This year on The Earful Tower it has been the ABC season, affectionately known as the ABCson. In alphabetic order, we’ve taken a deep dive into Paris and sometimes beyond.
And I really mean deep dive. We’ve waded through ancient Parisian rivers (see B is for Bievre), chopped wood with medieval axes (N is for Notre Dame), and set foot in a holy kaleidoscope when it was absolutely empty (S is for Sainte-Chapelle).
Below is the full audio list so far, starting with A is for Arago.
If you’re not sure where to start, here’s each episode, from A to Z, via a link to each blog post.
Arago: Tracking the Paris meridian line
The Arago meridian line, was once France’s prime meridian, a line of longitude right through the centre of Paris, and essentially a semi-circle around the the world from north to south. There are 135 bronze medallions in a straight line across Paris (from north to south), following Arago’s meridian line and memorialising when Paris was once the “centre” of the world.
Bievre: Finding the lost Paris river
The ancient Bievre river once ran through Paris, but was buried in 1912 and mostly forgotten. We traced where the river ran through Paris and explored its intriguing history and potential future.
Chateaux: Unique ways to finance them in France
There are over 45,000 chateaux in France and in this episode we take a closer look at how they’re financed. Yes, they’re expensive to buy and to run, here are some exciting modern ways people are making French chateaux work.
Deauville: More than “the Parisian Riviera”
Deauville is a seaside haven that blends refined elegance with the charm of the Normandy coast – and we spent a few days there to figure it out. With its iconic casino, storied villas, glamorous hotels, vibrant arts scene, and stunning beach, Deauville offers a wealth of experiences. And if you wake up early enough, you might even catch the horses running on the beach.
Eiffel: How well do YOU know the Eiffel Tower?
We test our audience on how well they actually know the Eiffel Tower, asking questions like “Gustave Eiffel, the head engineer, contributed to another exceptionally famous world monument. Which?” and “The famous elevators on the second level ascend diagonally. Which American company made them?”. Want the answers? You’ll have to listen to the podcast to find out:
Floods: Paris when it’s underwater (and the Great Flood of 1910)
Did you know there was a massive flood in Paris in 1910? On this podcast we dove deep into this momentous Parisian flood and spoke with Jeffrey Jackson, Professor of History at Rhodes College, and the author of “Paris Under Water: How the City of Light Survived the Great Flood of 1910”.
Guimard: The architect who brought Art Nouveau to Paris
Hector Guimard, sometimes called the “Pope of Art Nouveau”, designed over 50 residential buildings in Paris, but the 1960s saw Art Nouveau go out of fashion and many of his buildings were destroyed. Today there are only a handful of key Guimard buildings across Paris, with the highest concentration of them in the 16th arrondissement. We tracked down and visited the main buildings.
Haussmann: The man who remade Paris
Baron Hausmann was the urban planner behind the redesign of Paris under Napoleon III. But what is a Haussmann building? Who was Haussmann, really, and why was his work so important? Where can you find it in Paris? And what’s his legacy?
Île Saint-Louis: The most beautiful walk in Paris
The Île Saint-Louis is one of two natural islands in the Seine River. It’s the more residential one, the quieter one, and on the podcast we laid out the best way to visit. Of course, the island is very small and you can’t really go wrong. Consider this the best way to spend one hour there, if you only had one hour to spare.
Jewish Paris: Famous falafels to moving museums
A deep dive into Jewish Paris, this episode features interviews with four people from the city’s Jewish community as well as prominent Jewish locations in Paris, like l’As du Fallafel, Rue des Rosiers and Guimard’s art nouveau synagogue.
Kylie: The crocodile swimming in Paris
In this episode you’ll hear a brand new twist in the story of Kylie the Crocodile. This episode was taken from a live show at Spilling the Beans.
Lyon: How to spend 48 hours in France’s gastronomic capital
48 hours in Lyon – what makes France’s gastronomic capital tick? We review our time there and interview local wine connoisseur Caroline Connor.
Marais: How I’d spend my last day there
What is the best way to spend a day in le Marais? You’ll hear from myself, Paul Baron: co-owner of the Peloton and Bike About Tours and our tour guide Amber Minogue, sharing insights to this delightfully charming neighbourhood.
There’s is so much to find in this neighbourhood and we offers tours of it – book yours here.
Notre Dame: What’s happening?
We take a closer look at the progress on the restoration of the Notre Dame cathedral, we chatted to one of the carpenters involved in the restoration project, visited the new Virtual Reality exhibition (which is outstanding), and took a look in the crypt. And there’s even more to see than that!
Olympics in Paris: A first glimpse at what we expect
Paris will host the games in July and August 2024, for the first time in 100 years. We took a first look into the whole thing, including a chat with the US ambassador to France, Denise Campbell Bauer. I visited her in the US embassy to hear her thoughts on the upcoming games and her tips for US travellers for the Olympics and in general.
Provence: A beginner’s guide to the region
We explore the region of Provence after travelling to Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, l’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue ad Avignon. We shared our experience of staying there for a week and interview Suzannah and Hugh Cameron from the antique shop Chez Pluie Provence.
Queer Paris: What has become of the gay quarter of Paris?
An insight to LGBTQIA+ Paris. Where is the gay quarter… or perhaps the better question … what’s happening to the gay quarter now that gentrification has hit the Marais? Featured on this episode is Bryan Pirolli from The Gay Locals, Boris from Le Ju’ cafe, and Nicolas Wanstok from Les Mots à la Bouche bookshop.
Richelieu: An epic Paris library (and its exceptional museum)
In this episode, we visit the newly renovated Richelieu Library, explore the breathtaking Oval Room and the jaw-dropping Mazarin Gallery. The library is absolutely breath-taking and well worth a visit.
Sainte-Chapelle: Inside the great Paris chapel
We take you inside this ancient royal chapel with its incredible stained glass windows. We explain what it feels like to step into this holy kaleidoscope when it was absolutely empty. You’ll hear from tour guide and Paris expert Amber Minogue, who gives us insight into the 13th century chapel.
Tour d’Argent: Dining at the iconic Michelin restaurant in Paris
What is it like to have lunch at the iconic Paris restaurant, the Tour d’Argent? In short: It was the best dining experience I’ve ever had. And the new renovation job is excellent. It was a four-course Michelin meal with a view over the Seine, the Notre Dame, and the rooftops of Paris. And it was two-and-a-half hours in Parisian heaven.
Underground Paris: what to find beneath the City of Light
We ventured down, down, down, deep beneath Paris. We rode the Metro, went through the sewers, and ventured into the (illegal) part of the catacombs. The podcast features the voices of: Luke Thompson from Luke’s English podcast, Amber Minogue from the Paname Podcast as well as The Comte de Saint Germain, who does audio walks of Paris
Vegan Paris: how the scene has changed (and where to find good vegan restaurants)
France is the gastronomic capital of the world. But how well has Paris adapted to accommodate an ever-growing number of vegan diners? We spoke with “the goddess of vegan Paris”: Amanda Bankert, the Le Cordon Bleu−trained American pâtissière from Boneshaker Paris. Amanda explained how Paris is evolving to have more vegan restaurants, and also how she secretly transformed her traditional donut shop to be entirely plant-based.
Wall – Where to find more hidden towers of the ancient Paris wall
We take you through the sixth arrondissement as we explore libraries, restaurants, hotels, offices, and car parks in search of this elusive 800-year-old wall. And we reveal the locations of three towers we showcased along the way, none of which we’ve ever shared on the show before. You’ll also hear the voice of Florian-Élie Vaz from the Officine Universelle Buly (the perfume office that bizarrely features a tower).
Xmas – The Earful Tower’s eXhilarating and eXceptional Xmas party
We hosted a walking tour for 35 people through the Latin Quarter of Paris. The guests had earpieces and the Earful Tower’s host, Oliver Gee, had a microphone. We were all wrapped up warm against the early December chill. And the crowd was in for a very unusual surprise: a stroll through 1500 years of interactive French history thanks to six talented actors.
Yesteryear: Paris impressions from the 1960s, 70s and 80s
Y is for Yesteryear, we spoke with two long-time Paris residents about their first impressions of the city. First, we spoke with American music journalist Valli, about life in Paris in the early 1980s. (Valli was first on the Earful Tower in 2019: “Famous in France: Meet American singer Valli“). Then it’s Englishman Jim Bane who first came to Paris in 1963. (Jim was first on the Earful Tower in 2017: “Paris expat for 50 years“.)
Zinc rooftops of Paris: A closer look at the iconic roofscape
Have you ever stopped to consider what’s behind the iconic rooftops of Paris? This is the season finale of the Earful Tower’s ABC-son. We wanted to finish on a high and we literally did: we got up close with the zinc rooftops of Paris and spoke with one of the city’s roofers.
Well, that’s it! Thanks to all who listened to this season and especially those who contributed on Patreon.
Here is the whole season again, this time from Z to A.