Alright folks, grab your imaginary walking shoes ’cause we’re diving deep into some stone giants today. I finally ticked off that bucket list item – hunting down the biggest, baddest Gothic cathedrals across Europe. Started planning months ago, honestly. Picked Notre-Dame in Paris, Cologne over in Germany, and yeah, that beast of all beasts, Seville Cathedral. Booked flights, snagged tickets online weeks early ’cause queues? No thanks.
The Approach
Stepped off the metro in Paris, turned a corner, and BAM – Notre-Dame just slammed into my view. Totally forgot to breathe for a sec. Seriously, pictures don’t do it. The sheer size of that thing? Hits you hard. Walked around the whole outside first, neck craning up like a total tourist. Those pointy bits everywhere? Got it – they’re not just for show, channelling the rain or something smart like that. Took me forever just looking at all the tiny carvings way up high.
Stepping Inside Cologne
Cologne was next. Okay, the outside’s impressive, obviously. But pushing open those giant wooden doors? Inside is a whole different game. Straight away, two things knocked me sideways:
- The Light: Stained glass exploded everywhere. Not just little windows – entire walls made of color. Felt like standing inside a kaleidoscope. Didn’t even care what the pictures showed, the way sunlight threw color patches across the stone floor? Magic.
- Straight Up: Ever look straight up inside one of these? At Cologne, I did. The ceiling felt miles away. All those ribs meeting at points way, way up? Actually makes you dizzy. Had to lean against a pillar.
And pillars? Yeah, plenty. Not just chunky posts holding things up. They shot up like stone trees, branching out near the top to hold those vaults. Felt tiny walking between them.
The Seville Showstopper
Saved Seville Cathedral for last. Heard it was big. Big didn’t cover it. Place felt like a stone city. Wandered around just gaping. Then came across the main altar – the Retablo Mayor. Forget ‘altarpiece’. This is a gold-plated mountain reaching towards heaven. Spent maybe twenty minutes just staring, trying to take in every tiny carved saint and scene. Utterly overwhelming.
Then, near the exit, spotted the little door leading up the Giralda tower – the old minaret repurposed. Climbed those ramps (no stairs!) up, up, up. Legs were screaming by the top. But the view? Worth every single step. Seville spread out below, red rooftops baking in the sun.
Final Takeaway
You wanna see these places? Go. Right now. But here’s the real kicker: do your homework before stepping inside. I always thought those carvings were just fancy decorations. Nope. Turns out they’re Bible stories carved in stone for people who couldn’t read centuries back. Suddenly, figures battling dragons made way more sense. Knowing a tiny bit of that context? Made staring at the stone faces way deeper.
Planning matters too. These ain’t quick in-and-out visits. Comfy shoes? Essential. Packing patience? Absolutely essential. Spend half a day at least. Sit down somewhere quiet inside, soak it in. That quiet humming of a thousand tourists? Yeah, even that can’t drown out the weight of centuries pressing down.
Walking back out into the sunlight after each one felt like waking up from another time. Stone might be cold, but those cathedrals? They vibrate. Totally blew my mind.
