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Lovers Unite at Love-Lock Bridge in Paris, France

Thursday, February 13, 2014

In honor of tomorrow being every single girls favorite holiday, Saint-Valentin, I thought I'd do some research on a lovey-dovey topic. Now, I'm not a mushy romantic whatsoever, no really Mat and I planned to have fajita night tomorrow...we even bought a mini keg for two (classy huh?). Being that I'm in what is considered the most romantic country, with the most romantic city--Paris, I wanted to know more about the infamous "love-lock bridge."

Pont des Arts
Pont des Arts September 2013
So I made Mathieu take this cliché photo with me. This is mainly due to my obsession with Sex and The City and the need to feel like Carrie and Big. But I have to admit, it's pretty cute.
Pont des Arts
This trend of locking padlocks to the Pont des Arts, a very famous bridge in Paris, began in the early 2000's. It's not just in Paris either, you can find bridges like this in Ireland, Italy, Germany, Canada, the list really goes on and on. Basically no one is sure of who started it first, but it had the copy-cat effect.

By locking the padlock to the bridge and throwing the key in the river you are "securing your love," keeping it safe if you will. How many of these couples broke up and would love to let at it with a bolt-cutter isn't sure, but I'd say the percentage is pretty high.
Pont des Arts
There's actually two bridges in Paris where you can lock the padlock to; Pont de l'Archevêché is the second. A note to all my superstitious friends and hopeless romantics out there---a Parisian friend told me that you only lock a padlock to this bridge for a lover, maybe even a sex friend, but the committed couples go to Pont des Arts.
Pont des Arts
The locking of Pont de l'Archevêché began because of the overnight theft of the locks at Pont des Arts on May 11, 2010. At the time the government was pushing for the removal of them anyway, so many people thought it was a political act...too bad it was just an art student who thought it a good project. Touché.
Pont des Arts
Pont des Arts March 2012
I've been to Pont des Arts twice now, and just a year and a half later there were thousands more locks. Just look at the first photo compared to the last. I, however, in these two years have yet to put a lock on. It's not for my lack of faith in love, or my lack of love at all, it's mainly due to my lack of memory to bring a padlock. Welp, third times a charm right?





I'm an American girl living in Florida, so why do I write about the South of France? I have my husband, Mathieu to thank for that! (From the name you can assume he is indeed a Frenchman). We've lived in Bordeaux and have also traveled the country together. Our relationship has resulted in more adventures and cultural experiences than I had ever dreamed of. Thus my inspiration for showing others what France and its surrounding countries have to offer.

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3 comments

  1. Den nationFriday, February 14, 2014

    Please DON'T place a love lock on bridge. I used to think nothing of this gesture, but now that I have read this website: http://nolovelocks.com/
    I realise how destructive this practice actually is. The city of Paris has had to remove the locks several times (with taxpapers' money) as people are locking locks onto other locks and the weight of all these locks is putting the bridges at risk of collapse. Not to mention the pollution caused by throwing the keys into the river.

    In other news... going out for dinner on Valentine's Day in France is so overrated. A lot of restaurants offer a 'special' Valentine's Day dinner that send me running for the fields. Also, don't go out to eat on New Year's Eve either unless you're absolutely sure of what is being served. These are two days of the year when I'd much rather stay home and enjoy a special meal with my husband.

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    1. UnknownSunday, February 16, 2014

      You're right I read up on all of that! Unfortunately an act that seems special to us turns out to be harmful to the environment. We tend to forget that I guess when we're caught up in the romance of Paris! No worries I don't foresee me remembering to bring a padlock again anywho lol. I hope you and your husband had a great Valentine's day! :)

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