Lovers Got It All Locked Up

I mentioned in a previous post the phenomenon of love locks. I stumbled onto the phenomenon during one of my early walks around Cologne. I had never heard of them, and the mystery of them enriched and deepened the wonder of exploring this new (to me), foreign city.

Well it appears my exposé on these pages has seriously increased the participation--hey, when you generate the kind of viewership numbers that I enjoy, world-changing movements are possible.

But seriously, folks.

On my most recent visit, I was surprised to see at least a doubling (maybe much more) of the number of padlocks on the Hohenzollern Bridge that crosses the Rhine into the city's main train station, the Hauptbahnhoff. I remember reading that the city initially wanted to treat the business like graffiti and remove the locks, but the public outcry caused officials to rethink. Seeing how the numbers of locks has grown, one has to wonder whether some intervention will be necessary at some point.

Anyway, here are some pictures from a week or so ago (with apologies for repeats: I see looking through old photos that I have a penchant for capturing the same things--often from the same angles and vantage points--over and over again).

(You cheap bastard!)