The last week of our little European tour got a little crazy and I haven’t had a chance to get on the blog. But for those of you who follow me on Twitter there have been regular updates. =) Shooting a wedding in Berlin, trying to catch dozens of trains, 12 different flights, and keeping all our equipment in tact really feels too overwhelming to write about in one post. However, the last day of our trip we got to spend 30 hours in Paris. It was one of those surreal little incredible experiences, just for Suzy and I, that we will probably remember all our lives. There are a lot of memories packed into those 30 short hours, but one snap shot moment that stuck out to us was Lover’s Lock Bridge.
We had been wandering around the city and after walking past the Louvre came to a bridge that a friend of ours in Paris told us about. The Pont des Arts, is a footbridge between the Louvre and the left bank of the Seine. The railings are covered in locks left by lovers who attached them and then threw the key in the river. We didn’t have any directions, and weren’t really sure if we would ever find it. But aimless wandering in foreign cities has always proved a good choice for me in the past, and this was no exception.
It had rained all morning, so the air was crisp and clear, the city smelled fresh and clean, and there seemed to be love floating through the air all around the bridge. We all of a sudden felt this strong urge to attach a lock with our names to the bridge. We decided that if need be, we would spend the last five hours we had in the city finding a lock. We walked a little over a mile from the bridge till we came to a lock shop. We used some of our last Euros to buy it, and returned to the bridge to attach it to our own special place! Of course we didn’t know at the time you were supposed to throw the key in the river, so we opted to carry the key almost 6,000 miles away to throw it in the ocean. In my opinion, that’s a better solution anyway.
So here it is, documentation of our lock on the bridge! Next time you’re in paris, it might just be fun to find our lock on the bridge, take a photo, and send it to me so I can post it on my blog. You might also have the same urge to put your own lock there, so make sure to bring one. I also put a map below to the lock shop we found. I don’t know how often the city removes all the locks, but it’s fun to know ours is there for the time being!
Many more posts and photos from a lot of different events coming soon!
Our lock!
Locking it to the bridge
The marker will probably come off at some point, so we scratched our initials on the bottom as well.
It’s right across from the second bench from the top on the west side (the side farthest from the Louvre) of the bridge.
Here’s where our lock is!
Here’s a map to the lock shop we found.
And a photo of the lock shop.
by Lukas
emma - Love this! So fun to actually know where you were….we loved that bridge when we were there :-) So romantic and full of charm! Hope you two had a BLAST.
Jacquie Bounds - I love this! There is a lover’s lock railing in Cinque Terra, Italy, on the Via Dell’Amore, a path connecting the towns of Manarola and Riomaggiore. The pathway’s legend holds that it was a meeting place for lovers from the two towns. My husband and I left our lock there five years ago…judging from how it looked when we were there, they don’t come down very often, so I’m pretty sure I’d never find ours if we went back again – but I’d definitely leave another! That makes it even more special, right?? :)
Andrew and kimberli - Lock is still on the bridge, 7-12-2011
Linda McPhillips - July 14, 2011 your loc is still there. Beauitful bridge. Sending picture. Linda
Darlene - How much do the locks cost at that shop ?
Sean - My wife and I honeymooned in Paris 5/3/2011. We found a lock bridge, but it was a different bridge. it was a few bridges down from where you are talking about. Are there 2 lock bridges? Would love to send you are lock photo.
Paul - I am visiting Paris on friday to propose, i will check for you lock :-).
Misa - Yes there are 2 lock bridges! Though it is a very romantic idea no matter what bridge you go to, The Pont des Arts contain locks for love that has been. While Pont de l’Archevêché contains locks for ‘current’ loves, as a symbol for undying love. Probably the main reason why Pont de l’Archevêché is packed with locks, while it is easy to find a spot on Pont des Arts! Still planning to visit Paris with my boyfriend to hang a lock, will definitely look for yours!
5 Free Things to do in Paris « The World is Too Rich in Beauty to Not Be Seen - [...] onto one of two bridges. The Pont de l’Archevêché is the more popular of the two, and the Pont des Arts is said to be more untouched and that it’s easier to find space for a lock as it is not as [...]
Esther Gibbons - Beautiful tradition…I hope it catches on in my area, such a fun symbol. :)