A visit to northern Indiana is like an annual pilgrimage for us – and we have a number of favorite stores to visit . . . and favorite places to eat!
One of those favorite restaurants is the Essenhaus in Middlebury. Since it’s a short drive from Elkhart, and we knew they have a Classic Car Cruise-In on Thursday nights,we decided to head right over there for dinner our first night in town.
There were some storms threatening a little west of Middlebury, but when we arrived around 5:30 there were still plenty of cars parked around on the lawn.
Looking to the east, the sky was blue and clear, but to the west the clouds were building.
We walked all around, looking at the cars, and Tom chatted with some of the owners.
This was an interesting vehicle . . . he started with a motorcycle, and built the car around it.
About that time, the organizer announced that the storms to the west were getting closer, and that there could be high wind and hail. It didn’t take long for everybody to start packing up and getting ready to leave.
We stood by the fence for a while as they left . . . many of the drivers like to burn-outs in front of the restaurant as they leave.
As it quieted down out there, we went inside for dinner. We were surprised to see how crowded it was on a Thursday, but I guess the Car Cruise brings a lot of people in! We had the buffet, which is always good . . . but leaves no room for pie . . . so we’ll just have to come back another day for dessert.
On Friday, we went on a Menards run in Mishawaka, and afterwards decided to take a drive through Notre Dame, since neither of us have ever been there. We found our way onto campus through some back entrance, and drove around the perimeter until we found the football stadium.
It’s quite a place!
The tall brick structure reminds me of the University of Michigan stadium.
We continued driving around, and were amazed by the amount of new construction. Every building is built from the same beige brick, though, and all look very similar. It must be difficult for new students to find their way around – everything looks the same!
Beautiful, though – certainly no shortage of money around here!
We found a place to park by the Bookstore, and got out of the Jeep to take a look around.
Even the Bookstore is beautiful inside – all that wood trim!
I texted Bryce to see if he wanted me to get him a T-shirt, but he wasn’t interested!
From there, we decided to walk around campus and find the Basilica. As we walked towards the other end of campus, we transitioned from new construction to older buildings. You could tell they were older, but they were still in the same style, and very beautiful.
Entrance to the Law School – absolutely gorgeous! So much ornate masonry and stonework!
We were in awe of the campus – it’s so beautiful, but at 3X the cost of Michigan State, it’s a huge investment!
The center of campus is a large park, with lots of old trees, beautiful landscaping, and surrounded by academic buildings. Everything is clean and neat, and well maintained!
Through the trees we caught glimpses of the Basilica,
the Rectory,
and even touchdown Jesus (overlooking the football field).
Rev. Edward Sorin, along with 7 Brothers of the Congregation of the Holy Cross, traveled from France in 1842, founding both the Congregation of the Holy Cross in the United States, and the University of Notre Dame.
The Basilica of the Sacred Heart is the mother church of the congregation, and has been the heart of the Notre dame campus since 1875.
The Rectory is another amazing building with its gold domed roof.
In a diocese where there is already a Cathedral, another church of significant history or importance to the community, can be designated as a Basilica by the Pope. in 1992, Pope John Paul II designated this church as the Basilica of the Sacred Heart.
The church was open, so we went in to take a look around.
Amazing!! Beautiful!!
A closer view of the altar – WOW
Turning around to go back to the rear of the church, we saw the choir loft.
There was a wedding coming up the next day, and the wedding party was gathering for the rehearsal while we were there. What a beautiful church to get married in!
I told Tom it was a good thing we hadn’t visited here when Bryce was looking at colleges – I loved it, but it wasn’t even on Bryce’s list . . . good thing, I guess!
We've only seen the tail of one of those Car Shows but it was still fun. Being later in the evening they weree mostly gone by the time we came out.
ReplyDeleteWe love the food at Essenhaus but learned to order the meals so we didn't waddle out.
We'll definitely be adding Notre Dame to our future travel lists.
Be Safe and Enjoy!
It's about time.