postcard from Helsinki

Helsinki Cathedral (c) 2019 by David Ourisman, all rights reserved

Helsinki is definitely well worth a visit... first, because it is the hub for Finnair. Finnair has a comfortable business class that offered advantageous pricing for our flight to Europe. You can include a layover of up to 5 days in your itinerary.

Senate Square in the city's center is dominated by Helsinki Cathedral. During our visit, the steps in front of the church were filled with tourists, all enjoying the brilliant summer sunshine. As with other Lutheran churches I saw in Scandinavia, the pulpit faces sculptures of Martin Luther and Philip Melanchthon — a not-so-subtle reminder to the preacher to remain true to the theology of these Reformation leaders.

Oodi Library (c) 2019 by David Ourisman, all rights reserved

Include Oodi Library in your visit. The winner of the 2019 Public Library of the Year, the architecture is stunning — and you'll be amazed at the variety of resources available to visitors. These include sewing machines, large format photo printers, 3D printers, a laser cutter, and music studios. You can even play a virtual reality game. The library has a restaurant and wine bar and, yes, there are books and magazines too! Find something to read from the shelves (which include English-language books), and nestle in one of the library's many reading nooks to enjoy your selection.

copyright (c) 2019 by Ourisman Travel LLC. All rights reserved. We provide Virtuoso and other Preferred Partner amenities as an affiliate of Brownell, a Virtuoso® Member. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.

Notre Dame | such sad feelings

gargoyle on Notre Dame (c) 2019 by David Ourisman, all rights reserved

The sight of Notre Dame in flames was so overwhelmingly sad. I've always been a francophile. Paris has always been my favorite city in the world. Notre Dame represents the heart and soul of Paris, indeed of France. The photographs of the fire were so tragic, this iconic Gothic cathedral at the center of Paris on fire.

I first visited Notre Dame in 1969, my first trip to Europe (fifty years ago!). After visiting London and Amsterdam, the student group I was part of continued on to Paris. I captured the image below with my Minolta SRT-101 film camera; I believe I was using Agfachrome ASA 64 slide film. I have visited Paris many times since, more than I can count. My most recent visit was this January when I climbed the tower and captured the close-up image of a gargoyle (see above).

evening shot of Notre Dame in 1969

How to visit any cathedral... (at least how I do it). I always walk to the very back of the sanctuary and stand in the center aisle, behind all of the seats. I stand there for awhile — or even sit in one of the pews — and look forward and upward, taking in the soaring lines of the arches as they lead my eyes to the heavens. This is the very purpose of Gothic architecture. When you visit any church, try to sense what the architect wanted to convey to worshippers. If you can, attend a service or a concert. Enjoy the cathedral the way it was intended — as a place of worship, not as a tourist attraction.

It's impossible to imagine Paris without Notre Dame. I intend to contribute to the reconstruction fund, and I hope one day to visit the fully restored cathedral.

copyright (c) 2019 by Ourisman Travel LLC. All rights reserved. We provide Virtuoso and other Preferred Partner amenities as an affiliate of Brownell, a Virtuoso® Member. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.

St. Andrews Cathedral | inspiring ruins

I've visited many cathedrals in Europe but perhaps none quite so inspiring as the cathedral in St. Andrews, Scotland. The town itself was named after Andrew, one of Jesus' twelve disciples (and brother of Peter) whose relics were supposedly brought here. This beautiful town by the sea become the spiritual center of Scotland. The building of its cathedral commenced in 1161 and was not completed until 1318. After burning down in 1378, it was rebuilt in 1516, then severely damaged in 1559 by the Reformers.

Standing in the church's nave with nothing but the sky above your head, its arched windows empty of glass, stained or otherwise, I got a sense of the grandeur that must have existed at one time. Sometimes what we can imagine in our minds surpasses the reality of stone and mortar.

My tour of Scotland has also heightened my appreciation of the idea of the separation of Church and State. Touring the ruined cathedral and the neighboring castle that was once the Bishop's palace reminded me of the unfortunate consequences when ecclesial and political power are combined. Scotland's churchly leaders were corrupted by power and wealth (the Bishop had a prison in his palace in which heretics were punished), and John Knox and the Reformers were excessive in their violent revolt against such excesses. Religious tolerance and respect for others' faith would have made life in the 16th century — and the 21st century — better and more humane for all. [End of sermon].

copyright  (c)  2015 by David Ourisman LLC.  All rights reserved. We provide Virtuoso and other Preferred Partner amenities as an affiliate of Brownell Travel. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.

the Duomo in Florence

A front page article in today's Contra Costa Times gives me a renewed appreciation of the architectural and engineering miracle represented by the Duomo in Florence, Italy.

The Times article describes the $190 million, 224,000 square foot Christ the Light Cathedral currently under construction in Oakland, CA. It is said to be the most expensive church building in American history. Look carefully at the construction photograph to the left, and you will see the scaffolding being used to support the dome while it is under construction.

Consider that the Duomo in Florence was built in the fourteenth century. It was constructed without the use of structural steel. Designed by architect and sculptor Filippo Brunelleschi, the self-supporting dome was built without the aid of scaffolding to support its weight until its construction was complete. With a diameter of 42 meters, the Duomo is one of the largest self-supporting domes in the world.

If you plan to visit Florence (and you should), buy a copy of Brunelleschi's Dome and read it before you get to Florence. Written by Ross King, the book is a great read and tells the story of the construction of the Duomo, the competition that led to the selection of Brunelleschi's design, the political intrigue involved, and life in Florence in the Early Renaissance. The book will greatly add to your appreciation of the entire city, and you will view the cathedral itself with a deep sense of appreciation for the technological miracle it represents.

Then, definitely pay the few euros it costs to climb to the pinnacle of the Duomo. It's a long climb, but you will experience first hand the inner and outer shells of the dome, and you will be able to imagine the human toil that went into its construction. Workers had to make that climb each day, working high above the floor of the cathedral.

If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.
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