410 episodes

The Earful Tower is a weekly podcast all about Paris, hosted by Australian expat Oliver Gee. With a huge variety of guests - from cooks and comedians to TV hosts and tour guides - this show will transport you to the City of Lights and make you feel like you've met the characters that make it shine.

The Earful Tower: Paris Oliver Gee

    • Society & Culture
    • 4.8 • 674 Ratings

The Earful Tower is a weekly podcast all about Paris, hosted by Australian expat Oliver Gee. With a huge variety of guests - from cooks and comedians to TV hosts and tour guides - this show will transport you to the City of Lights and make you feel like you've met the characters that make it shine.

    Does 'meter' rhyme with 'cheetah'? (And more from our new Paris kids' book)

    Does 'meter' rhyme with 'cheetah'? (And more from our new Paris kids' book)

    Our new children's book, The Animal Games in Paris, left us with some unusual questions. 
    Does meter rhyme with cheetah? Apparently not, according to some. 
    And if not, should we keep it in the book? And on that note, should we spell it meter, or metre? Or both?
    And that's just a few of the text-based questions from Oliver, who wrote the book.
    As for the illustrations by Lina... should Notre Dame be seen as under construction, given that's what it looks like right now? Or should it seem perfect and complete?
    What about drawing Olympic Games related stuff? Should the opening ceremony really be on the River Seine, given the plan might be scrapped?
    Hosts Oliver and Lina discuss some of the talking points that went into making their fourth children's book, The Animal Games in Paris, which you can find only via The Earful Tower's online shop here.
    And a super shoutout to Janet Hulstrand who has edited all five books from Earful Tower Publishing, and who certainly doesn't speak with the atrocious accent that Oliver did in this episode. Find Janet here for her own books and editing services. 
    ***********
    The Earful Tower exists thanks to support from its Patreon members. From $10 a month you can unlock almost endless extras including bonus podcast episodes, live video replays, special event invites, and our annually updated PDF guide to Paris. 
    Membership takes only a minute to set up. Thank you for keeping this channel independent. 
    For more from the Earful Tower, here are some handy links:
    Website 
    Weekly newsletter 
     

    • 19 min
    A look at the underbelly of Paris

    A look at the underbelly of Paris

    Meet Morgan Walesh, an American in Paris who specializes in the hidden underbelly of the city.
    She talks of her love for the catacombs, the "history of the streets", and how she tried to talk her way into an infamous Paris apartment... 
    Find out more about Morgan and her work on "Paris History of our Streets" via her website here, Instagram here, and Facebook here.
    ***********
    The Earful Tower exists thanks to support from its Patreon members. From $10 a month you can unlock almost endless extras including bonus podcast episodes, live video replays, special event invites, and our annually updated PDF guide to Paris. 
    Membership takes only a minute to set up. Thank you for keeping this channel independent. 
    For more from the Earful Tower, here are some handy links:
    Website 
    Weekly newsletter 

    • 33 min
    Why is Paris so inaccessible?

    Why is Paris so inaccessible?

    Meet Parisian woman Virginie Dubost. In 2018, she became a quadriplegic after a surfing accident. 
    Now, she is an accessibility advocate and has made headlines in Paris for drawing attention to accessibility issues in the city. 
    She joined us in the lovely Square Santiago-du-Chili in the 7th arrondissement to talk about Paris, its low level of accessibility, and how it can be improved. Here's the viral video she featured in, which we talked about in the show (4 million hits on Instagram!)
    Find out more about Virginie via her Instagram page here. 
    ***********
    The Earful Tower exists thanks to support from its Patreon members. From $10 a month you can unlock almost endless extras including bonus podcast episodes, live video replays, special event invites, and our annually updated PDF guide to Paris. 
    Membership takes only a minute to set up. Thank you for keeping this channel independent. 
    For more from the Earful Tower, here are some handy links:
    Website 
    Weekly newsletter 

    • 28 min
    The fastest climbing trend in Paris...

    The fastest climbing trend in Paris...

    Meet Daniel Christensen, an avid boulderer in Paris.
    He talks of how the trend of climbing - aka bouldering - is captivating people's attention in Paris, and how the worldwide sport actually started near Paris in Fontainebleau. 

    Even if you're not a climber, this makes for an interesting chat about Paris and how sports/hobbies/pastimes are changing. There's even a climbing hall INSIDE a church!
    Find out more about Daniel on his Instagram page here.
    ***********
    The Earful Tower exists thanks to support from its Patreon members. From $10 a month you can unlock almost endless extras including bonus podcast episodes, live video replays, special event invites, and our annually updated PDF guide to Paris. 
    Membership takes only a minute to set up. Thank you for keeping this channel independent. 
    For more from the Earful Tower, here are some handy links:
    Website 
    Weekly newsletter 

    • 31 min
    The changing face of Paris and its suburbs

    The changing face of Paris and its suburbs

    Meet Simon Kuper, a British (and naturalized French) journalist in Paris. 
    He talks of how the changing face of Paris and its suburbs - and his new book Impossible City: Paris in the Twenty-First Century.
    Find out more about Simon and his work on his Twitter profile here.
    ***********
    The Earful Tower exists thanks to support from its Patreon members. From $10 a month you can unlock almost endless extras including bonus podcast episodes, live video replays, special event invites, and our annually updated PDF guide to Paris. 
    Membership takes only a minute to set up. Thank you for keeping this channel independent. 
    For more from the Earful Tower, here are some handy links:
    Website 
    Weekly newsletter 

    • 31 min
    Why do Parisians leave unusual objects at gravestones?

    Why do Parisians leave unusual objects at gravestones?

    If you've been to a Paris cemetery, you might have seen curious collections of unusual objects on certain gravestones (especially celebrities like Jim Morrisson and Oscar Wilde).

    You can find potatoes, chewing gum, Metro tickets, apples... and much more.

    In this episode, Ana Gimena from LivTours breaks down some of the main offerings you can find on gravestones at Pere Lachaise and Montparnasse cemetery. See our full blog post with all the addresses here. 

    Book a walking tour of Pere Lachaise with LivTours here.

    LivTours offer more than 30 experiences in and around Paris (and hundreds more across Europe). Their tour groups are small - max 6 people - or private and include everything from Pere Lachaise Cemetery and the Catacombs, to day trips in Versailles, Giverny, and Champagne.

    They also do food tours of the Marais, small group and private visits to the Louvre, and TukTuk tours of Paris.

    Find out more here about LivTours here.

    • 30 min

Customer Reviews

4.8 out of 5
674 Ratings

674 Ratings

DeeLyn! ,

Great info and tempo

Finally, a good podcast about France!

I especially love the “Riviera” segments. I’m listening before I make another trip there in a few weeks.

Love the literature references!

Merci beaucoup!

KristenTravels ,

Perfectly Paris

I’ve been a loyal listener since the beginning and Oliver (and Lina!) do an excellent job at painting the perfect picture of Paris. I’ve taken many of their recommendations during my visits and my time living in Paris. Bravo, Oliver!

BobbiB18 ,

A true gem!

Such a great way to experience Paris and all it has to offer! I’ve learned so much listening and truly enjoy every episode. Grateful to have found this podcast and for Oliver (and his whole team)! Merci!! 🙏🏻

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