This week The Earful Tower is going to the opera. To prepare, I talked to superstar Australian soprano Siobhan Stagg, who is in Paris to perform in Orlando at the Théâtre du Châtelet.

She helped me to demystify the opera.

Find Siobhan Stagg on Instagram to follow her artistic adventures - and find her on Spotify here.

Want more from The Earful Tower? Become a Patreon member here to support it and to unlock extras.

This season of The Earful Tower is brought to you by the award-winning travel company My Private Paris, which specializes in tours in Paris, day trips outside Paris, and travel itineraries. See what they offer here. This week's fun bonus included a chat with Bertrand about his favourite Paris view.

Get more from The Earful Tower by becoming a Patreon member, or a Substack member, or exploring the official site here.

We filmed a "viral" video with the US ambassador to France, Denise Bauer, in her official residence in Paris.

This episode is a behind-the-scenes from the video, plus a general chat about what has been going on here at The Earful Tower. 

Mentioned in this episode:

• Our YouTube video
• The fascinating Pamela Harriman
• Lina's "Scoop du jour" column (read it on Patreon here, Substack here)
• Le Dali restaurant at Le Meurice

This season of The Earful Tower is brought to you by the award-winning travel company My Private Paris, which specializes in tours in Paris, day trips outside Paris, and travel itineraries. See what they offer here. This week's fun bonus included a chat about a stunning church in central Paris that never has a queue out the front. 

Get more from The Earful Tower by becoming a Patreon member, or a Substack member, or exploring the official site here.

This week has been full of reflections as I celebrated my ten year anniversary of moving to Paris. Life has changed dramatically in those ten years and building the Earful Tower has been a major part of that.

Little did I know, all those years ago, how much I had to learn about this beautiful, complicated city. It felt only right to contemplate upon what I have learnt over this decade and, to be completely honest, not all of it is totally positive. Acting as your "eyes and ears" in Paris has had its ups and down and now feels like the right time to share some of that on this week’s podcast.

This season of The Earful Tower is brought to you by the award-winning travel company My Private Paris, which specializes in tours in Paris, day trips outside Paris, and travel itineraries. See what they offer here. This week's fun bonus included a chat about the most expensive street in Paris on the Monopoly board game.

Get more from The Earful Tower by becoming a Patreon member, or a Substack member, or exploring the official site here.

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 is on our official website here.

This season of The Earful Tower is brought to you by the award-winning travel company My Private Paris, which specializes in tours in Paris, day trips outside Paris, and travel itineraries. See what they offer here. 

Get more from The Earful Tower by becoming a Patreon member, or a Substack member, or exploring the official site here. 

Short answer: yes. Paris is worth visiting in the winter months. 

In this episode, Oliver and Lina explain why, based on their combined 22 winters in Paris. 

Mentioned in this episode:

• Ice Skating at the Grand Palais
• A chat with Chef Tony Xu from Shang Palace (see our video here)
• The Petit Palais museum

At the end you'll hear from Marie Segura from My Private Paris talking about the Phantom of the Opera and at the Palais Garnier, which is incidentally a lovely way to while away a winter day. 

This season of The Earful Tower is brought to you by the award-winning travel company My Private Paris, which specializes in tours in Paris, day trips outside Paris, and travel itineraries. See what they offer here. 

Get more from The Earful Tower by becoming a Patreon member, or a Substack member, or exploring the official site here. 

It's time for a day trip to Vaux-le-Vicomte!

This week, I'll show you how to visit the magnificent chateau Vaux-le-Vicomte with Bertrand d’Aleman from award-winning travel company My Private Paris.

We took a private van from Paris, then spent half a day exploring the chateau and its grounds. This was a family-friendly visit (two families on board!) but the episode is aimed at everyone and anyone. 

My Private Paris is a local deluxe agency, crafting itineraries for tours in Paris and beyond (including, of course, Champagne). See what they offer here. Here is their  full-day trip to Vaux le Vicomte plus Fontainebleau.

Music: Pres Maxson. 

Paris is home to over 100 museums, from world-renowned art galleries to quirky, hidden gems. In this episode, we highlight 5 underrated museums you won’t want to miss, each offering a unique glimpse into Parisian history and culture.

Discover the Bibliothèque Nationale Richelieu, where centuries of knowledge await. This historic library houses treasures like a rare Gutenberg Bible and an original manuscript of Les Misérables. Then, explore the newly renovated Musée Carnavalet, a free museum dedicated to the history of Paris, complete with a beautiful Art Nouveau shop and a charming courtyard café.

Next, step into the elegant Musée Jacquemart André, an aristocratic mansion on Boulevard Haussmann that showcases Italian art and a stunning fresco. For something truly unique, visit the Musée des Moulages, a museum of dermatological casts housed in one of Paris’ oldest hospitals. Finally, don’t miss Musée de Montmartre, where iconic artists like Renoir once worked, and the beautiful gardens are just as impressive as the exhibits.

This episode is brought to you by My Private Paris, the award-winning travel company offering private tours in Paris, day trips around France, and custom travel itineraries. 

Become a member of The Earful Tower on Patreon or Substack for bonus content, early access, and invites to exclusive events. Members can read the full "Top 20" list of our tips for Best Museums in Paris, one for every arrondissement.

This Week on The Earful Tower: Notre Dame's Grand Reopening

In this special episode, we dive into Notre Dame's grand reopening after the fire that shook the world. I speak with Ariel Weil, the mayor of Paris' central arrondissements, about his firsthand experience inside the newly restored cathedral, and what’s next for this iconic monument.

Then, for a visitor's perspective, I chat with Bertrand d'Aleman, co-founder of My Private Paris, about what tourists can expect when they visit Notre Dame in the coming year.

Both interviews were recorded just steps away from Notre Dame itself — and you can watch the video on YouTube!

This episode is brought to you by My Private Paris, the award-winning travel company offering private tours in Paris, day trips around France, and custom travel itineraries. Marie Segura, co-founder of My Private Paris, also shares insider tips about the Passage des Panoramas.

Become a member of The Earful Tower on Patreon or Substack for bonus content, early access, and invites to exclusive events.

This week on the podcast we are chatting about gin with Charlotte Buisson Dackow from La Distillerie de l’Arbre Sec.

This cool, new micro-distillery is located on a quiet street, with a macabre history, mere steps from the Louvre museum in the 1st arrondissement. We visited their stunning workshop and listened as Charlotte explained the evolution of the gin culture in France.

Offering excellent quality gin, as well as tastings and workshops, it’s clear that Charlotte and her colleagues take gin seriously. Of course, wine is the dominant beverage here, but, as Charlotte explains, things are changing.

“I think gin is taking over the world! Often French people are set in their ways, so we are a little behind everywhere else, but it’s starting here in France. I think it’s really exciting.”

This craft-distillery is such an exciting addition to the Paris mixology scene, comfortably co-existing alongside the more traditional emblems. As Charlotte says “wine will always be there, but we’re just making the drink culture richer.” We couldn’t agree more.

La Distillerie de l’Arbre Sec address: 52 Rue de l’Arbre Sec, 75001

This season of The Earful Tower is brought to you by the award-winning travel company My Private Paris, which specializes in tours in Paris, day trips outside Paris, and travel itineraries. See what they offer here. In this episode, the company's co-founder Marie Segura talks about the Passage des Panoramas.

Get more from The Earful Tower by becoming a Patreon member, or a Substack member, or exploring the official site here. Members already have their invite to our Christmas party at the distillery here.

It's time for a day trip to Versailles!

This week, I'll show you a great way to visit the town of Versailles with the help of Bertrand d’Aleman from award-winning travel company My Private Paris.

We took the train from Paris, then spent a day exploring the town, but never stepped foot inside the palace or the palace grounds.

My Private Paris is a local deluxe agency, crafting itineraries for tours in Paris and beyond (including, of course, Champagne). See what they offer here. Here is their full-day trip to Versailles.

Music: Pres Maxson.