Earlier this week I quickly visited Cologne for a travel project. I was hired to share some photos to the @YouthHotspotsGermany Instagram account, and I was able to take some time to research Cologne’s major tourist attractions. Sightseeing in Cologne was pretty much what I expected: there aren’t many sites, but wandering around the city lost provided plenty of opportunities to discover cool things to do.
From the travel planning I did before my trip (on Pinterest, naturally), I realized there really are only a handful of major tourist attractions. Besides the massive Cologne Cathedral, it seems one of the most recommended places to visit is the city’s Love Lock Bridge: Hohenzollernbrücke. The bridge is easily accessible and I was surprised to find as many love locks as there actually are. Must be millions of them.
I realize these kinds of things are pretty cheesy — but the hundreds of colors and the inscriptions and engravings made it more interesting than it may initially seem. Plus the bridge makes for some great photos.
Adam: nice photos at the bridge! I have to say it’s a little difficult to get a sense of a city from a very short visit. I’ve only gotten to know the city a little bit better after more than a dozen visits, and while Köln is naturally not Berlin (nor does it wish to be), I’ve never met a happier bunch of people in the *entire* country. There’s gotta be something in the Eau de Cologne.
Not cheesy at all! Love your photos Adam.
I hear the sheer weight is an issue on some of the older bridges where this practice shows up. Maybe some famous celebrity can tie a biodegradable strand of cotton into a bowtie and that’ll be the new trendy thing. Or daisy chains.
Love these lovelocks – not cheesy at all! :D Even P!NK added one when she was in town with her husband and daughter :) Apparently there are over 30,000 on the Hohenzollern Bridge – when I lived there (2000/01), there were NONE!!
hehe I think it’s cheesy but nevertheless it’s reminding me how unromantic Kathryn and I have become! We need to inject some more romance into our travels!
I like this too, they are everywhere now! :)
not too cheesy, I have seen millions of photos of the love locks bridges, be it Paris or this one and these stand out! they are great!
No denying the fact that the photos are great!
so funny you do your travel planning via pinterest. :) i definitely i have my travel bucket list on there.
Haha, yes – I do indeed use Pinterest to plan trips. When I know I’m going on a trip far enough in advance, sorting the things to do and articles about the destination is definitely easiest on Pinterest!
I love the one in Paris too! Strikes the heart, tears well…just never be alone when visiting :-)
Haven’t seen the one in Paris but do hope to make it there soon! I think you might be right about visiting when alone :/
Very surprised to see the one in Cologne actually has so many lock on it, it’s crazy. They are very cheesy but also kind of cool really, but they seem to be getting everywhere now so I think they are starting to become less impressive.
I still don’t really understand why Cologne’s bridge has so many! It’s a pretty city and all, but I don’t exactly think of the Rhine river as a very romantic destination…
i’ve always wanted to do this
Such a amazing place…I am fully surprised. It shows love is every where…Please share always such adventures thing so that we can easily to knowing about these adventures places…Thanks God bless you!!!!!!!!
[…] a bit of a Cologne institution. Tens of thousands of “love locks” have been added to the Hohenzollern Bridge in less than 10 years. It’s become a tradition to leave one behind, whether with your lover or […]
Cette photo me donne une forte envie de visiter cette ville, ça l’air si fantastique.
i must put this country on my travel note.