If you have been in Paris within the past six years or so, you might have found yourself on the Pont des Arts, which links the Louvre with the 6th arrondissment on the other side of the Seine. This pedestrian bridge originally dates back to 1804 but was rebuilt in 1985 in steel rather than the weaker cast iron. Sometime around 2008, lovers and visitors to Paris started "locking in their love" by leaving a lock on the bridge. Bouquinistes lining the sides of the Seine near the bridge started selling locks and providing Sharpie pens for the lovers to inscribe their initials. Similar love lock bridges exist in New York, Seoul, and London.
Now, it seems, that all this love is negatively affecting the structure of the Pont des Arts bridge. The bridge is actually buckling under the weight of all those "love locks" that have been attached to the railings. Now, tourists in love are asked to send a virtual lock to http://www.lovemasterlock.eu/. After all, once it's on the Internet, it's really forever!
I must confess that Michael and I have been tempted, but we have never done the lock thing. What about you? Have you ever left a lock on a bridge to commemorate your love? Where? When? And, most importantly, are you still together?
Here is the original article: http://www.bbc.com/travel/feature/20140421-paris-to-tourists-stop-locking-down-love
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| Love locks on the Ponte Vecchio in Florence |
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