The Lovely Locks

            On the third of August, my tour group was headed to Notre Dame. It was a long walk to the cathedral from the metro stations. Along the way we crossed a bridge covered in locks of all different kinds. Every shape, color, and size you could ever imagine. Running down the center of the bridge were benches, on those benches were vendors selling locks so people could add to the tremendous collection. I knew of the lock bridge prior to my trip. It is a popular subject on internet blogs, and it was also featured in the movie Now You See Me. The locks that adorn the bridge are symbols, and they all mean different things.

            The most famous use is called “love locks”, where each lock symbolizes a romantic relationship. Each one typically has some sort of engraving or writing on it to share a small piece of their story. Part of the ritual is to throw the key to the lock into the Seine so you can never unlock it. It means even if the relationship ends, as they sometimes do, part of you will always remember it and you can’t deny that the relationship happened.

            Another popular way to use the locks is in memorial. It symbolizes that the memory of the person passed will live on forever. Usually these locks have a name and dates on them. There usually aren’t mourners at the bridge, it is a happy place. The memorial locks’ purpose is to celebrate a person’s life, not grieve their death. They serve as a tribute to honor them.

            A third possible purpose of a lock is to seal a secret. Your secret is encapsulated in the inner workings of the lock; once the key is thrown in the river your secret is safe forever. I think it is supposed to be a release on your mental stress. In the movie Now You See Me (2013), the characters Dylan and Alma lock a secret onto the bridge together; it solidifies the agreement to keep the secret.

            When I went to the bridge it was clear and sunny outside, the result of this perfect weather was a beautiful glittering scene on the river. It looked the same as walking by a jewelry store filled to the brim with Diamonds. Along the bridge were lovers locking their locks, tourists taking pictures, and people trying to locate the locks they placed years ago. Everyone was happy and laughing. Near the end of the bridge was a stereotypical French accordion player in a striped shirt playing a romantic ballad. The atmosphere was perfect. It was nothing short of magical.

 The sheer abundance of locks is enough to take my breath away. There are so many locks in fact that the bridge has collapsed in two places. There are two other overflow bridges near by with a growing number of locks. The Eiffel Tower also has a few locks on the cage surrounding the top floor. Around the city you may find a random lock or two, but you will never find a collection of locks as large as the original lock bridge.  So many memories are on that bridge, being there in the midst of all that was amazing.

I am so glad I got to visit the lock bridge, it was the place I wanted to visit most in Paris and I was hoping I would get a chance to swing by. Although it may not seem like much of an educational location, I actually learned a lot about French culture and the way the locals interact. Best of all I got to learn about the local legend of the lovely locks.