A haphazard chronicle of my inevitable misadventures during a year in Vietnam and points east.

p.s. I'll be pitifully grateful if you send me email during my exile: TravelerKaty@hotmail.com

October 2002 November 2002 December 2002 January 2003 February 2003 March 2003 April 2003 May 2003 June 2003 July 2003 August 2003 September 2003 October 2003 November 2003 February 2006 March 2006 May 2006

 
After six weeks here I've largely worked through the various tourist activities here in Saigon, but yesterday I found myself walking by the Notre Dame Cathedral (built by the French, naturally) and realized I hadn't seen the inside yet. It wasn't that I was that interested -- I've pretty much maxed out on Catholic churches over my years of travelling, but since I didn't have anything better do so I figured what the hey?

It's a nice enough church but not too exciting -- cream colored walls, dramatic pillars, nice proportions and lots of little altar alcoves up both sides, like most Catholic churches. The church also has a fair amount of stained glass, stations of the cross, a handful of Marias and other statuary, but compared to the average Buddhist temple it's downright ascetic.

The visit would have been a dead loss if it hadn't been for Neon Joseph and Child. At least I'm assuming it was Joseph -- it was a father-and-toddler type of thing, and there just aren't that many man-and-boy combos that Catholics make into statuary. The best part about these two is that the white statue is framed with buzzing white neon tubes with neon Vietnamese words arching above it. I was quite disappointed that there weren't more devotional candles in front of Neon Joseph, but apparently NJ isn't too popular with the locals. But I loved it -- should I ever become Catholic, I know where I'll go to light candles.

© 2002 Katy Warren
posted by Katy at 8:15 PM