Paris heatwave drives workers and tourists into city parks for shade

As Paris endured its fifth heatwave of the season, with temperatures peaking at 39°C (102°F), residents and visitors alike sought refuge in the city's parks, drawn by the promise of shade and cooler air.

Among them was Enzo Silva, a 27-year-old textile printer, who has made the Buttes-Chaumont park in the 19th arrondissement his regular lunchtime escape. Working in a workshop filled with heat-generating machinery, Silva finds the park essential. "With the heatwave coming back, it's almost impossible to eat there and feel comfortable," he said. "So I come here to find a little peace and quiet."

The park also attracted visitors from further afield. Louise Vandenberghe, a 31-year-old government worker from Brussels, had just come from a swim in the nearby Bassin de la Villette. She praised the park's dense tree cover, noting it is "more shadowed than other places." Her companion, Broos Stoffels, a 34-year-old graphic designer, offered a more critical view of the city's overall green infrastructure. "I think it's a pretty concrete city Paris still," he remarked, despite having stumbled upon smaller green pockets during their strolls.

Alexis David, an 18-year-old engineering student from Grenoble, echoed that sentiment, calling for more green spaces in Paris and other French cities. "When there are expansions or things like that, it would be a good idea to focus more on creating green spaces," he said. "Even just adding trees to the streets would be a good start."

France's national weather service has kept more than 80 departments under an orange heatwave alert, though temperatures are expected to ease gradually over the weekend in the western part of the country.