Le Dernier Jour pour Voir les Sites Touristiques à Bordeaux

Oooh, comment triste... j'ai été en retard avec mes entrées!
I am now more than one week behind, so hopefully today I can catch up! 

mercredi le 22 juin
The day after the Fete de la Musique, after class Ramon and I walked around Bordeaux to take photos of all the touristic sites that we hadn't been to yet.  The first stop was actually very close to our house, so I was surprised that I hadn't come across it before then.

Palais Gallien à Bordeaux

Palais Gallien is a Roman amphitheater from the 3rd century that had fallen into disrepair until 1840 when it was deemed an historic site.  Now there are houses built up all around it, but the site itself is roped off from intruders to keep it safe. 

Apparently, the amphitheater was burned in the 270s by the Francs during their great raids in Gaulle, and afterwards it was abandoned.  In the 17th century, it became a refuge for gangs and prostitutes.  During the French Revolution, the land upon which the amphitheater stood was sold off in plots; it was at this time that I think much of the damage was done as parts of the amphitheater were demolished.  In the 1800s, the Bordelais community began to take notice and worked to stop the degradation of the building, and eventually the city of Bordeaux prohibited the mutilation of the site.  All plots of land were owned by the city by 1864, and the building was thereafter classified as an historic building.

Palais Gallien à Bordeaux

Ramon wanted to go to the Église Notre Dame which was some 15 minutes from our house.  The church was rather small compared to St. André and St. Seurin, but it was still beautiful.  It had a much more earth-derived feel to it, and seemed to be humbler.  The Tabernacle, though, was beautifully carved. 

Église Notre Dame

I think the biggest difference between French churches and churches in America, for churchgoers at least, is the absence of pews in French churches.  Every Catholic church that I have been in in the US has had pews complete with kneel-rests for every seat.  Here, however, kneel-rests are rare.  Therefore, during those parts of the mass where parishioners would normally kneel, some people sit and some people stand; it's rather different.  I think I prefer the American way (spoken like a true patriot) because, when everybody kneels at the same time and everybody stands at the same time, I felt like I was much more a part of a community of God.  Church here feels more like a one-on-one session with God since everyone tends to do their own thing throughout the mass.  Alas, some of those feelings may be the result of my very limited understanding of what is actually being said...

The Tabernacle of Église Notre Dame

The inside of the church

Alas, that's enough church talk for now.  It seems I always come back to that, don't I?
À plus tard!