Pont des Arts and Jardin des Tuileries PARIS, FRANCE

Pont des Arts. Crossing the bridge from the Musée d'Orsay to the Jardin des Tuileries on a crisp February day, we met woofers little and large. A decades-long tradition, lovers commemorate their passion for each other and for the city by latching padlocks to the bridge’s ironwork.  Soon after our visit, Paris officials removed the 45 tons of “love locks” from the  bridge and banned the custom, saving the Pont des Artes from the strain of too much affection.

Jardin des Tuileries. Positioned between the Louvre and the Place de la Concorde, this garden was created by Catherine de Medicis as part of the Tuileries Palace in 1564; it became a public park in 1667, after the French Revolution. In February, the park is winterized—the trees just branches, the flowers long gone, the grass brownish, and the air crisp.