Paris bucket lists and a quick trip to Venice
No, no, I wasn't at the big wedding. But I was in Venice.
Hello everyone!
As you may have seen, there has been a fierce heatwave in Paris. We can hardly breathe here. Today they said we didn’t need to bring our children to school if we didn’t want to. It’s just too hot. And it’s only going to get worse tomorrow, apparently. I wish they’d have opened up that Seine swimming spot already, I’d have been in there all day.
As such, with the kids at home, the windows shut, the energy low, I didn’t put out a new episode today. I also didn’t share the last episode yet in my newsletter, so let’s talk about that first.
On the most recent episode, the outgoing Earful interns were back on the pod, detailing how they fared during two months of exploring Paris.
In case you missed it, two months ago I asked them to write “bucket lists”, five things they each wanted to “tick off” in Paris. Almost all of their items were relevant to Paris lovers, so I think you’ll all get something out of this chat, where they revealed and reviewed what they did (and didn’t) do.
So, over to you Victoria and Thomas. Let’s see how deeply they explored.
Victoria
Montmartre- I really enjoyed my visit to this part of Paris. There is so much history and art in the area and I really enjoyed taking one of The Earful Tower walking tours!
The only American in Paris - While I didn’t get to see Sarah Donnelly perform in person, I watched her full performance on her YouTube and I thought it was absolutely hilarious! As another American in Paris, I really related to some of her experiences and overall thought she put on a very good show. (And what a surprise that she was part of this week’s podcast episode too!)
Madame Arthur drag show - While I didn’t get to tick this off my bucket list, I plan to go with my parents and would really recommend it if you want to explore the iconic LGBTQ art scene in Paris.
The Champagne region - I had originally planned on doing a weekend trip here, but instead traveled to Provence. Going swimming under the Pont du Gare and visiting archeological ruins provided so much educational values and was incredibly beautiful and meaningful.
Saint Ouen flea markets - This was unlike any street market I have ever seen. It was set up like a permanent outdoor shopping experience, and I would highly recommend this if you’re interested in antiquing. If not, I would still reccommend paying a visit as there are so many hidden treasures to peruse.
I want to thank Oliver so much for having me as an intern at The Earful Tower- and thank you all so much for reading and listening!
Thomas
My name is Thomas Farnham and my 12 weeks in Paris, and 8 weeks with The Earful Tower, are officially complete. As for my 5-item bucket list, I didn’t exactly complete it, but it jump-started an exploration of Paris which I didn’t imagine.
Get inside Notre Dame: check. Notre Dame towers over you, but so does the crowd. I recommend seeing Notre Dame, but also other churches like Saint Sulpice and Saint Eustache.
Go to a jazz bar: check. I visited Caveau de la Huchette, the famous Lala Land jazz bar, which was an explosion of energy, but a very American, tourist explosion of energy.
Go to a poetry reading: check. I read at Au Chat Noir, which ended up being one of my essential experiences for Paris. I walked up to the stage with my hands shaking and my voice quivering as I read, but in the end I was proud that I did it, and completely taken by the eccentric atmosphere of the reading.
Visit the Louvre in the quiet hours: check (sort of). I visited the Louvre three times, but never in the quiet hours when it had just opened. I recommend buying a ticket for the late hours on Fridays, and spending a couple hours just wandering around aimlessly and discovering rooms filled with breathtaking art but no tourists.
Play street football (soccer): fail. I didn’t make it to the streets of the banlieues because I didn’t know where to go. As an American and someone without a local community in Paris, it was difficult to find somewhere to play, as football really is based on community in the banlieues.
So there you have it! Internships complete, with Thomas technically the winner of the Bucket List, but as we all know, the fun is in exploring Paris, not winning. Thanks to the interns for their help :)
The Italy corner
New episode alert! Let’s turn our attention to “The Earful Everywhere” channel, where I’m currently taking you through Italy.
And I have just released the first of two episodes about Venice, where I sat down with my wife Lina and we talked about this beautiful and complicated city.
Pictured below is Lina and me on the canals of Venice. You’ll hear me interviewing a real Venetian from this boat, who really put that city into perspective. She said up to 85 percent of the city’s population works in tourism… Listen to the ep for all the details.
Enjoy the episode, and then book a tour in Venice or Rome for the full experience. This season of The Earful Everywhere is proudly brought to you by LivTours, who made it possible for us to share these travel stories with you. Listen to all of the episodes here.
And on Friday, it’ll be Lina and I again for the season finale. But this time we’ll be talking about how to spend the perfect weekend in Venice! Please follow the show on Instagram here, Spotify here, and/or iTunes here. It’s free to follow, and it’ll help me grow this new project into the future.
That’ll do for me, have a lovely week.
Oliver