What to write about cathedrals? Similar to writing about wonderful music, I probably should write nothing. Simply be quiet. Write nothing. But the various cathedrals compel me to acknowledge their power and presence. Here are mere fragments from my journal entries for Amiens, Laon, and Reims.

Amiens. Wow!!! The power of a perfectly proportioned exterior with the “incredible lightness of being” interior. Did I say “Wow!!!” All the stone figures adorning walls, facades, corridors, chapels and more overwhelms the viewer. One, the Weeping Angel, was turned into a postcard during World War I. The Labyrinth, representing our journey through life, is centered in the middle of the Nave. How many people have walked that labyrinth? Then there is organ and choral music. Although I had to leave to catch my train to Arras prior to the formal service, I heard the practice. The organ filled the Cathedral, no small feat since it is twice the size of Paris’s Norte Dame Cathedral.

Then there is Laon.

Laon has one of the most impressive settings. On a plateau, the town and cathedral sets one-hundred yards above the surrounding fields. One of the earliest Gothic French cathedrals, and a forerunner to other later cathedrals, this cathedral is extremely quiet during my visit. I love simply sitting in the Cathedral. Like Canterbury and Amiens, I was surprised by the stone’s whitish color.

Then there is Reims Cathedral.

Reims. Again, Wow!! As at Canterbury, I visit the Cathedral four-five times. Its history is the history of France: the stone indicating King Clovis Baptism in the 6th century, the names of the twenty-five Kings of France crowned here, the mounted Joan of Arc facing the Cathedral.

Then, like Amiens, there are hundreds of stone carvings and statues. Above one of the entrances is “The Smiling Angel.” Why is she smiling? The beautiful, timely, and inspiring stain glass. Even the region’s wine-making turned into glass. Most poignant were two chapel sets of abstract stain glass replacing destroyed glass of WW1, both sets donated by German artists and the German government as an act of reconciliation. In the back center Apse, the subdued but striking glass of Marc Chagall. A twentieth century Orthodox Jew turned mystic. Talk about another reconciliation!!

Having a BnB 100 feet from the Reims Cathedral has its advantages. I deeply appreciate the Volunteer Pilgrim Welcomer greeting me with a smile and stamping my passport. I especially will remember the last very early morning visit. As far as I could tell, there were only six of us in the cathedral: two other visitors, two African cleaning ladies, and a security guard. Upon leaving, the security guard, a cleaning lady, and I each waved at each other! I had become more than a one-time tourist.

Cathedrals. I’ve walked by a hundred churches. I’ll visit more Cathedrals. But such amazing creations!! Trying to put into words, some of my feelings: a solitary visitor always surrounded by the Past and Present Thousands. Dwarfed but not Crushed. Ennobled but not Deified. Silent but Inwardly Singing.