The high mass at the Cologne cathedral was something completely foreign to me. I have gone to christian reformed church services my whole life so it was very interesting. The differences were many. The most obvious was that it was in primarily German and Latin. There were a great number of traditions that I had never seen. Most of these traditions seemed pointless to me. While they might create a sense of reverence, I don’t think that they would make God any happier than an normal service in an average church.
Every day thousands of people visit the Cathedral and I think that is fine. While in the service the people waiting were noticeable, however; they were not disruptive for me. Also, though the cathedral is a beautiful place, it is not any holier than any other place of worship. Additionally, if the beauty of the cathedral manages to bring even one tourist to God then it is worth it to keep the doors open.