Fireworks, theatre, Provence, and getting beyond the Paris checklist

Hi everyone!

This week on the podcast I interviewed an Australian actor called Jasper Foley. We sat on a park bench in Paris on a very warm day, and he explained how he is involved with bringing the Fringe Festival back to Paris (you know, like the Edinburgh Fringe). They’ll be putting on shows, many of which will be in English, at the awesome Ground Control venue from Sep 9th to 13th, 2026.

We also talked about his background as a clown (no, not a clown for children’s party, a classically trained dramatic clown who’ll make you laugh and cry).

But they can’t do it without your support! Buy a ticket here, or support the arts and donate to the cause here. I know The Earful Tower community can be generous with the arts, so why not funnel some funds towards actors in Paris. Here’s the link again, you can do it! I will donate too! Look, there’s Jasper below.

In other news, did you see my pics and videos from the embassy parties? I was at the Fourth of July shindig at the US Ambassador’s residence and it was a party for the ages. I’d say 2,000 people were in that magnificent garden. Andrea Bocelli performed live and the night was capped off with firewords from the British embassy next door.

Thanks to all the American listeners to my show, I am quite certain that if you weren’t following along, I wouldn’t get these invites. (Short video of the night here, on Instagram).

Meanwhile, Bastille Day was celebrated on July 13 this year, to clear room on the 14th (the date of the actual national day) for a 10-year memorial from the Nice terror attacks in 2016.

This year, I was at the Australian ambassador’s residence, which some of you may remember is on the top floor of a huge building right next to the Eiffel Tower. I’m not sure anyone in Paris had a better view of the fireworks. I tried to live stream the whole thing on YouTube but the reception was pénible, maybe too many people were using their phones at the same second. Here are a few pics from the night (and there’s another one below).

Thanks to all the Australian listeners to this show too!

If you’ve been around here for a while, you’ve surely heard me talking about seeing Paris outside of the typical checklists. Sure, visit the Eiffel Tower and see the Mona Lisa on your first trip. But the sooner you go off script, the better.

On that topic, I was invited to chat with Kimberly from the Coucou podcast, and she even filmed it for YouTube. You can watch it below, why not leave a comment, her channel is BRAND NEW!

I am writing this from the balcony of our home in Provence, where we’ve been exploring (the region, not the balcony). I keep walking around our town, L’Isle sur la Sorgue, saying to my wife “I can’t believe this town exists, it doesn’t seem real”.

And I certainly can’t believe we have a home here too. It’s so magical, it feels like a fairytale.

For example, today I watched people dressed in medieval clothes, punting flat-bottomed wooden boats along the crystal clear streams. As they approached the low bridges, they lay down flat to pass under, and kicked their way through to the other side.

Crowds cheered them on from the river banks and bridges as they arrived in the middle of town, where they’d set up decorations, live music, and bundles of river reeds along the banks. It was evidently a historical re-enaction and I’d stumbled right into it, even more unique given it was taking place between the bustling Sunday markets on each riverside (local food treats on one side, antiques on the other).

I sat and watched the spectacle from the antique side (briefly and pleasantly interrupted by a passing Earful Tower listener - hello Christine!).

In the middle of the procession, the long-standing Provencal anthem played out from the speakers, and all the boaters stepped into the stream, stood shin-deep in the water, and clutched their hats to their chests in silence. It was striking.

I will admit: I had no idea what was going on at the time. It turned out I’d walked right into a festival called "La Pêche d'Antan" (or perhaps the "Fishing of Yesteryear"), a celebration of the town’s fishing community that dates back to the 1500s, long before L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue ever became an antique mecca.

What a treat to witness. Apparently there’s a similar thing in August, a floating market! I’m excited to learn more about this 2,000-year-old town, there’s a lot to take in here.

Incidentally, we’ve finished work on our lovely home just a stone’s throw from the photo above, and it will be empty in August and the first half of September. I gave the first invite to the Earful Tower members, they were all more interested in next year, so if you want to spend a week in Provence this summer, send me a message and we can talk :)

Otherwise, become a member on Substack or Patreon to be the first to get cool offers, invites, and France-based content.

Now, I’m off to see if there are any more historical re-enactments going on elsewhere in town.

Oliver