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Howe Caverns: A Photo Tour

By Kim Knox Beckius, About.com

7 of 10

A Calcite Heart and Cave Kisses

Howe Caverns Picture Calcite Heart

Here's a close-up of the luminous calcite heart, located at the Howe Caverns Bridal Altar.

© 2005 Kim Knox Beckius
For weddings, the bride and groom usually stand on The Bridal Altar's six-inch-thick calcite heart, shown in this close-up photo. It was cut from a large piece of calcite found in a stream inside the cave.

During your tour of Howe Caverns, you'll learn that there is a bit of lore associated with this translucent heart, which is illuminated from underneath. If you are in a relationship, and the two of you stand on the heart, you'll be off on a long, romantic trip within a year. If you are unattached and you stand on the heart, the news is even better. You'll meet and marry your special someone within a year.

I didn't stand on the heart, but I did get kissed twice while I was in the cave. My husband got kissed three times. I'm talking, of course, about "cave kisses." Our guide told us at the outset of our Howe Caverns adventure that if we got "kissed" by one of the drops of water falling from the cave's stalactites, we'd have good luck for the rest of the day.

Kim Knox Beckius
Guide since 1998

Kim Knox Beckius
New England Travel Guide

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