Last year, my friend Anna* and I had planned to visit the Cathedral of St. Paul at Christmas, but never made it. We were determined not to be thwarted this year, and so we decided that yesterday was the day. After fortifying ourselves with Afghani buffet food at lunch, we headed off across St. Paul.

The Cathedral is situated at the highest point of the city, and on a clear day you can see nearly to the Mississippi. The structure itself is very Old World, and looks like something that took nearly 50 years to build. I took many pictures, but since I was convinced I’d go to hell if I used the flash inside, most of my photos are predictably grainy. We came on a good day, because there was a crew of parishioners there readying the altar for Christmas and cleaning up. I always try not to visit churches on actual holy days or days of worship, because it’s good for me to see the work-a-day aspects of running a Cathedral — to be reminded that churches run on flesh and blood as well as the divine.

I was mostly fascinated by the Christmas decorations-in-waiting and small details of the Cathedral, like swan-shaped lamps and St. Mark’s winged lion. The photo set is here. The Cathedral website also features much less-grainy photos.

*One of Anna's many virtues is the fact that she’s a native who’s still interested in doing touristy things around town.