The love padlocks of Millennium Bridge

The Millennium Bridge is one of the many famous bridges that cross the River Thames and connect London with the glorious South Bank. I was originally enamored with this particular bridge because the Death Eaters nearly destroyed it in the film version of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. However, as I was strolling across this bridge after a lovely afternoon spent along the South Bank, I noticed a plethora of padlocks hanging from the railings.

Upon closer examination, I realized that most of the locks contained a message. Some of the locks had long phrases while others had a pair of names or even just a single word.

One particular lock really resonated with me- it read, "London doesn't taste as good as it should since you're not here." The lock was aged and the words were fading- it had obviously been there a while, just hanging in limbo. Who were these people and what had happened between them? Where were they now? I must have stared at that one for a good five minutes.

I realized that there was a human life with a past and stories to tell behind each lock on Millennium Bridge. In all the world, only this one person held the key. It was all terribly poetic and they were all beautiful! I was enchanted by the whole lot of them- much to the chagrin, I am sure, of the company I was with.
After throughly inspecting the locks and having my cheesy existential moment, I conceded that we could "finally" move on. However, I do catch myself contemplating these padlocks and the people behind them during quiet moments or when I daydream on the tube.
I may just have to go back and add my own lock to be a part of London forever.