First off, that cathedral is massive. Holy cow. When the professors told us to meet outside the church, I was a little worried we would have trouble finding it, but those fears were put to rest as soon as we stepped out of the train station. It is definitely the tallest church I have ever seen, and I’ve been to Notre Dame. It makes me wish I knew more about the symbolism present and about architecture in general since I couldn’t fully appreciate it.
The mass itself was nice. It was certainly strange to me, as there is no incense at my church, and the songs are much more modern, but it was still an interesting experience. I particularly liked the chants the priest made, as they sounded like they came from the heart (not that I would want to listen to them every week).
I’m still not sure how to feel about the visitors standing in the back the whole time. It is nice that the secular world regularly comes together to appreciate the cathedral 20,000 times per day, but at the same time the place should be revered as a house of worship for God and not just for kicks.