A Welcome Sight!

This photo is very special for me. I"ve always loved the Pont des Arts, but in the last 5-6 years the awful "love" locks absolutely ruined this Paris treasure. It was originally built in 1804 and was the first metal bridge built in Paris ,but due to bombardments during both WW and being rammed by a barge, it was closed and rebuilt to exact specifications. The love locks compromised the bridge and in 2014 it was closed and several sections of replaced with glass panels. A total of 45 tons of locks were removed. Today it's again the lovely bridge we all remember and love!

Adieu cadenas de l'amour

Yesterday the City of Paris finally addressed the ridiculous "tradition" of clamping cheap padlocks on the Pont des Arts and tossing the key in the Seine. This symbol of undying love had reached epic proportions with over a million locks now defacing bridges all over Paris. The Pont des Arts is the first, with others to follow. The huge sections were removed yesterday and eventually plexiglass panels will be added so the view of the Seine will be restored. I took this photo in 2012.  You can see some locks but in just a few years time, the panels were a solid mass of locks. Some panels even collapsed from the weight and had to be replaced with plywood. Good riddance!