My Mediterranean heritage has trained me to have a one tracked mind as it perpetually dictates the phrase Greece equals Beauty. This beauty lies on the beaches during sunset, is summated by every dark and handsomely tan man, and resonates in the Glory that is lamb-based food. It's the ancient world that still feels the wind through its marble cracks, and stands proud - but not quite tall - in fields of ruins. After seeing these photos by French photographers Yves Marchand and Romain Meffre, I am humbly corrected. It is not a necessary condition of a ruin to be ancient in order to be beautiful. I give you: Detroit. Frozen in time.

If this last photo of the melting clock doesn't scream Dali, then I don't know what does.

Makes me wonder about the stories behind these rooms. Who lived there, who loved there. Who worked, ached, thought, and succeeded there. It seems that ruins don't only come from European mediterranean climates - the chilly midwest is home to some seriously gorgeous treasures.

Images courtesy of The Denver Post