Love Lock Bridge

What I really have come to love about Paris is the amount of tradition the city holds. A particular tradition are the locks on the bridges over the Seine. Coming from a girl who loves "rom coms" and Taylor Swift, I needed to see these locks first hand. After a pain au chocolat and a café at a restaurant near the Louvre, a few of us decided to check the lock bridge out. The Pont des Arts Love Lock Bridge was covered in locks of all sizes and colors. Some were engraved and others simply had "Jack and Kate, May 2011" written on them with a sharpie. As the sun was setting, couples were all around posing for a picture in front of their lock. Tradition says that couples, when in Paris, can write their names on a padlock and lock it to the bridge. They then throw the key into the Seine to symbolize their undying love. So unbelievably romantic, right? Luke, being the charmer that he is, interrupted my reverie by asking me how much I thought the sellers along the bridge were selling the padlocks for. With convenience and a once in a lifetime opportunity to put your lock on this bridge, the sellers could probably charge a steep price. I decided to go up to one of the sellers and practice my french while asking how much they charged for each lock. Depending on the size, the prices ranged from 3 to 5 euros. Not bad! I nodded my head and walked away and he then called out, "how much do you have?". I told him I wasn't interested in buying a lock and he responded with, "oh, do you not have a boyfriend?". Okay now he has my attention. I said that I actually did have a boyfriend but that he wasn't here and that I believe that both partners in the relationship should be involved in the padlock love bridge process. The seller ended the conversation with a firm "fine" and we both walked our separate directions. As I walked up to Luke, I told him the price and he too, was rather shocked by how inexpensive it was and we both continued looking at the locks. The padlock market didn't ruin this romantic girl's experience with the Love Lock Bridge and I hope it won't ruin anybody else's. Well, until next time Pont des Arts.