There’s a rite of passage to be done on your glamorous sojourn to the city of love, the city of lights: mosey on down through the heavenly chic streets of Paris’ 6th, breathe in the uniquely sweet smell that only ever emanates from a grouping of certified Tens (locals) walking in your midst; stop by the quaint bouquinistes (the sweet petit booksellers on the side of the Seine), and steer yourself in the direction of the Pont Des Arts.
Then, simply: observe your fellow tourists attaching shitty locks to the overwhelmingly crowded bridge, who have a newfound laissez-faire approach to life (tossing the key into the depths of the Seine below—sealed with a kiss, no less), and then, mentally take note of each and every person present. For these are the worst dregs of humanity on full display, and blacklisting them from your memory forevermore is your only hope.
Last year, Paris’ historic Pont Des Arts began to literally buckle under the weight of an insurgence of locks attached by tourists. So much so, that a 2.4 metre section of railing collapsed under the burden of lovers’ token gestures, and the city council began cordoning off sections of the bridge with plywood – to stop more from appearing.
It ended up looking très chic.
Since then, however, locks continually appeared on the Pont Des Arts – an exercise which has finally led the Paris City Council to bite the bullet, and permanently remove all the locks currently weighing down the bridge. Starting on Monday, the Pont Des Arts will temporarily close, so all locks can be hacked off and disposed.
Down with love.
via Mashable.
Lead image by Patrick Kovarik via Getty.
