Love locks attached to a bridge railing. Forever. That’s the idea. The keys thrown into the bay or taken away. My daughter and I stopped to read the names scratched, engraved or indelibly painted on the padlocks–lovers and spouses, forever faithful. This being a time of pandemic, some of the names were of a parent, grandparent, aunt or uncle who had died.
Chambers Bay Park near Tacoma WA is a scenic spot for professions of undying love. The footbridge the locks are attached to arches over the railroad tracks and down to the beach.
The custom of attaching love locks to a bridge started in Serbia about a hundred years ago. A teacher named Nada fell in love with a Serbian soldier. Before he went off to war, he promised to return to her. Sadly, he found someone else in Greece and never returned. Nada never got over the breakup, and after some time she died of a broken heart. Other young women in her town, wanting to protect their love, attached padlocks on the bridge where Nada and her soldier used to meet.
My first encounter with love locks was on the bridge that spans the Rio Grande Gorge near Taos, New Mexico. It’s another scenic spot, but one with a disquieting undertone. The few scattered love locks weren’t the most prominent sight on the bridge itself. They were eclipsed by the boxes for the crisis hotline.
The bridge is 650 feet above the Rio Grande. New Mexico installed the call boxes to remind people considering suicide that there is help and hope.
Back to love locks. During the past twenty years, the custom has spread around the world. It’s a sweet custom, but not everyone is pleased. Some consider it unsightly, an act of vandalism. Sometimes the locks are removed by authorities. What do you think?
I like them 🙂 🙂
I’m glad. You must see the romantic side.
I really like reading the background of love locks in Serbia. That looks like quite a lot of love locks on the bridge you and your daughter stopped by there. Here in Melbourne we had a love lock bridge along the Yarra River. People came by and put on engraved locks over the years and it was a marvellous sight. A few years ago all the locks got taken away due to safety issues. It was thought there were too many locks on the bridge weighing the bridge down – which also doubled as a footpath in a very busy part of the city. Ever since then no locks are allowed on the bridge.
Haven’t been around here recently, Nicki. Love the new blog look you got going. Very fresh, very nice 🙂
Thank you, Mabel. I’m just starting to get used to the new blog.
The love locks did pique my interest, although I doubt I would ever put one up.
Good luck with the new blog and website. I am sure after some playing around with it you will get used to it 🙂
Thank you, Mabel.
I’ve seen photos of love locks, but never seen them in person. I like that NM has installed what they have. It seems good to remind people of alternatives and make it so simple to get in touch with someone who cares.
At one time, my daughter volunteered on a crisis hotline. She says that if someone contemplating suicide can be stopped temporarily, they will usually change their mind. So those boxes are a good idea.
Thanks for sharing the backstory! So interesting.
Stories like this are always fun.
Sweet concept but I find the thousands of them together an eyesore devoid of the sentiment they were originally meant to convey.
When you see one heart and one set of initials carved on a tree, it may seem sweet. When you see the same thing scratched on a restroom stall surrounded by a bunch of obscene words, it’s just graffiti.
I first encountered them on Westminster Bridge. All removed now. I had not known their history.
I can imagine it would get out of hand on Westminster Bridge.
Your post reminded me of a photo my brother recently uploaded. He spent about 5 years in Afghanistan but before he left, he put his and his wife’s name on a lock that had been strangely placed in a corner. I thought that was terribly romantic and sweet.
I think when people are serving in a war zone, they become even more romantic than usual. My dad wasn’t very romantic, so I was surprised to read some of the romantic things he said in his wartime diary.
I give an A+ to the inspiration behind the 1st people to form a Love Lock.
But all the rest are copycats that should find some other way to prove their eternal devotion to each other . . . maybe by not polluting the planet? 😆
I may be simple, but the wedding vows sufficed for me.
I think some of us are helped by having a material way to express overwhelming emotions.
I’m glad the bridge has a phone for those overwhelmed by despair.
You’re so right, Autumn. After all, we have wedding rings and birth certificates, and we send flowers and candy.
My daughter used to work on a crisis line. People definitely can be talked down.
I first saw the locks on Paris bridges some years ago. I understand the weight of the locks was becoming too much for the bridges (supposedly) and authorities removed them.
I’ve seen photos of some of the larger displays, and they do look unsightly to me, especially when they’re on scenic bridges. Having a daughter who is an engineer, I tend to trust the engineers to determine if there are weight problems. According to her, a march across the Golden Gate Bridge a few years ago might have been a problem–which seems incredible, but the marchers were much closer together than cars would be.
I just heard about these in the last year. My first thought was “throw them in the water? Isn’t that pollution? Guess I’m not a romantic but if it makes people think their love will last, have at it!
I’m romantic enough to be interested but not romantic enough to throw a key in the bay or deface a bridge. We make our own choices, though. It’s good to have faith that your love will last and also to have the ability to adjust if it doesn’t.
Great photos, Nicki!
Oh my word! What a heartbreaking story!!! I heard of the love locks, but I didn’t know the story behind them.
It is a sad story. You don’t hear of people dying for love these days, although I suppose it could happen. Who knows!