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Cape Town – While Paris is begging tourists to say it with selfies rather than locks, Pretoria is inviting couples to declare their everlasting commitment on a brand new ‘bridge of love.’
From 6 September onward love birds will be able to attach a pad lock to a brand new specially designed bridge at Huckleberry’s in Magnolia Dell.
The construction of the bridge is a joint project between Marriage Week South Africa and Cool Capital 2014 Biennale and hopes to put Pretoria on the romance map for couples from around the country, and even the world.
According to Liezel van der Merwe, organiser of marriage week in South Africa, the bridge was inspired by Paris’ famous Pont des Arts, where couples attach specially engraved locks to declare their everlasting love.
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While the tradition only started as recently as 2008, the bridge has become something of a pilgrimage site for romantics and now sports thousands and thousands of locks.
Sadly, in recent months Parisian authorities have been begging tourists to refrain from the amorous tradition, as the combined weight is causing major damage to the aging bridge.
Apart from Paris, Pretoria will be joining a number of other cities around the globe with bridges specially designated to those with a penchant for pad lock romance. They include Hohenzollern Bridge in Cologne (Germany), Puente de Isabel II in Seville (Spain) as well as London's Tower Bridge and Millenium Bridge.
The bridge will be inaugurated on 6 September with a glitzy soiree. Tickets are available on iTickets for R200 per couple. Each will also receive a specially engraved lock to attach to the bridge on the night.
What do you think of the tradition of declaring your everlasting love with a pad lock? Super romantic? Or really, rather silly? Tell us in the comment section below or send us your thoughts/stories to info@traveller24.co.za
If you have ever attached a love lock to a bridge, send us a pic to pics@traveller24.co.za or mention us in a comment on Instagram!
