The best ever episode of The Earful Tower
... according to the listeners.
Hello everyone,
As you may have known, The Earful Tower podcast has had over 450 episodes, and has been downloaded over 4 million times.
However, I’ve never had so much feedback about an Earful Tower episode as I did this week. And who’d have guessed that the star of the show was right under my nose the whole time.
In case you missed it, I had my three-year-old Otis in the studio to discuss his language learning skills (in French, English, and Swedish). He was pretty cheeky, fairly interesting if I do say so myself, and he even sang in French.
We released it on Monday morning and since then I have received hundreds of emails, comments, private messages about how much people enjoyed it. It was truly something. Parents, teachers, language learners, students… so much feedback and all of it has been positively heart-warming. What a truly lovely community we have here. Thank you.
Oh yes, and I’d say at least 20 people said it was the best ever Earful episode. So that makes it a fact, I’d say.
So: If you haven’t listened, here it is. Otis Gee talking about his three languages. I think I’ll do what he suggested and invite him back once a year for the next 16 years. Let’s see where this goes.
Walking tours
Elsewhere, our walking tours are in full swing and I’m testing some new ideas before the summer rush. Usually I only do the Monday morning Marais walk, but this week I did tours in the Latin Quarter, the Marais, and Montmartre. It’s fun to get out there and see the city - and of course to meet some of you listeners and readers.
And I even tried a new thing: A walking tour that ended with a rooftop glass of wine. I was inspired by one of the tours I did in Rome, where we explored the Colosseum then had a rooftop cocktail after. Find that Rome tour here, it’ll be episode six on The Earful Everywhere this season.
I’ll surely try this concept once or twice more, and if it feels right, it’ll be something I’ll launch. I happen to know a few great rooftop bars around town and it’s an ideal way to end a long walk. Watch this space.
Meanwhile, if you’re on the fence about booking our tours, please check out the latest reviews. I don’t think I could pay people for a better succession of kind words. In the last few alone, people said:
We felt like we were on a historic treasure hunt…
A tour unlike any other..
He shares what you won’t find in the guidebooks…
Great value for the money.
We felt like a friend was showing us their favorite spots in the city…
We have 132 five-star reviews in a row, both about my own personal tours and those of my expert guides. And it’s unanimous - they’re a great way to spend 2 hours in Paris. What are you waiting for - come see our Paris and book an Earful Tour.
The Italy corner
For the next few weeks, I’ll dedicate the end of my Paris newsletters to our new “Earful Everywhere” channel, where I’m currently taking you to Italy.
And there was a new episode today (and every Friday for the next eight weeks).
Imagine: you're going to Rome - your first ever trip. But oh no: You're only there for one day! A layover, even. How should you spend that one day?
I sat down to discuss it with two experts - Angelo Carotenuto and Kristin Karstensdotter - the husband and wife duo that own the tour company LivTours.
They shared two very contrasting itineraries of the city – one that recommends a full three hours in the Vatican, while the other includes gelatos with a local named Gunther.
Which sounds best to you? The idea for the episode is that you get two itineraries for the price of one, and hopefully some inspiration for your next trip to Rome.
Next week I’ll take you on an Italian food tour, and the week after that we’ll be almost entirely alone in the Vatican (crazy to think I recorded it there just weeks before the conclave).
New episodes will be out every Friday on The Earful Everywhere. Please, please, please follow it on Instagram here, Spotify here, and/or iTunes here. Free to follow, and it’ll help me grow this new project into the future.
And lastly, on a much more personal note, it’s our daughter Astrid’s first birthday and I think there’s some cake left in the fridge. I better investigate.
Have a great weekend - thanks to all the members and to all the people who are going to take the plunge today and hit that “become a member” button for the first time. I’m ready to welcome you to the fold.
Oliver
I'm a bit late but I loved hearing Otis' perspective on his languages! I speak French to my kids so they understand but they prefer to speak English as it is the majority language and what they speak at school. But it's still worth giving them a variety of language exposure. His 3-language learning experience, associated specifically with each parent and school, is ideal and it's wonderful to hear how well it's going! En plus, il est adorable ! Bien joué !