A Long Way to a Quiet Life

This bridge looks like a thrill ride, but for the locals — it's just the way home.

Built in 1957, and carefully maintained ever since. It connects two small settlements that have long become dacha spots.

Almost 50 meters of wood and steel over dark water.

You walk across, and the structure sways, the cables creak, and the silence around is so deep you feel completely cut off from the world.

I love places like this — in the middle of nowhere.

Locks hang all over the bridge. Old ones, from Soviet times, and modern ones. Plain ones and heart-shaped ones. Someone once left a promise here, and now these little symbols live a life of their own. Their metal may be cold, but the stories inside, I'm sure, are warm.

«Love and Harmony».

«Bumblebee and Bee».

«Together Forever».

On the other shore — no rush. Just a handful of houses. This bridge is almost seventy years old now, and it exists for just a few families.

I see these 50 meters not just as distance between banks, but as a border between noise and silence. To get there, you have to walk a path that cannot be rushed — it's a long way to a quiet life, not everyone's destination.

Would you cross for a life away from it all?
Would you leave your lock here?

Thank you so much for your attention!

Gubakha, Perm Krai, Russia.
March, 2025.
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