Le Mur des Je t'aime / "I love you: the wall" is tucked away in a garden near the Abbesses metro stop. The tiles are scribbled with 311 declarations of "I love you" in 250 different languages, including a drawing of the sign language translation.
The inside of the basilica is stunning and well worth the huffing and puffing up the steps. Photos aren't allowed inside and Rach and I opted to follow the rules unlike most of the other visitors in fear of being yelled at by an angry Parisian. As you can tell in the photo above, it's a popular spot so the earlier you get there, the better! Like any good European monument, there are groups of men trying to sell everything from miniature Eiffel Towers to selfie sticks at the base of the steps. Eye roll.
We descended from the hill in search of some flatter land, and wound up in the picturesque streets of St. Germain.
After a pit stop for macaroons in the Luxembourg Gardens and a proper lunch, we continued our mosey towards the river and humming songs from Les Mis.
The infamous love lock clad bridges around Paris have been in the news a lot recently, as the sheer weight of the padlocks along with the pollution that comes with thousands of metal keys being tossed into the river finally reached a head and the city began removing the locks and replacing the fencing with un-lockable solid walls. Pont des Arts is now adorned with murals and Pont de l'Archevêché (pictured here) removed some to help with the weight but preserved some behind plexiglass in order to retain the charm.
What's your favourite area of Paris? How do you feel about the love locks being removed?
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