The Earful Tower: Paris

Latest Episodes:

A closer look at the elegant 7th arrondissement of Paris May 22, 2020

Show notes

I didn't know the 7th district of Paris very well until this week.

Thanks to the mysterious Goddess of Fortune (aka Leah Walker from Paris Perfect rentals), Lina and I have landed in a luxury apartment by the Eiffel Tower for two weeks.

Leah, who runs the social media for Paris Perfect, joined me for a chat about the 7th district, what it's like without the tourist (France's borders are still closed), and she also talks about how apartment rental companies like hers have had 100 percent cancellations. (Which is how I ended up here!).

As promised, here's the spelling of all the street names we mentioned.

Avenue Junot, which in Montmartre is the only street not on the Left Bank (the rest are).

Rue Jacob

Rue de l'Université

Avenue de Bourdonnais (where the apartment is)

Her fave street was Rue Saint Dominique

And the neighbourhood is called the Quartier du Gros-Caillou (big stone or pebble)

Find Leah on Instagram @LeahTravels (https://www.instagram.com/leahtravels/)

Find Paris Perfect here: https://www.instagram.com/parisperfectrentals/

And here is the apartment we're in, the "Bergerac".

That's it for now, thanks for listening!

Life as a Paris food writer when all the restaurants are closed May 18, 2020

Show notes

The vast majority of restaurants in Paris are still closed due to the lockdown. Those that have opened their doors are only offering takeaway.

So what does an acclaimed restaurant critic like Alec Lobrano do instead?

I chatted with the American writer about all things food, his life under lockdown, and how every Paris restaurant is like a theatre.

We also talk about the future of the Paris restaurant industry, what happens when someone spots him buying frozen pizza, and where he'd go for his last meal in Paris.

Spoiler alert: He chose Le bon Georges which you can find at 45 Rue Saint-Georges, 75009 Paris.

Find out more about Alec on his website here: https://www.alexanderlobrano.com/

The lockdown's over! So what now for Paris? May 11, 2020

Show notes

The lockdown is lifted. We can go out without permission, without a reason, and for as long as we wish.

I chatted with Ariel Weil, the mayor of the Marais, about what will happen now. About how the city will change. About what a mayor does in lockdown. And much more.

Thanks for listening - and thanks for helping me reach a million downloads! Merci!

Become a member here: www.patreon.com/theearfultower

The kindest Parisian I've met May 07, 2020

Show notes

Today it's an excerpt from the audio experience for my new memoir, Paris On Air.

It's Eddie Gee, my little brother, reading his lines with me as we retell the story of our first trip to Paris.

If you enjoy it, please buy the full audio experience for just €20. The first five chapters are ready to go.

Want each segment as it's recorded? Join Patreon for $10 a month and become a member for more like this every day!!

Here are the links:

Audio experience: https://theearfultower.com/memoir/

Become a member: https://www.patreon.com/theearfultower

What will happen to the Paris restaurants? May 04, 2020

Show notes

Guy Griffin from Cafe Oberkampf and Cafe Mericourt joins the show to talk about the restaurant industry in Paris and how it'll cope during the lockdown... and then what'll come next.

He discusses his rethinking of the hospitality industry, the government's "chômage partiel" for staff members (part-time unemployment), and his plans to reopen.

And he says the days of sitting in a Paris cafe all day with one coffee and a cake may be over...

For the facts: The government has given May 11th as the end of lockdown, but that doesn't apply for cafes and restaurants, many of which have already been reworking their strategies for home delivery and click and collect options.

Oh yes, and a tromp-l'oeil is an art technique that uses realistic imagery to create an optical illusion.

As Guy said, a coffee on him if you can be the first to guess which character he played in my audiobook, which you can listen to every day on Patreon here. We're halfway through! www.patreon.com/theearfultower My site: www.theearfultower.com Find the cafes on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cafeoberkampf/ https://www.instagram.com/cafemericourt

Life as an influencer in the Paris lockdown Apr 27, 2020

Show notes

Paris has been closed down for about six weeks now and everyone's life has changed. Last week I checked in on friends of the show to hear about how the city looks different.

This week I'm talking with three Paris influential online personalities to hear how the Paris lockdown has affected their respective businesses.

Here are the links to the guests, how you can find them online, and where you can hear them in this slightly longer episode.

(From 2.40) Carin Olsson from Paris In Four Months, talking about how being an Instagram influencer and photographer means work has totally dried up for the foreseeable future. Her Instagram is here: https://www.instagram.com/parisinfourmonths/

(From 18.20) Lindsey Tramuta from Lost In Cheeseland talking about how her new book "The New Parisienne" has had a delayed publication. Her Instagram is here: https://www.instagram.com/lostncheeseland/

(From 35.50) Sophie Nadeau talking about how her popular travel blog Solo Sophie has seen the statistics nosedive. Her Instagram is here: https://www.instagram.com/sophieannenadeau/

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That's it! I've got pictures from all the guests, I'm adding them to The Earful Tower site now.

Become an Earful Tower member on Patreon here: www.patreon.com/theearfultower

More episodes every Monday, as always

What does Paris look like in lockdown? Apr 20, 2020

Show notes

Paris has been closed down for over a month now. Me, I'm confined to a radius of 1km in peaceful Montmartre... but was wondering what the rest of the city looks like.

This episode features chats with five friends of the show, sharing their lockdown observations from their respective corners of Paris.

Here are the links to the guests and what they mentioned, in order of appearance.

(From 3.55) Veronique from French Girl in Seattle (who's on Patreon too), talking about Vincennes and the "petite couronne" in the suburbs)

(From 17.58) Jay Swanson from YouTube (who's also on Patreon), talking about Trocadero and the Arc de Triomphe.

(From 24.10) Adrian Leeds from House Hunters International (visit her site here), talking about the Marais.

(From 35.05) Author John Baxter (find his site here), talking about the Left Bank and the Jardin du Luxembourg.

(From 43.50) Boris Petrovic from Paris in Person (find his app Notre Dame Fiat Lux anywhere you find apps - link to Apple here), talking about the 7th, the Eiffel Tower, and the Seine.

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That's it! I've got pictures from all the guests, I'm adding them to The Earful Tower site now.

Become an Earful Tower member on Patreon here: www.patreon.com/theearfultower

More episodes every Monday, as always

The Paris artist painting through lockdown Apr 13, 2020

Show notes

Lina Nordin Gee aka @parisianpostcards on Instagram has been painting a watercolour every day about Paris, France, and famous French faces.

She's the guest on today's podcast, sharing the stories behind her paintings, what it's like to have your real job put on hold, and what it's like to host a Paris-themed quiz night every weekend.

Links:

Lina's paintings on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/parisianpostcards/

Lina's prints to buy here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/parisianpostcards

Lina's shoes and handbags here: https://www.deuxiemestudios.com/

Support The Earful Tower on Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/theearfultower

Get my memoir here: https://theearfultower.com/memoir/

Subscribe on YouTube for pub quizzes here: https://www.youtube.com/theearfultower

Paris lockdown leaves street frozen in 1942 Apr 06, 2020

Show notes

When the lockdown hit Paris, all non essential work was forbidden. So a local film crew didn't have time to remove a huge set on rue Androuet in Montmarte.

I've been visiting the street since they started building, here's the strange and slightly eerie story, with the help of an American whose home was taken over by the film, and one of the actors.

There are 100+ pictures on my site: https://theearfultower.com/

Support my work on Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/theearfultower

Buy my memoir here: https://theearfultower.com/memoir

A chat with Ernest Hemingway Apr 01, 2020

Show notes

Unbelievable. After a strange dream, I found myself with a direct phone number for Ernest Hemingway in 1925. I called the number... here's what happened.

Afterwards, I spoke with Sam Lopez-Barrantes who gives Hemingway tours. Here he is on Twitter if you wanna book one of his tours when things get back to normal.

Support The Earful on Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/theearfultower

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