The inside word on the Eiffel Tower
New video and podcast: I met the director of the Eiffel Tower - he took me up the tower and showed me behind the scenes of the most famous landmark in Europe.
Imagine being in charge of the Eiffel Tower. Being the head honcho of the most famous landmark in France. Europe. Maybe the world!
Well, let me introduce you to Patrick Branco-Ruivo, the managing director of the Eiffel Tower itself. And this week, he invited me up onto the tower to share his thoughts, his favourite views, and his best stories.
It was quite an extraordinary opportunity - he took us up in the hidden elevator (where celebs like Celine Dion avoid the crowds!), he gave us exclusive access to the underground section with all the machinery, and he answered all my questions (over a glass of Champagne and a macaron).
Let’s start with the short video. Below, you’ll see us exploring the tower, all while Patrick answers my questions about his tower and his job.
What are his tips for visiting? His favourite view? And what would he ask if he had Gustave Eiffel himself on the telephone?
Check out our new YouTube video below (filmed by Hary Ranerison). It’s a brand new video and hardly anyone has watched it - why not leave a comment and give me something to respond to?
But wait! There’s more! We were actually exploring the tower with Patrick for an hour and a half. Hary, the cameraman, made a 45-minute “director’s cut” video too, where we really got into the details. So we’re going to release that, too, tomorrow. How about watching the premiere, live, with me?
It will be on Saturday, July 26th at 9pm Paris time. You can watch with me, chat with me, ask me questions, all while the video plays out. I can’t wait! Let’s have a watch along! Click this link to set a reminder and to figure what time it will be for you, wherever you are in the world.
Eiffel Tower: podcast version
Are you more of a podcast person? That’s fair enough, and I’ve got you covered too. I released a longer audio version of our meeting on the podcast this week. As always, you can find it on Spotify or iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts.
Book news
This week, I’ve been out and about delivering our children’s books. If you’re new around here, I’m talking about the four children’s books about Paris that I wrote (in English!) and that my wife illustrated.
I had the pleasure of delivering a box full of signed copies to a children’s shop near the Luxembourg Gardens, called L'île Aux Fées. If you’re coming to Paris and want exquisite dresses, then do what the British royal family does and get a dress from them. Pick up one of our books while you’re there ;)
We also delivered a few boxes to Shakespeare and Co and to Librairie Galignani on rue de Rivoli, so they’re both fully stocked too.
Let’s have a flash book sale!
But perhaps you’re not in Paris. Perhaps you’re in the United States. Well…
If you’re in the US - and only if you’re in the US - and you want a copy or two of our books, we have dwindling stock in Ohio that I don’t plan to re-fill until we do a new children’s book. Let’s try to empty the shelves. Right now. How about 40 percent off for today only?
We have 15 Kylies, 15 Rogers, and 5 Graces. Let’s sell them all! 15 euros per book with postage for free - I’d say this will never happen again. Click here to access my shop - once they’re gone, they’re gone… and when they’re gone, the price will be a lot more expensive as we’ll have to ship them from Paris (it’ll cost more than twice as much - don’t delay!)
Here’s the link again to my shop. I wonder if we can sell 35 books overnight…… (Remember: This is just for US addresses, that’s where the stock is!)
Alright, that will do for now, I’d say.
See you for the YouTube premiere tomorrow. With a glass of Champagne and a macaron, perhaps?
Oliver