Saturday 31 March Day 39 ~ Jacksonville, FL
Updated in the Allier, France ~ Tuesday 24 April
We're looking forward to meeting up with our friend D again, she's a lady with a wicked sense of humour and a zest for life, very kind too.
Arranged to meet her at Rosa Parks Transit (bus) Station which is the terminus for the public airport bus, so easy for us. She has invited us to go to a performance of a passion play at a local church, she told us she has wanted to go for years and hadn't managed it. She's a regular church goer, religions are not our thing but we are always open to a new experience, and it will please D.
We arrive and so does she, we can walk to the church from the bus station which is great. We're off to the First Baptist Church of Jacksonville, not like any church we've ever been to. We enter the Main Auditorium (which implies there is at least another) and find at street level the large foyer filled with stands showcasing different aspects of the church and the passion play. D asks where we should go to get the best view, one of the ushers gives her a hug and takes us upstairs and says pick any door and choose whatever seats we wish.
Knock me down with a feather is the effect on Rosie and I, D had an idea as this church services are broadcast on tv every week. As we walk through the doors into the auditorium we gasp at the size, it's a very spacious 10,000 seat theatre/church/auditorium. Apparently their average Sunday congregation is 7500, amazing. Several things come to mind at once. We must be in the Bible Belt? Why is D the only black person here? Is this her church? The answers are -Yes - it's the 'white' Baptist church - there's a smaller 'black' one nearby that she belongs to. It's quite a reminder that race can affect even the most basic things in the south such as worship.
People arriving all the time, all are pleasant and friendly even though the three of us are obviously not members of this church. Many go out of their way to welcome us all, particularly D, it's a nice atmosphere.
Auditorium starting to fill up. It's wider and much deeper than the photo, seating continues round the side of the stage and behind the photo position..
Start to think of this building and what the upkeep must be, later learn is on a complete full-size block and the church own another 7 full blocks neighbouring it here in downtown. This church holds a lot of sway in the affairs of Jacksonville, obviously some of it's members hold important positions in the life of Jacksonville or are particularly wealthy. It all ties in with what's in front of us and confirmed by the quality of the play, which turns out to be a musical. The highlight is a religious version of Nessun Dorma sung by three tenors.
We have no idea if some of the cast are professional and some amateur church members, but whoever they are including the orchestra they were unbelievably good, fantastic live music.
It starts with an orchestral piece, never heard better from any symphony orchestra ever and very beautiful. Then the play unfolds starting in the garden of Eden through to the resurrection of Jesus. The show moved many people to tears or halleluiahs, shouts of delight and despair. We're sure that some in the audience thought it was real such was their reaction, an extraordinary display of believing and quite moving too. Here's a few photos, but they can't show just how mesmeric the Jesus character was.
So impressed with every aspect of this afternoon, we have much to talk about. Also we haven't seen D for a year and a bit to catch up on. We head out to Cracker Barrel, a place D uses every week or so, chance for us to take time to eat, drink and talk.
We have a lively server, a 30 year old young lady who has loads of energy, loads of talk, loads of ideas and a big smile. Trying to order is pure theatre, Natalie our server made sure of that.
Once that was accomplished we talked about many things Jacksonville which was predominately black until the city boundaries were altered extensively to make the city physically much larger. Now it's a white majority.
D is a well educated person, her hubby works for FEMA with a good job, she worked for the Pentagon and was there on 9/11, missed being killed by her boss changing her schedule slightly, her boss was killed.
We talk about race here and her opinion is race problems in Jacksonville have increased since Trump was elected, same has happened in the UK since the anti immigration Brexit vote. She talks about as a young woman she toured Europe with girl friends and would love to visit again but hubby isn't a traveller, except for his job.
Natalie is single, looks after her disabled mum but is planning to be off somewhere else soon as her brother is having her mum go live with him. She explains that she is a free spirit, likes to change direction and just pick up work when she gets to where she ends up. She knows that she'll return to Jacksonville to take some of the load off her brother but needs some space for a while. She said she has done this before several times, it keeps her going, interesting girl.
We are there for at least a couple of hours, Natalie says that she will look out for D on her weekly visits. They have the measure of each other with many knowing looks, but also smiles too.
Then it's time to go as D wants to get back to hubby, he doesn't get home very often or for long and she's given us most of her day, think she misses him a lot as his base is 200 miles away.
This is a sad farewell as we know D wont get to Europe again and we are unlikely to get back to Florida for many years if ever. She drops us at our hotel, after big hugs she's gone.
Packing for tomorrow morning early start, reading and writing, another Amtrak train in the morning, we just love them.
Updated in the Allier, France ~ Tuesday 24 April
We're looking forward to meeting up with our friend D again, she's a lady with a wicked sense of humour and a zest for life, very kind too.
Arranged to meet her at Rosa Parks Transit (bus) Station which is the terminus for the public airport bus, so easy for us. She has invited us to go to a performance of a passion play at a local church, she told us she has wanted to go for years and hadn't managed it. She's a regular church goer, religions are not our thing but we are always open to a new experience, and it will please D.
We arrive and so does she, we can walk to the church from the bus station which is great. We're off to the First Baptist Church of Jacksonville, not like any church we've ever been to. We enter the Main Auditorium (which implies there is at least another) and find at street level the large foyer filled with stands showcasing different aspects of the church and the passion play. D asks where we should go to get the best view, one of the ushers gives her a hug and takes us upstairs and says pick any door and choose whatever seats we wish.
Knock me down with a feather is the effect on Rosie and I, D had an idea as this church services are broadcast on tv every week. As we walk through the doors into the auditorium we gasp at the size, it's a very spacious 10,000 seat theatre/church/auditorium. Apparently their average Sunday congregation is 7500, amazing. Several things come to mind at once. We must be in the Bible Belt? Why is D the only black person here? Is this her church? The answers are -Yes - it's the 'white' Baptist church - there's a smaller 'black' one nearby that she belongs to. It's quite a reminder that race can affect even the most basic things in the south such as worship.
People arriving all the time, all are pleasant and friendly even though the three of us are obviously not members of this church. Many go out of their way to welcome us all, particularly D, it's a nice atmosphere.
Auditorium starting to fill up. It's wider and much deeper than the photo, seating continues round the side of the stage and behind the photo position..
Start to think of this building and what the upkeep must be, later learn is on a complete full-size block and the church own another 7 full blocks neighbouring it here in downtown. This church holds a lot of sway in the affairs of Jacksonville, obviously some of it's members hold important positions in the life of Jacksonville or are particularly wealthy. It all ties in with what's in front of us and confirmed by the quality of the play, which turns out to be a musical. The highlight is a religious version of Nessun Dorma sung by three tenors.
We have no idea if some of the cast are professional and some amateur church members, but whoever they are including the orchestra they were unbelievably good, fantastic live music.
It starts with an orchestral piece, never heard better from any symphony orchestra ever and very beautiful. Then the play unfolds starting in the garden of Eden through to the resurrection of Jesus. The show moved many people to tears or halleluiahs, shouts of delight and despair. We're sure that some in the audience thought it was real such was their reaction, an extraordinary display of believing and quite moving too. Here's a few photos, but they can't show just how mesmeric the Jesus character was.
So impressed with every aspect of this afternoon, we have much to talk about. Also we haven't seen D for a year and a bit to catch up on. We head out to Cracker Barrel, a place D uses every week or so, chance for us to take time to eat, drink and talk.
We have a lively server, a 30 year old young lady who has loads of energy, loads of talk, loads of ideas and a big smile. Trying to order is pure theatre, Natalie our server made sure of that.
Once that was accomplished we talked about many things Jacksonville which was predominately black until the city boundaries were altered extensively to make the city physically much larger. Now it's a white majority.
D is a well educated person, her hubby works for FEMA with a good job, she worked for the Pentagon and was there on 9/11, missed being killed by her boss changing her schedule slightly, her boss was killed.
We talk about race here and her opinion is race problems in Jacksonville have increased since Trump was elected, same has happened in the UK since the anti immigration Brexit vote. She talks about as a young woman she toured Europe with girl friends and would love to visit again but hubby isn't a traveller, except for his job.
Natalie is single, looks after her disabled mum but is planning to be off somewhere else soon as her brother is having her mum go live with him. She explains that she is a free spirit, likes to change direction and just pick up work when she gets to where she ends up. She knows that she'll return to Jacksonville to take some of the load off her brother but needs some space for a while. She said she has done this before several times, it keeps her going, interesting girl.
We are there for at least a couple of hours, Natalie says that she will look out for D on her weekly visits. They have the measure of each other with many knowing looks, but also smiles too.
Then it's time to go as D wants to get back to hubby, he doesn't get home very often or for long and she's given us most of her day, think she misses him a lot as his base is 200 miles away.
This is a sad farewell as we know D wont get to Europe again and we are unlikely to get back to Florida for many years if ever. She drops us at our hotel, after big hugs she's gone.
Packing for tomorrow morning early start, reading and writing, another Amtrak train in the morning, we just love them.
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