DAY 26 - NOTRE DAME

Helmets that immediately say: NOTRE DAME
to any College Football Fan

Even Moses seemed proud of ND
proclaiming "We're Number One" 

Notre Dame du Lac /
Notre Dame University
South Bend, Indiana
http://www.nd.edu/

Mascot:

The Fighting Irish
(Embodied by the Leprechaun)

The Largest Church On Campus -
STUNNING Interior

Growing up Irish Catholic, Notre Dame was one of those schools that I felt like I knew about at birth.  My two sisters attended Boston College, though, so Notre Dame eventually transformed from famous pinnacle of Catholic Higher Education, into “the rival”.  It was exciting though, to finally step foot on campus.  The first thing I was struck by was the incredible size and scale of the campus.  Notre Dame has a lake, a golf course, and all the athletic facilities right on campus, and there is a lot of physical space between buildings, a large number of grassy quads and open spaces.  Approximately 8,400 undergraduate students and 3,400 graduate students are on campus in any given year.

Notre Dame's Famed Golden Dome, which inspired the
Golden Domes on its athletes

The second thing that struck me is that every building resembled a church.  The Gothic Architecture was striking, and a yellow/gold brick is the building material of almost every building.  It was visually impressive, without seeming over the top.

Notre Dame Football was also of obvious importance on the campus.  There were banners and statues everywhere proudly displaying the devotion of the Fighting Irish to their storied football franchise. 

I was glad to see Notre Dame.  Its high quality academic product, combined with its incredible history, and its dedication to social justice were previously known elements to me.  But setting foot on campus helped me better understand the beauty and powerful visual experience of being in South Bend. 

TOUCHDOWN GUSSY!
in front of
TOUCHDOWN JESUS!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Where next?

Another stop at Annie and Jeff's and then back to Massachusetts