The Earful Tower: Paris

K is for Kids. Is Paris a child-friendly city? And if you're bringing kids here, what should you do with them? Today on the show it's Aly, the founder of Paris For Kids.  For ten percent off painting classes and tours with Paris For Kids, just mention The Earful Tower!!  Explore the experiences here : https://www.parisforkids.fr/ Meanwhile: The Earful Tower exists thanks to support from its member...

J is for Josephine Baker. Who was she? What was it that made her so iconic? And how can you follow her footsteps in Paris? Today on the show it's Brian Scott Bagley, the founder of the Musée Joséphine Baker et des Afro-Descendants de Paris. Brian comes from a career in the performing arts, and is now a cultural historian working to promote the legacy of Josephine Baker.  Find out more about Brian...

An ancient Gallic wall was recently unearthed, after being buried for two millennia beneath the Hôtel-Dieu hospital, on the Île de la Cité. I managed to talk my way in and sit down with Julien Avinain, chief of Paris's archaeological city council department, for an exclusive tour and interview. What he showed me rewritten the history of Paris itself - a stone and wood fortification built by the Pa...

Here's the story of how tried to get my French driving permit in a world-record time. I'm joined by Lina, who hangs around for some listener questions about fashion in Paris at the end.  This episode is brought to you by an exciting antique sale: At Home with Patricia Wells, Volume III, the final catalogue from Chez Pluie. Find more here: https://catalog.chezpluie.com/at-home-with-patricia-wells-v...

H is for Hotel de Ville, aka the Paris City Hall. In this episode, I see if I can get inside this impenetrable building with the help of intern Ashlyn Patton.  The music is from Pres Maxson.  This episode brought to you by The Earful Tower Tours. Come join us in the Marais, Montmartre, or the Latin Quarter. Our  Walking Tours  are exceptionally highly rated online and are the best way to experienc...

Welcome back to "The 20 Kingdoms" season, where I'll visit each kingdom and introduce you to someone who truly loves it. In this episode for the 14th arrondissement, it's Canadian tour guide April Pett who lives in the district and absolutely loves it.  Mentioned in this episode: Coffee at Sisters Cafe Lunch at Le Saut du Crapaud (And more... to be published soon on Substack) Do a tour with April...

This week on the show, Lina and I discuss how our 2026 Bucket Lists are going. Here's a link to the full bucket list that we shared in January. And here are the things we've done so far, that we mentioned in the show. See anything in the main hall of the Grand Rex (we saw Paul Simon) This is the biggest non-Imax movie screen in Europe, but they also host orchestra-led movie showings, concerts, and...

I recount my recent visit to the Musée de Minéralogie, where Codex Urbanus has taken over with a street art exhibition "Codex on the Rocks".  It was quite a fascinating visit to a place I'd never been, and it was wonderful to have the artist himself explain the impressive work that went into this exhibition.  If you're an Earful Member on Substack or Patreon, you can get more information about a p...

Welcome back to "The 20 Kingdoms" season, where I'll visit each kingdom and introduce you to someone who truly loves it. In this episode for the 15th arrondissement, it's content creator Gaby Hafner who lives in the district and absolutely loves it.  Mentioned in this episode: Sang Bong Lo: 8 Rue Viala, 75015 Paris Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ssang_bong_lo/?hl=en Café du Commerce: 51 Rue...

Welcome back to "The 20 Kingdoms" season. As you probably know, there are 20 districts in Paris, known as  arrondissements . They may as well be kingdoms, at least for this podcast season, where I'll visit each kingdom and introduce you to someone who truly loves it. In this episode, it's YouTuber Jay Swanson who has lived in the 16th for over a decade. I met him in the Passy Cemetery, here's what...

G is for Grand Palais. In this episode, we present eight facts (well, nine) about the magnificent Grand Palais. This is a mixture of entertaining, informative, and practical facts, so you'll certainly get something out of it!  The music is from Pres Maxson.  This episode brought to you by The Earful Tower Tours. Come join us in the Marais, Montmartre, or the Latin Quarter. Our  Walking Tours  are...

We've been exploring Provence this week and here we share some good tips with you.  Mentioned in this episode: The Pont du Gard, a 2,000-year-old Roman acqueduct Robion, a sleepy village that's perfect for a glass of Ricard L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, where we bought our house and recorded this episode Fontaine de Vaucluse, aka Rivendell from Lord of the Rings  The Sénanque Abbey with its monks and lave...

F is for Fringe Festival. In this episode, I talk with Australian clown and actor Jasper Foley about how he (and his team) are bringing the famed international theatre and performing arts festival back to the City of Light. Paris.  Also: What's life like as a trained clown in Paris?  What happens at the famed Ground Control in Paris? And how can you support the arts in Paris, even if you're not he...

E is for Embassy. And in this case, I'm talking about the US Embassy's Garden Party to mark 250 years of Independence with a capital I.  And guess what: I was there! So this podcast is just me, Oliver Gee, talking about my night among the Americans for their Fourth of July bash.  And here's the video from INSIDE the US ambassadorial residence that I mentioned in the show, from a year ago: https://...

It's sweltering in Paris right now and life is unbearable for many. Not least for those who live under the zinc rooftops. The whole city comes to a standstill in these heatwaves, but those in the rooftops suffer the most, perhaps.  So, while The Earful Tower puts business as usual aside like everyone else, we figured we could take a look back at an episode about another rooftop: The domed cupolas...

Every year or so, Lina and I make a children's book. Sophie in Paris is the fifth. And every time, once the books arrive, we hit the streets of Paris to deliver them ourselves. Bookshops, museums, all of it. This episode is about that part. Not the writing, not the illustrating, but the launching - which we find to be one of the most enjoyable bits. The envelopes, the deliveries, the doors we knoc...

D is for Delon, Alain Delon. Author Edward Chisholm is back on the podcast, this time talking about his new book Murder in Paris '68. We recorded this one on location - sitting on the quai by the Seine, directly beneath the Quai des Orfèvres, the famous Paris police headquarters that has watched over the city's darkest crimes for centuries. Fitting, then, that we were there to talk about one of Fr...

New episode: Let's take a deeper dive into the 17th arrondissement of Paris. You've hopefully already heard the previous episode, where Tom Vickers shared his thoughts on the 17th Kingdom.  In  this brand new episode, I kept exploring the 17th with my wife (and our new intern Victoria Hughes). Relevant places to find:  Musée national Jean-Jacques Henner 43 avenue de Villiers, 75017 A beautiful 19t...

Welcome back to "The 20 Kingdoms" season. As you probably know, there are 20 districts in Paris, known as  arrondissements . They may as well be kingdoms, at least for this podcast season, where I'll visit each kingdom and introduce you to someone who truly loves it. In this episode, it's Australian chef Tom Vickers. He runs a couple of cafes in the 17th, a district he defines as  being a fusion o...

Updated Re-Release: This episode originally aired a few years ago and has since become one of The Earful Tower's most beloved classics. We're bringing it back today because some things are simply too good - and too instructive - to stay buried in the archives. It started with a photo. A single, damning image shared on The Earful Tower's social media: an 18-month-old Comté, massacred at a Parisian...

C is for Carnavalet. Or should that be Kernevenoy?? In this episode, we dive into one of Paris's most overlooked treasures - the Carnavalet Museum, the only museum in the world dedicated entirely to the history of Paris. I share, for the first time, the story of visiting the newly renovated museum before it opened to the public - completely alone - while waiting for the birth of my first son. Plus...

New episode: Let's take a deeper dive into the 18th arrondissement of Paris. You've hopefully already heard the previous episode, where Sutanya Dacres shared her thoughts on the 18th Kingdom.  In  this brand new episode, I re-visited the 18th and did some exploring with my wife, and with Earful Tower's senior tour guide Hannah Coyle, who regularly walks the streets of Montmartre. Hannah shared her...

Welcome back to "The 20 Kingdoms", a new season of The Earful Tower podcast. As you probably know, there are 20 districts in Paris, known as  arrondissements . They may as well be kingdoms, at least for this podcast season, where I'll visit each kingdom and introduce you to someone who truly loves it. In this episode, it's Sutanya Dacres, podcaster and author of Dinner For One. She has called the...

This podcast episode features host Oliver Gee and his co-host Lina exploring the history and physical traces of the Bièvre, a lost river in Paris. Once a vital waterway that flowed into the Seine, the river was entirely buried and built over by 1912 due to industrial pollution. In this updated re-release, we lead a "scavenger hunt" with a group of enthusiasts to find medallions, plaques, and archi...

B is for Brocantes! This podcast episode features an interview with Sharon Santoni, a long-time expert on French lifestyle and author of the book "The Art of Antiquing in France." She discusses the nuances of the "brocante", which she defines as accessible antiques that possess a unique history and patina. The conversation explores the cultural importance of repurposing vintage items and provides...