... Of Love...
My good friend, Green Monkey, over at Green Monkey Tales used this image on her most recent post. As soon as I saw it, I thought...
"I've seen that!!!!!!"
Back in late May, I had the opportunity to go to Europe, specifically Germany and The Netherlands, as a guest lecturer at several universities...
I spent a couple of days in Frankfurt Am Main, Germany before heading to Aachen... and on one of my treks, I walked along the river walk and came upon this neat pedestrian bridge... the Eiserner Steg (bridge). This bridge was originally constructed back in 1868... as a pedestrian bridge to allow the citizens to reach the other side of the Main River.
Couples have come to the Eiserner Steg to show their everlasting love to each other by attaching a padlock to the bridge. These padlocks are often engraved with their names of the couples and a date, and the keys are thrown into the river.
The Eiserner Steg
This custom came to Frankfurt from the city of Cologne, where it is said that over 40,000 padlocks are attached to a bridge that spans the Rhine River.
Locks Of Love
That type of love... hope... for a future together must be nice...
Each side of the bridge has an
approach like this.
Commitment to a three-way?
Polyamory??
I need to finish writing about my trip... I just kind of lost interest in it...
~shoes~
I totally love this idea- so darling and sweet. We have this up here too.
ReplyDeleteThe 3way lock-- there must be a juicy story behind that one!!
Hi there, Princess... Yeah, that three-way lock does raise some questions!! No?? ;o)
DeleteI agree... the idea of it is sweet!!
~shoes~
U must find a mate/lover to take with u next go around wherever u might wander.
ReplyDeleteHow awesome would that have been for u and she to have left a lock on that bridge?
Maybe u can take her to ur spiritual place (Utah) one day. But she will have to be a mighty special woman. It is something to thing about. No?
I find that it is so meaningful when u have a soulmate to go with u on these trips. It is just different. To view it together and to remember together. Sigh--
I had a three-way once. Me, the lover and Buttons, my pup. Don't think nasty please cuz it was quite innocent. I just try to find the "funny" in things and try to laugh at myself. While lover was down there, Buttons decided to jump on the bed and started to give me puppy kisses while he draped his paw across my neck and nuzzled his head against mine and I was giggling up a storm. I guess Buttons was making sure he still was number one in my heart.
I tell too much. Way too much. I need to learn to stop.
LOL... you DO love to share your stories!!!
Delete~shoes~
I love that bridge. I have a print of it hanging in my house... the romance! The hopes and dreams...
ReplyDeleteI'm a closet romantic.
SO cool that you got to see it in person!
:)
Hi there, Robelyn...
DeleteWhen I saw the locks, I didn't understand/know the story... It was later when I looked up the bridge and its history that I learned of the meanings of the locks.
I thought it to be quite romantic...
~shoes~
What do they attach to the bridge for CASUAL SEX ?
ReplyDeleteHmmm... I dunno, Heff... I suppose they could file notches on the bridge rails, like we do here in Mississippi.
Delete... or they could tie used condoms to the bridge railings...
What do you guys in Alabama do?? ;o)
~shoes~
Lots to think about with this post. I definitely love the sentiment behind the locks on the bridge. That is very cool.
ReplyDeleteHi there, Robin... how are you?? :o)
DeleteYeah, I like the sentimental aspects of the locks on the bridge...
~shoes~
Great photo of the bridge with all its locks. It sounds like a lovely custom but must make maintenance of the bridge (like painting it) rather difficult.
ReplyDeletebtw - You mentioned you had no idea how you came to my blog, I'm thankful for those wonderful and unexplainable little mysteries of life as your comment was lovely and most appreciated. Thank you. I like your blog a lot and am now a follower. :)
You are so kind!
DeleteThe cloud photos you posted were unbelievable!!
I shall return the favor of following you!
~shoes~
What a grand way to show someone you love them. Who said romance is dead. I love it when I hear of stories like this, it gives me hope and tears that maybe I will find someone again. <3
ReplyDeleteThe cynical side of me asks this: How many of those couples that locked love-locks on that bridge are still couples?
DeleteThe world has become so cynical...
~shoes~
I had to laugh at what you just said because After I wrote my comment I was thinking the same thing too about how many might not be together now.
DeleteDon't forget we talked about hope. The world might have become cynical but it is hope I will never give up on
Well, given that marriages have a failure rate of somewhere in the neighborhood of 50%, one would have to guess that 'relationship-failure' is even higher.
DeleteBeing 'hopeful' sounds pro-active...
~shoes~
I like what u said Musicwithyou
ReplyDelete"It is hope I will never give up on"
My thoughts too.
If something does not go the way u planned.
Pick urself up. Dust urself off. And get back up and head down the road.
The easy road is to stay stuck. To think it will always be.
I cannot tell u all the times I failed or made mistakes but I learned from them.
U r a hard worker and a good mom. I have read a few of ur comments.
We should never lose HOPE.
What a neat idea. I LOVE that bridge without ever seeing it. There's a strangeness to it that appeals to me and I want to go photograph it!
ReplyDeleteHi there, Annie... it is a cool bridge! When it was built, the ends were constructed so that horses, buggies, any other type of transportation at that time (1868) would never be able to access the bridge. I do believe that I read that at that time, there were already two other bridges that provided access but they weren't 'pedestrian-only' bridges.
DeleteIt seems that many times, there are moments of serendipity when we cross paths with these types of structures, events, etc etc etc.
I hope you are having a good day!
~shoes~
I like the locks idea, but I do wonder if anyone has ever returned to that bridge with a pair of bolt cutters.
ReplyDeleteHi there, Memphis...
DeleteI've thought about that exact same thing!
Something along the lines of 'lover's remorse!'
How's Memphis today??
~shoes~
Aww, that is so cute! I want to have a lock somewhere with my name on it... just mine... no one else's..
ReplyDelete