Love Locks are back on the Pont des Arts in Paris

I’m happy to report that the love locks on the Pont des Arts have made a comeback, despite the city’s decision to mass remove them during the week of May 9th, 2010. Ironically, once it was done, no one would claim responsibility: municipal authorities told Le Parisien they had not made a final decision even after the locks were removed and other officials declined to comment. But some antique-looking locks were left unscathed, suggesting that even those tasked with the removal felt the twinge of amor. Since then, the locks have started to boldly reappear. For those unfamiliar, couples will write their names and the date on a lock, attach it to the bridge and toss the key into the water, forever sealing their love. In early May, two exchange students & I joked we would attach a lock with our names as a threesome–pretty sure that one would have certainly been removed.

The love lock phenomenon has become a global occurrence, supposedly originating in Rome after the 2007 release of the movie “I Want You (Ho voglia di te),” based on a 2006 novel by Federico Moccia. The Independent begs to differ, finding dates as early as 2005 on the Pont des Arts locks. Not surprisingly in the city of love, Parisian citizens don’t seem to mind the trend but Romans and Brooklynites seem to be a little less enthused. In April 2010, the Brooklyn Paper wrote, “The good news is that the locks haven’t quite caught on to an extreme.” Several cities have put up alternative structures to which locks can be attached to and Rome even has an online virtual love lock site!

Not a double rainbow (haha) or even a hidden rainbow plane, but anybody know the origin of the rainbow graffiti at the foot of the Pont des Arts bridge?