There is just too much love going around… Of course, it all
started out nicely. Couples fastened locks inscribed with their names to the
city’s historic bridges as if to unite a relationship with one of the most
romantic cities in the world. A few here and there, a splash of metal and
color.
And then the trend grew. And grew. And the bridges suffered.
And suffered. Weighed down by all that love. It doesn’t look very lovely as I
look at this photo I took just a few weeks ago. As a matter of fact, it looks
pretty grotesque! And where is the bridge anyway? I only see the locks.
But this isn’t just about beauty. It’s about respect for the
city’s historic sites. These old, fragile bridges have been around for a couple
of hundred years. But I don’t see how they will make it even another couple of
decades if the city doesn’t take action to remove the locks and ban them in the
future. And to make matters worse, the Seine River has become home to many
discarded keys!
The trend has even made it to other neighborhoods, with
locks now fastened to a bridge along the Canal Saint-Martin!
I don’t put blame on the couples who have attached locks to
the bridges. They obviously love Paris and simply are trying to preserve their
romantic moment here. It is up to the Paris mayor and city council to take
charge:
*By removing the existing locks
*Educating the public (flyers given out at tourism stands)
about why locks are prohibited
*Fining those who sell and engrave locks on the banks
surrounding the bridges
I just signed the petition to ban love locks. Please click
here if you would like to read more about it! Or click here for a recent news
article about the issue.
I only hope that more and more people will write about this problem, sign the petition and get things moving to save the city's bridges...
Confession: I put a lock on there a few years ago. But I didn't throw the key into the Seine because to me that's just littering! However, now, several years later (and particularly after looking at your picture) I think it's really ugly and wish I hadn't put the lock on. I blame it on being caught up in engagement bliss! Thanks for sharing the link to the petition - I just signed it. I'm a convert!
ReplyDeleteI admit, I was tempted to do so a few years ago too! When you put your lock on, it wasn't as overloaded as today so who would think it could do any harm? It's up to the authorities to start informing people and taking action. Thanks for converting ;)
DeleteIt's the romantic city, so perhaps they need to create an alternative site for people to express their sentiment, somewhere that won't harm any existing structures.
ReplyDeleteIt reminds me of the wall outside Abbey Road studios in London, which I pass everytime I return there and I am always amazed at the number of people coming to cross the pedestrian crossing (which featured on the record cover of one of the Beatles albums) and to sign the wall. Every so often the council or maybe the studio, just come along and repaint the wall white, so it starts all over again.
I hope they can find a sustainable alternative, for love will never be removed entirely from being expressed in the City of Paris!
Great idea! It would be nice to offer people some sort of alternative so that they can feel the same sort of "forever attachment" to Paris. Thanks for sharing the bit about Abbey Road studios. That must be pretty interesting to see...
DeleteI first came across this a few months ago in Girona, and had no idea what it was about, then. You're right, it's an 'infection' that's spreading, and fast. What might have seemed a charming and original idea at first has simply become an eyesore and a nuisance now that everyone's doing it. Yes, let's all sign!
ReplyDeleteIt is amazing to see how something that started as small and kind of pretty ended up out of control! When I recently had a close look at the bridges, I almost fell over... Thanks for supporting the cause!
DeleteI've traveled to Paris about 10 years ago and back then I don't remember seeing any locks. The bridges are beautiful and it's a shame they look like this now. Thanks for supporting this cause. I'll sign the petition right away.
ReplyDeleteThe trend started in 2008 and at that point there were only a few locks. It's just recently that it has gotten so out of control. Thanks so much for supporting the cause too! And thanks for visiting my blog :)
DeleteThis makes me think of when I visited Ephesus and the Catholic church has a made a Marian shrine in the house where she supposedly lived - the Vatican is pretty hardcore about policing people IN the shrine, but outside there's a wall where people hang prayer requests for the Blessed Mother - it was raining cats and dogs the day we visited so it was a hot mess.
ReplyDeleteI hope the French government does something, to me Rome is such a depressing city because the Italians have failed to preserve their national treasures and everything just seems to sit in ruins. I don't want that happening in Paris!
How is it that I missed those locks on every trip I took to Paris? So much for young love. :)
I agree, April, it is a shame that Italy hasn't done a better job preserving historic sites. As for the locks in Paris, they started a few years ago but there weren't very many of them. They were easy to miss. Only recently have things gone rather crazy! I was actually shocked when I took a close look at the bridge and snapped my photos recently!
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