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Helen Massy-Beresford

Helen Massy-Beresford

The Guardian

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The hill I will die on: Parisian waiters are not rude – they’re just badly misunderstood

The hill I will die on: Parisian waiters are not rude – they’re just badly misunderstood

Parisian waiters are professionals, providing an excellent service – they are not rude or unfriendly, just sometimes slightly misunderstood. No,...

18.07.2026 10

The Guardian

Helen Massy-Beresford

Paris in ‘heatwave mode’ has banned alcohol at some public events. Can other cities follow its lead?

Over the weekend, as evening fell on the hilly (and, crucially, shady) Parc des Buttes-Chaumont, one of Paris’s most popular green spaces, the...

24.06.2026 30

The Guardian

Helen Massy-Beresford

Child-free spaces on trains? This isn’t the family-friendly France I know

29.01.2026 20

The Guardian

Helen Massy-Beresford

Paris cleaned up the Seine – and gave swimmers a new way to beat the heat. Will your city follow suit?

10.09.2025 20

The Guardian

Helen Massy-Beresford