Travel Theme: Broken

This week's travel theme is broken and brings to mind photos I've taken in Provence, Monte Carlo and the city of Venice. The first photo is Saint Bénézet Bridge that once spanned the Rhone River at Avignon. It was damaged by heavy flooding in the 17th century and never rebuilt.

Saint Bénézet Bridge, Avignon

Saint Bénézet was made famous by a French children's song about dancing on the bridge that dates from the 15th century, Sur le Pont d'Avignon (On the Bridge at Avignon).

Le Pont d'Avignon

One of the items on my Bucket List is dinner at a Michelin-starred restaurant. While in Monte Carlo a few years ago I crossed this item off my list when we enjoyed a gourmet meal at Le Louis XV at the Hotel de Paris on Place du Casino. Diners may wonder if the restaurant's clocks are broken, as the hands never move from their position on the number 12. But this oversight is intentional as "time is of no consequence" while dining at this eminent establishment.

Hotel de Paris, Monte Carlo

The Stopped Clock of Le Louis XV

I'm a big fan of Dan Brown's books including Inferno, his latest. While in Venice this summer I sought out some of the locations from the novel, including The Tetrarchs, a porphyry sculpture on the southwest corner of St. Mark's Basilica. The foot on one of the figures was broken when the sculpture was looted from Constantinople during the Crusades. In the 1960s, the missing foot was found in Istanbul and remains in the city's Archeological Museum.

St. Mark's Basilica, Venice

The Tetrarchs

The Tetrarch's Broken Foot

Check out Where's my backpack? for more photos on the travel theme Broken.

And if you're also a fan of Dan Brown's Inferno, watch for my next post with more photos of locations in Venice that are featured in his novel.

Related Post:
Dan Brown's Inferno: Venice in Photos