Adam's Visit to Notre Dame

30 March 2005

Sometimes the University of Chicago campus is called beautiful, the matching grey gothic. If it is, and with the lack of upkeep I'm not sure about that, the beauty is that of winter, cold and stark. I'm reminded on the White Queen from the Chronicles of Narnia - "It was a beautiful face in other respects, but proud and cold and stern." (And the morality of Jadis is part of the comparison.) The day I went to Notre Dame was glorious, sunny and in the sixties, which influences these shots, but it's more than that. The buildings are yellow and tan and brown, not grey. Buildings have signs. Lights work. The bathrooms don't smell. Campus dorms have satellite TV. Dining services offers attractive, tasty options at reasonable prices (compare the cafe where I had lunch with the Divinity School cafeteria). Notre Dame is a beautiful campus, the beauty of late summer, I would say. To me, far more attractive.

Not surprisingly, people were different too. I had to make small talk, and my skills had declined from years in Hyde Park. Workers didn't snarl. Undergraduates walked around smiling, with clothes of colours, blue and yellow and pink and green. Happy, healthy faces; I actually had trouble looking at them. I won't call it paradise; the outward show may mask pain, or nasty cruel meanness. I also didn't see many grad students, who are often quite different; it's amazing how bitter and nasty departments can become. Stories I've heard about theology and medieval studies make corporate life look like recess. Nevertheless, Notre Dame sets up its campus to offer the opportunity for goodness and beauty, which my current university does not. The visit was very restorative, a recreation through vacation.

Homeland Security affects even the Golden Dome. OK, it's just being regilded.	The Basilica. I understand why the Hallmark Channel broadcasts services from here.	Touchdown Jesus completes the trinity.
The interior ceiling of the Main building, the Dome.	The father of the Prodigal Son (I think) from the Basilica.	Part of the ceiling of the Basilica, which is kept unfortunately dark. Beauty is in the detail, even where most don't look.
The campus bookstore, which has approximately one million Irish clothes, and a full selection of encyclicals.	The Engineering building. Nothing special, just noticing the cleanliness and labeling.	A Dormitory goes a little secular with its decoration.
Reckers, the coffee shop. It has color and light and tasty flatbread sandwiches. I'm also told it's a big date spot.	A cute new statue of Jesus as teacher.
The left side of a dam on the St Joseph river in Mishawaka. I wrote here Tuesday afternoon.	The right side. It's a fishing spot.	From the Chocolate Museum, showing that "sex sells" is older than some would admit.
Pretty packaging from the museum.	Chocolate used to be a drink, and here's a fine specimen chocopot.	Not all old marketing was that smart, My-T-Fine or no.

The Chocolate Museum is part of the South Bend Chocolate Company. The tour's really not worth the four dollars, except that you get a ten percent discount in the factory store. This makes it even easier to buy so much chocolate that you have enough to give away several pounds. Not that I would do such a thing.