Kissing capital of the world

If you lived in a place known as ‘The Hill of Frogs,' you would probably want to rebrand it too - so it's unsurprising that the Mayor of Guanajuato, Mexico, has declared the colonial city the far more appealing ‘Kissing Capital of the World,' following confusion over kissing being made illegal...

Guanajuato, which translates into ‘the hill of frogs,' has taken on a whole new name - so you had better pucker up.

Following the introduction of an anti-obscenity law that many locals believed would fine anyone caught kissing in public, the Government were quick to try and dispel this confusion - saying they were definitely not banning smooching in public places.

As well as suspending the legislation so its wording could be reviewed, they also decided to rebrand the city the ‘Kissing Capital.'

A local legend of forbidden love gives the city claim to the title. Like many of the world's classic love stories this one is a tale of forbidden love that ends in tragedy.

The legend of Alley of the Kiss (Callejon del Beso) all began when the precious daughter (lets call her Juliet) of a powerful man fell in love with an unsuitable suitor (lets call him Romeo, for arguments sake).

The starcrossed lovers were not allowed to see each other and so Romeo decided to take action and bought the house directly opposite Juliet.

The alley was so narrow that they could reach out of their windows to hold hands and kiss. But then it all went pear shaped when Juliet's father caught them kissing and flew into a rage, stabbing his daughter through the heart with a dagger.

Some versions of the legend maintain Romeo kissed Juliet's hand as she lay dying, while others paint a picture of the two caught kissing.

Today tourists line up to take photos of the alley and tour guides encourage couples to kiss on the staircase below the balconies where the ill-fated couple held hands more than 200 years ago.

The Mayor Eduardo Romero (shame about that rogue ‘r' in his surname or he would have the ideal name) has now ordered posters be produced featuring a couple locking lips on some of Guanajuato's many romantic, winding, cobble-stoned streets.

Lipbalm anyone?

Picture by pushbeyond