A Padlock is Forever?

On numerous bridges all over the world, sweethearts have taken to affixing locks as a symbol of their undying love for one another. It may seem an odd thing to do, considering rising divorce rates and the oh-so in vogue on again-off again relationships that dominate the covers of gossip magazines everywhere, but perhaps I am simply being cynical. 

A few people have left symbols of their love on the bridge

However illogical or not, there is now a bridge in Paris with one more lock on it - our lock. Perhaps it was a moment of romantic weakness, or the fact that we already had a lock* and were in the right place at the right time, but after passing numerous other bridges throughout the trip Travis and I finally decided to go for it. 

Our lock and keys

Freezing cold thanks to the harsh December winds, we quickly snapped a couple photos, affixed our lock to one of only a handful of free spots remaining, threw our key into the river Seine below (Travis would like to point out that he does not support throwing the key in the river...he considers this blatant pollution), and swapped a quick kiss before getting the heck out of there. 

There it is!

We hadn't planned any of this so I'm not even sure which bridge our lock is currently hanging from and our names are absent from the lock, unlike so many of the others nudged up next to it, however the spontaneity of the situation suited us well, meaning there was no bickering ahead of time over how to get there and when to go. 

A decent picture considering how COLD it was!

Funnily enough, many cities with these "love padlock" bridges, including Paris, have recently started cutting off locks - so much for eternal love. The reasons behind the removals are often structural or environmental, however the city of Paris has gone so far as to say that walking over these lock covered bridges has become "insufferable" for it's citizens - oh the therapy they will need!

Perhaps our lock will soon be removed, or remain anonymous amongst thousands of others, however we now know one thing for certain, you never really know if you love someone until you've traveled halfway around the world together.

*My mom slipped the lock into my bag before we left. A not-so-subtle hint perhaps Travis?

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