainable.   He also takes us behind the beans... er, scenes... about the change in tipping culture, the challenges of being an entrepreneur in France, and the cost of hiring people in France compared to the...

This week on The Earful Tower podcast it's Jake and Holly Barker, two American tourists who were actually inside the Louvre's Apollo Gallery when it was broken into on Sunday.   I met them in the Marais to record their dramatic story.   "When we heard the saws, we both knew that something serious had happened."   It's reported that nine items from the crown jewel collection were taken from the Lou...

This week on the show it's Cléophée Poli - aka Cléo - a Parisienne interior designer. She talks about typical Paris apartments and what she likes about them, how you can make your home more Parisian, and the small touches to improve the feeling of any home.   And of course, we talk about a lot more.    Follow her on Instagram here : https://www.instagram.com/cleointeriordesign/ Explore her website...

We're making our fifth children's book, and it's the most Parisian one yet. In fact, there are some major changes to this one, so we decided to open the curtain and show you how we do them.    Lina talks about her illustrating process and I talk about how I wrote this one - and why I changed the whole style.    You can find our other four children's books in all the Anglophone bookshops of Paris,...

Meet Charles Pappas - Mr World Fair. Charles likes nothing more in the world than a Universal Exhibition, especially if it's one of the seven that were hosted in Paris. In fact, he's written the book on the topic.  I met him on a road-side terrace at Harvest cafe in the 11th arrondissement to talk Paris, Haussmann, coffee, and of course, World Fairs.  His new book is: Nobody Sits Like the French:...

After an eventful visit to the Aligre markets in the 12th arrondissement, I came home to share my love of the French food markets with my wife Lina.  Here's an energetic, honest, and in-the-moment recount of what happened when I went shopping for dinner ingredients.  The music in this episode is from Pres Maxson, his take on the classic Sous le ciel de Paris. *********** The Earful Tower exists th...

Meet Jane Bertch, a Chicagoan who has called Paris home since 2005. She started her life here as a banker, but made the unusual pivot to running a cooking class (which is now the hugely popular La Cuisine Paris). And now, she has written a memoir about it all: The French Ingredient.  She joined me in the studio to talk about the book, how to make a croissant, and even how to make a croissant class...

This summer, the city of Paris announced plans to open a museum to showcase the work of architect Hector Guimard. He is the man behind the iconic Paris Metro entrances, several Art Nouveau buildings in Paris, and some very beautiful furniture and decorations in museum displays around the world.  And better still: The museum will be housed in one of the very few buildings remaining in Paris that Gu...

I jumped in the Seine river - an activity that's legal again for the first time in 100 years. Here's what happened.  Want to do it too? You have until August 31st, here's more info (in English) . Music: Sunset on the Seine, an original by Pres Maxson.  *********** The Earful Tower exists thanks to support from its members. From $10 a month you can unlock almost endless extras including bonus podca...

So what is the best-known street in Paris? And if that seems obvious, then what's number two? And three? After last week's pod with Parisians Abiola and Margaux sharing their take on popular Paris streets, we surveyed our audience for an official answer.  Here it is, presented by Oliver and Lina. Thanks to all who participated. Read some more of the comments here on Substack . Fitting music this w...

Before you listen too far, make a mental note of what you think are the three most popular streets in Paris.  Then listen to two typical Parisians as they take on this unusual question.  Of course, most people would agree on number one... but where do we go from there. Fitting music this week is from Pres Maxson. Thanks to Abiola and Margaux for their voices.  *********** The Earful Tower exists t...

This week we scale the Eiffel Tower with its managing director Patrick Branco-Ruivo.  What are his tips for visiting? His favourite view? And what would he ask if he had Gustave Eiffel himself on the telephone? Join us on this exciting opportunity to explore one of the world's most iconic landmarks with the maestro behind it all. And hang around - we'll get some exclusive access to the underground...

I'm not proud to say it, but we got scammed pretty hard. Here's the full story.  Mentioned at the end of the episode: Our  walking tours  of Paris: http://www.theearfultower.com/tours Music by Pres Maxson. *********** The Earful Tower exists thanks to support from its members. From $10 a month you can unlock almost endless extras including bonus podcast episodes, live video replays, special event...