In the past five years (or thereabouts), some of the bridges on the Seine have been hit by a trend where lovers come and put a padlock on the bridge, usually with their name or initials, a special date, or some other meaningful message etched or painted on it. They find a place to put the lock... and then toss the key into the Seine. It's turned into quite a little cottage industry, now, selling "love locks" here.
The Pont des Arts was the first such bridge to be covered with locks. The city made several attempts to remove them, but others soon came to replace them, and now I just assume the city has given up altogether. At first it really irritated me to see the bridge completely overwhelmed by padlocks, but now I have to say that when the sun shines, it gives this otherwise unassuming bridge design a glittery effect. And it's now spread to other bridges and wire fences elsewhere along the river (there is hardly any space left on this one!); anywhere someone can put a lock, they do it.
It's quite common to see passers-by stopping to examine some of the locks. I was on a bus a few days ago, and while we were stopped in traffic next to the Pont des Arts, I saw this little boy and his father, both looking at the locks at the end of the bridge. I think they make a sweet picture. Maybe they had just added their own locks?
