The Earful Tower: Paris

This week we head to the American Library in Paris to talk to Grant Rosenberg all about books, Paris, and working by the Eiffel Tower. And Corey Frye, tour guide extraordinaire, somehow ties it all together at the end with a Paris story related to libraries too!

Did you know there's a sewer museum in Paris? In case you're put off by the thought of even stepping foot inside it - don't worry, I've done it for you. Yes, I teamed up with past guest Amber Minogue (hear her last appearance here) and we went underground to check out the Musée des égouts. And Corey Frye the tour guide ties it all together with a story about the Paris catacombs. Find Amber's podcast, Paname, here. You can find pics from the sewer trip on www.theearfultower.com and you can find more info about the museum 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 Instagram - Facebook - TikTok Find our books Book a walking tour Patreon membership

For those of you who couldn't make it to our live show on November 15th - don't fret - it was recorded. Here's what it sounds like to do an episode to a sell-out crowd. The episode itself was recorded just like a normal one, featuring the inimitable author John Baxter, a story from tour guide Corey Frye, and a few words from Abby, who runs Set in Paris where the event was hosted. Plenty of pics from the event over at www.theearfultower.com *********** 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 Instagram - Facebook - TikTok Find our books Book a walking tour Patreon membership

Here come Elin and Charles, a Swedish/French couple taking a new look at Paris via the medium of embroidery. We talked about their workshops, their embroidery, and a new language I invented. Check out their work at Le Kadre via this link, and scroll down for a quick look. And hang around at the end of the episode for a story from Corey, amazingly linked to embroidery too. Quite spooky too, if you ask me. Happy embroidering! *********** 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 Instagram - Facebook - TikTok Find our books Book a walking tour Patreon membership

"It's fully part of France, but it's completely detached". That's how this week's guest describes her island home Guadeloupe, which is 100 percent French even though it's in the Caribbean. Yes, here comes Laura K Lawless, an American teacher of the French language who lives 6,750km from Paris in what's known as a DomTom. We talk about about the island, the French language, and I go through the spin cycle on a few of her tongue twisters. You can read along here: Le ver vert va vers le verre vert. As-tu été à Tahiti? Un chasseur sachant chasser chasse sans son chien. Language lovers should hang around at the end for a classic Corey Story, where he reveals how a very French-sounding word came from.......... THE RUSSIANS! *********** 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 Instagram - Facebook - TikTok Find our books Book a walking tour Patreon membership

Here comes Tal Spiegel, the man with over 200 pairs of colourful shoes to go with his colourful pastry. If you've never heard of him, check out Desserted in Paris on Instagram and inject some serious colour into your life. Here's our chat, followed by a story from Corey, as usual. *********** 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 Instagram - Facebook - TikTok Find our books Book a walking tour Patreon membership

The Left Bank, or, as the French say, the Rive Gauche. What is it? Where is it? Or who is it? And what's the live event we're doing on November 15th? All these questions are answered with the help of author John Baxter, Set in Paris's Abigail de Bruyne, Coutume's Tom Clark, tour guide Corey Frye - and a full day whizzing around Paris on the red scooter. *********** 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 Instagram - Facebook - TikTok Find our books Book a walking tour Patreon membership

It's Halloween, so here's a spooky story from the Paris Whisperer, Corey Frye. Happy Halloweening. *********** 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 Instagram - Facebook - TikTok Find our books Book a walking tour Patreon membership

I got an amazing gift for my birthday - a Paris guide book from 1911. So, I decided to get the Paris whisperer, Corey Frye, to come in and look through it with me. Of course, he had no idea what he was in for until the last second. Here's our chat about it. *********** 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 Instagram - Facebook - TikTok Find our books Book a walking tour Patreon membership

I meet with Jim, a 71-year-old Brit who has been in Paris since 1965. This isn't a typical episode - it's a little more laid back, (but we still did a quick-fire round), and it's a little more conversational. We talk about the advantages of being a foreigner in France, the differences between French and English people, and how you should never "learn" French. Then we have a Corey Story, this time about another Brit, Sir Richard Wallace, who brought those lovely green fountains to Paris. *********** 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 Instagram - Facebook - TikTok Find our books Book a walking tour Patreon membership

This week it's American journalist, Heidi Moore, who LOVES Paris. While she doesn't live here, she's probably visited more than most tourists ever will, so we had her into the studio to talk about the city. Specifically, she explains how NOT to be an American in Paris. If you're not American, you can still learn from this, I promise. I've typed out the subheadings she brought up, but you'll have to listen in to hear her justify it all. And at the end, tour guide Corey Frye tells us a eyebrow raising story about an American woman who LOOOOVES the Eiffel Tower. His weirdest one yet. Heidi's tips to blending in: 1: Learn the importance of saying bonjour 2: Don't choose comfort over style. 3: Don't smile so much. 4: Don't waste all your time on the monuments 5: Watch your manners at all times - regardless of your French fluency *********** 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 Instagram - Facebook - TikTok Find our books Book a walking tour Patreon membership

Amber Minogue, the woman behind the Paname podcast, comes into the studio and clears up how Paris got its nickname. She also talks about her Paris podcast, the cafe that charges five euros for a cup of milk, and how to spot a movie set in Paris. And hang around for Corey's Story at the end, this time he's talking about the ultimate scam in the history of Paris. *********** 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 Instagram - Facebook - TikTok Find our books Book a walking tour Patreon membership

This week we have the one of the cofounders of HolyBelly, the hippest breakfast place in Paris. The team has opened a second location, just down the road from the first one, so I headed down to check it out. Nico talks about the restaurant, how he is coming to terms with the word brunch (begrudgingly), and what happened when Macaulay Culkin came in for breakfast. After Nico, we have another story from tour guide Corey Frye, this time about the oldest cafe in Paris. Find HolyBelly 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 Instagram - Facebook - TikTok Find our books Book a walking tour Patreon membership

Here's how to live in Paris on the cheap. Everything mentioned on the show is written out, with addresses, on our website here. Happy saving! *********** 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 Instagram - Facebook - TikTok Find our books Book a walking tour Patreon membership

This week we're joined by Adam Roberts from the Invisible Paris blog. It's thanks to Adam that I learned about chasses roues (pictured below), which I blogged about before here. He's also the guy who inspired me to head out to the "human zoo" at the eastern edge of Paris. More on this over the weekend. And in case you're wondering, here's the link to the blog post he wrote after he found the "pont neuf postcard". Adam blogs all about Paris here, and has just published a book about the city, "Paris, Cityscopes". Big news next week - stay tuned. *********** 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 Instagram - Facebook - TikTok Find our books Book a walking tour Patreon membership

This week we're joined in the studio by Paris guru Lindsey Tramuta - the woman behind The New Paris and the Lost in Cheeseland blog. She recommends the top restaurant experiences in every arrondissement of the right bank of Paris. Plus we talk about everything from her new podcast to Scarlett Johansson's popcorn shop in Paris. Afterwards, we have Corey Frye sharing a story about when the Paris food scene featured elephant soup. Listen here, and see the restaurants Lindsey chose (together with amazing foodie pics) over on the Earful Tower website. *********** 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 Instagram - Facebook - TikTok Find our books Book a walking tour Patreon membership

This time, you're gonna hear how an American fan of our show suggested a guest and an episode topic for us - and the next thing he knew, he was in the studio, co-hosting a show and meeting his favourite Paris author. Yes, we had Colby Fox (whose pictures we just published) in the studio meeting Aussie writer John Baxter. The moral of this story? Send us fan mail and we will have you on the show. But seriously, here comes what I found to be a fascinating chat with Mr Baxter, an author who's been based in Paris since 1989. He's written a list of books as long as your arm (here's his Amazon page) and his newest ones are Eating Eternity and Montmartre: Paris's Village of Art and Sin. And lastly, as usual, we're joined by tour guide Corey Frye at the end of the episode with a chilling tale from yesteryear in Paris, about how flaneurs in Paris were murdered in a grisly fashion indeed. And the address he mentions, in case you want to visit, is 2 rue Courtalon in the 1st arrondissement. I went there this week... video coming soon. Want way more cool episodes from us? Stay tuned, they're on the way. *********** 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 Instagram - Facebook - TikTok Find our books Book a walking tour Patreon membership

Earful Tower listeners! In the studio this week is Stephen Clarke, the author behind all those Merde books and the man who is behind a new play hitting Paris this month. Be sure to check out the video excerpt from our chat on Facebook too! Here's Stephen Clarke talking about his play, swearing, and how he gets his observational comedy into his books. As usual, the show ends with a story from Corey Frye, tour guide extraordinaire, and this time you get two stories for the price of one. The first is about the hunchback of Notre Dame (could he have been a real person....?) and the second is about the Eiffel Tower. *********** 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 Instagram - Facebook - TikTok Find our books Book a walking tour Patreon membership

Over 500,000 people have seen his one-man show - How to Become Parisian in One Hour - and he's still going strong. Frenchman Olivier Giraud joins us in the studio to talk about Parisians, how he came to dominate the Paris theatre scene, and to give us a lesson on how to make the French "I don't care" noise. Find out more about his show here. And for our first "Story from Corey", we hear about the most "creative" and blood-curdling execution Paris has ever seen. As for us, we will be back very soon with author Stephen Clarke talking about his new project. Subscribe on iTunes here or sign up to this blog by clicking the little box in the bottom right corner. *********** 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 Instagram - Facebook - TikTok Find our books Book a walking tour Patreon membership

It's the season finale, so we tackled Corey Frye's top 20 tips in Paris in one day! Or at least we tried to. Listen to episode seven for the background, or join us on a scooter ride around Paris and against time. Beep beep. *********** 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 Instagram - Facebook - TikTok Find our books Book a walking tour Patreon membership

We are joined by Lina, the illustrator behind Instagram's @parisianpostcards, to discuss French politeness, the whole tu and vous thing, and whether or not French people are rude. You might recognize Lina's work from our logo, by the way. Here is the audio from the chat. *********** 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 Instagram - Facebook - TikTok Find our books Book a walking tour Patreon membership

Here's the audio from when Oliver met with Guy from Cafe Oberkampf in April and went for a walk around Paris. Their final stop was the cafe that Guy was about to open, Cafe Mericourt, which ha opened its doors to the public this week. Find out all about the coffee scene in Paris, the 11th arrondissement of Paris, and the mysterious signature dish of the cafe - shakshuka. And of course, get the most out of this episode by watching it as a video on Facebook.

With Luke Thompson from Luke's English podcast. We tackle the topic of French people and their English talents, with one of the biggest podcasters in town.

To celebrate our 21st episode, we're treating it like a 21st birthday and we're having a drink. Or 20. We're joined in the studio by Forest Collins, the absolute expert when it comes to Paris bars (and the woman behind 52 Martinis), who presents the top watering hole in every arrondissement of the French capital. Below is the full list of bars with addresses. And watch this space… we can feel a pub crawl coming along. Hemingway at the Ritz Hotel, 15 Place Vendôme Mabel, 58 Rue d'Aboukir Les Bains, 7 Rue du Bourg l'Abbé Maria Loca, 31 Boulevard Henri IV Lucha Libre, 10 Rue de la Montagne Sainte Geneviève La Robe & La Mousse, 3 Rue Monsieur le Prince Fitzgerald, 54 Boulevard de la Tour-Maubourg Minipalais, 3 Avenue Winston Churchill, Lulu White, 12 Rue Frochot Copperbay, 5 Rue Bouchardon Le Red House, bis, 1 Rue de la Forge Royale Le Calbar, 82 Rue de Charenton Bateau El Alamein, Quai François Mauriac Rosebud, 11 Rue Delambre Novotel Lounge Bar, 257 Rue de Vaugirard Hotel Saint James, 43 Avenue Bugeaud Lush Bar, 16 Rue des Dames Le Kremlin, 6 Rue André Antoine Pavillon des Canaux, 39 Quai de la Loire La Commune, 80 boulevard de Belleville

Shhhhh! Yes, it's our 20th episode so we're celebrating by revealing ten of the top secrets about Paris. If you want to see pics and more info from the places and people mentioned in the episode, head over to www.theearfultower.wordpress.com Happy exploring

Episode 19: We talk to Pauline and Charlotte from the Paris Fringe festival about "the new Hemingways"... or in other words, today's arty types in the City of Light. Who are they, where do they hang out... and is the Shakespeare and Company bookshop still as popular among writers as it was in the days of Ernest Hemingway?

We asked listeners for their most embarrassing mistakes when trying to speak French. Important background: Jouer means "to play", jouir means "to orgasm". J'ai chaud means "I'm hot", je suis chaud means "I'm horny". Un baiser is "a kiss", baiser is "to f$$k" The rest are pretty self explanatory. Thanks to Lily Heise, the author who co-hosted the episode. Check out the site for more info about where you can find her work. Oh, and if you're easily offended, do not listen to this episode.

We asked for your least favourite French words (after we did your favourite words in episode 15.) And so, here are the worst words in the French language. 1. Serrurerie (locksmiths) says Kevin Knight of Expatriates Magazine Paris. "I just can't get my mouth around it and on the rare occasion I need to use it my mouth goes into gymnastics and I look ridiculous," he says. 2. Aurore, the name, says Diane who runs Oui in France. "It is so difficult! It comes out more like horreur if I'm not paying attention," she says. 3. Blogguese (a female blogger), says Clothilde from Chocolate and Zuccini. "The sound of it is very ugly, so I always say I write a blog instead." 4. Furure (fur) says Maggie Kim of Les Lolos. "Impossible to pronounce, I try and avoid the word. I just say it in English." 5. Putain (whore), says Gail of Perfectly Paris. "I get so sick of hearing this word, everyone is using it every five seconds." 6. Bah oui, a filler word, says author Lauren Collins "I can't stand it. It's my least favourite filler word in the French language," she says. 7. Ben, bon (more filler words), says author Lindsey Tramuta. "They're just drawn out words that don't sound much like French," she says. 8. Interdit (forbidden), says Veronique from French Girl in Seattle. "When you grow up in France, you see the word everywhere! The word is so final and unpleasant, and it typically comes with that horrid bright red sign, in case you are too daft to understand." 9. Grenouille (frog), says Guy Griffin of Café Oberkampf "When I got to France all the kids teased me and made me say it, it took about 2 years before I could say it," he says. 10. Huit/Huitre (eight/oyster), says author Emily Monaco. "I hate the words because they sound the same," she says. 11. Acceuil (welcome) says Lina, our graphic designer. "It sounds like a dying war cry," she says. 12. Bourgueil (a place and a wine), says Jennifer from Chez loulou "It's not because I don't like the town or the wine, quite the opposite in fact, but because I can NEVER pronounce it correctly," she says. 13. Bouilloire (kettle), Lily from Paris je t'aime. "It has all the horrible letters and it's impossible for anglophones to pronounce." 14. Rentrée (back from holidays), says Corey Frye the tour guide. "It's all about hurtling back to reality, like a spaceship coming back into the atmosphere." 15. Ecureuil says Frank from Cake boy Paris. "I've had more than a few embarrassing moments trying to pronounce my dog's favourite fixation. This word makes me so squirrelly!" 16. Animateur, says translator Jann. It can mean anything from a party clown to an MC, there are too many definitions of it. 17. Truc (thingy) says Sarah the interpreter. "It's overused, too much meaning crammed into a tiny word." 18. Crouttes (crust or scab), says producer James. "Mixing food and scabs is never great," he says. 19. En haut (upstairs), says host Oliver. "I can't pronounce it and it gets me mixed up."

Lost in Frenchlation, a company that puts English subtitles on French movies in Paris, joins us on the terrace of Les Deux Moulins (the cafe from Amelie). They share what they consider to be the five best movies set in Paris.

What's your favourite word? We asked 24 listeners, past guests, and even each other for the "best" French word in existence. From dragonflies to hardware shops, here's the full list from the show, as well as a few links to check out the blogs and pages we mentioned. Check your spelling here: 1. Pamplemousse (grapefruit), says Veronique who runs French Girl in Seattle. "It appeals to all my senses: I love the way the word sounds, the taste, and the appearance of a grapefruit… and I love the very distinctive scent," she says. 2. Bof (a disinterested sound people make), says tour guide Corey Frye. "The three most important letters in French," he says. Hear his top tip for each Paris arrondissement here. 3. En fait (actually)."You just chuck it on the end of everything and it works," says Matt from movie masters in Paris Lost in Frenchlation. 4. Formidable (excellent):"It has a finesse to it, and makes me think of the Stromae song," says author Lindsey Tramuta, whose book The New Paris hits shelves worldwide on April 18th. 5. Menilmontant, a place in Paris that means a lot to Samuel Barrantes of Slim and the Beast (hear him in the pilot episode here). Here's the song he was talking about. 6. Rabibocher, meaning "to get together" especially after a break-up, says listener Carolyn. 7. Aspirateur, meaning vacuum, "It just sounds so much more interesting than vacuum", says listener Shelly 8. Couilles, says comedian Paul Taylor. This word means "balls" (as in testicles). Why does Paul like the word? "Because no anglophone can pronounce it properly," he says. No surprises that Paul likes a good swear word – his TV show is called What the Fuck France? (We had him in the studio too for a warm beer and a chat). 9. Merde (meaning shit), says author Stephen Clarke. Stephen's numerous novels have the word merde (shit) in the title, so it's no surprise he likes this word. We had Stephen on the Earful too to talk about the French. Here's his episode. 10. Vachement, meaning really really, says writer Lisa Anselmo. "In France, a country famous for its cheese, it's not terribly surprising a word like "cowly" would creep in," she says. Listen to her full episode on the Earful here. 11. Trottoir (footpath), says Kate Goodbody, who runs the More Native than the Natives blog (and who just won our giveaway on Facebook for a signed Stephen Clarke book). "I love the idea of people trotting down the street," she says. 12. Papillon, says regular listener Dingo Mike. "It means butterfly and bow-tie, two beautiful things and a beautiful word," he says. 13. Pompette, a pleasant word for "tipsy", says lovely Lina. "It sounds like the name of a poodle." 14. Rouflaquettes, meaning "sideburns", says Sam Davies, though the jury is still out on if this is a real word. Sam was also on the Earful, getting creative with language. 15. Libellule, says Jennifer who writes the blog Chez Loulou. "For the fact that I love dragonflies and it's a great word to say," she says. 16. Truc, meaning "thing", says Gail of PerfectlyParis. "It covers everything, it's vague, indirect and can refer to anything." Isabelle in Sweden adds: "Best word ever for someone who wants to believe she sounds more French than she does." 17. Grenouille (frog), says Coutume cafe's Tom Clark. "If you can pronounce it, you can speak French." Hear his episode on the Earful here. 18. Dégueulasse (disgusting), says Ben McPartland, the editor of The Local France. "Sounds like a character from Lord of the Rings," he says. 19. Ancre/Encre (anchor/ink), says Breton sailor Fabien. The words both mean a lot to me, he says, literature and travel. 20. Quincaillerie, a hardware shop, says Joey Yanity on Facebook. "It's pretty fun to say." We agree! 21. Flâneur, an aimless walker, says Tami Tamir-Shaughnessey. "It's my favourite thing to do in Paris." 22. Déchetterie (a dump, a tip), says Jim Carmichael. "I like the way it rolls off the tongue," he says. 23. Croutte, says producer James. "It's actually my least favourite French word, it means crust and scab. Revolting." 24. Inoubliable (unforgettable), says host Oliver. "I like the sound of the word, it sounds like a foreigner imitating a French person…" If you want to see more like this, then join our Facebook followers here. Click the link below to hear the full episode of this list.

Christophe Girard, the mayor of the 4th arrondissement. We met him in the town hall to talk about the newly pedestrianized right bank of the River Seine (see pic above), the secrets of his district, and the best coffee in town. We also talked about what a mayor actually does and how to tackle a littering Parisian (not literally tackle, mind you). By the way, below is a pic of his recommendation for a good wine, Chez Julien. Just down the road from here you can find the boys from Le Peloton café. The mayor seems to like these lads a lot, and they've been guests on The Earful Tower before. Get an earful yourself here.

Hey, it's not just the lighter side of France on this show – sometimes we tackle some more serious issues. This time, for example, we talk to Annette Young who fronts the France 24 show "The 51 percent" – which is all about women shaping our world. We talk about being a woman in France, the single mother-of -three Marine Le Pen, and the word Mademoiselle and whether it should be banished. OK, OK, we also put Annette on the spot to name her favourite cafe and bar etc at the end.

From bustling boulevards to Sunday promenades, grab a Vélib bike and discover Paris on two wheels. Our guests for this week are two entrepreneurs who know Paris very well indeed: Paul and Christian from Bike About Tours. They also run a funky coffee shop in the Marais, just off the river Seine, called Le Peloton Cafe.

Stephen Clarke has been writing books about France for almost 15 years. His first novel A Year in the Merde has become a point of reference for anyone who wants to get an entertaining view of life in Paris. The sequel, Merde Actually, even topped Harry Potter in the UK charts. He's here on the Earful Tower to tell us about how it all started and we discuss his latest book Merde in Europe.

We challenged professional cook David Lebovitz to the A-Z of French food – in other words, we put each letter to a food then asked him about it. Where is the best M for market? The best B for baguette in Paris? And what's the deal with F for foie gras. He did really well!

He's English, but lives in France, and has been proudly mocking the French for months on French TV and on YouTube. Paul Taylor joined us in the studio to talk all about the French, his new show, and life in Paris.

Lindsey Tramuta is the woman behind the Lost in Cheeseland blog and Instagram page – and she has just written a book called "The New Paris" (on Amazon here). She joins us in the studio for a hot cappuccino and shares her tips on Instagramming Paris, explains how the city is changing, and reveals more about her new book. She also convinced us to get an Instagram account for the show — which WE HAVE DONE!

If you thought you knew Paris well, think again. Corey Frye, aka the Paris Whisperer, is an American tour guide who knows every nook and cranny of the city. We put him to the test to name the unmissable spot in each of the 20 arrondissements. This list of cafés, restaurants and hidden landmarks will guarantee an amazing time to anyone either visiting or living in the capital.

So what is Franglais Wordplay? Basically – it's mixing a French word and an English word together to help explain France. For example: What's the name for the unwritten rules of breaking bread with the French? Baguettiquette, of course. Expect laughs, groans, and creativity as three journalists present five new examples of "Franglais wordplay" that they've made up. And we even have judges to determine the winner… what's your favourite?

A chat with three fully bilingual guests. These guys didn't learn English and French at school, but by growing up in cross-cultural families. They can switch from one to another without even realising it, and create a language only they can understand: "Franglais".

What's it like to write a memoir about Paris – and what makes Lisa's different? She joined us in the studio to talk about it, read from the book itself, and have a good old laugh about some of the stranger French habits Lisa also co-founded No Love Locks to stop the wave of love-locking tourists who were destroying the bridges of Paris. And it has been pretty successful so far… just don't let her ever catch you hanging a padlock on the Pont des Arts! Check out Lisa's website here.

If you want to know about the how Paris is moving away from the typical cafes and into the new wave of coffee shops, then Tom Clark is your man. He takes us behind the beans of the coffee world, and admittedly catches us out in our blind taste test. In the second part of the show, we discuss driving in Paris, which is a lot less pleasant of an experience than a coffee in Coutume! Find the Coutume coffee shops in Paris via the official site here, and be sure to check out the brand new location on Rue Martel in the tenth.

If you want to find a book in English in Paris, head to the Shakespeare and Company bookshop – which is also where we found journalist-turned-author Elaine Sciolino. She talks all about her new book The Only Street in Paris, Life on the Rue des Martyrs. Rue des Martyrs, in northern Paris, is well worth a visit if you're up that way. Our tip: Take in a coffee at KB at the top of the hill (thought it's far too hipster for Elaine, she says). Find out more about Elaine via her website here, where you can also pick up her book.

Local folk band Slim & the Beast, who have just launched their first EP, bring their gear into the studio for a jam. We also talked to the lads about the French "backwards" slang known as Verlan. If you wanna know more about it then this link will help you out. As for the band, check out their videos here, and follow them on Facebook.